We needed to do some food shopping and instead of going to Sainsbury’s as usual, Tigger thought it was time to try something new.

Lidl, Tottenham Court Road
Photo by Tigger

Tigger took the bus to Tottenham Court Road and entered the above store, Lidl.

Having done the shopping, she returned home and we made a quick foray to Jusaka for our daily ration of coffee.

Verdict on Lidl? Cheaper than Sainsbury’s but they don’t stock all the items we need.

Today brought a novelty for me too. Some days ago, my dentist’s surgery emailed clients to say that they were now accepting appointments again.

Before the pandemic struck, I had two appointments for root canal work which were cancelled because of the emergency. I hadn’t yet responded to the email because I wasn’t sure I felt happy about engaging in the close contact that dentistry implies. Happily, I have not suffered any pain in the meantime and this encouraged me to keep putting the matter off.

Imagine my surprise when my phone rang this morning and I saw that it was the dentist’s surgery calling. The receptionist politely suggested that I might like to make new appointments to replace the missed ones. The dates proposed are for next Monday and the following Monday. Caught on the hop, I accepted the offer.

On the one hand, it is good to have the work done before the tooth starts aching in earnest as it is likely to do, but on the other, dentistry means close contact at a time when social distancing is still being urged on us and that makes me somewhat nervous. You can’t wear a face mask while having your teeth drilled!

It will be interesting to see what arrangements are being made by dentists to avoid infection. Do they perhaps wear visors like those we saw being worn by barbers in Amwell Street?

Come Monday, I shall find out…