Just in

A secret Christmas Day mission

Yesterday I duly completed without incident my pre-announced illegal early morning expedition to visit my daughter and family in an area of the country that since – at one minute past midnight (i.e. into Boxing Day) – has now joined mine in Tier 4 of the Government’s latest localised lockdown structure.

I should perhaps qualify the above statement slightly. I am not 100% convinced that my round trip of about 150 miles in total was illegal.

It was certainly somewhere along the spectrum that runs from “illegal” at the one end, through “bending the guidelines slightly in the interests of family wishes/needs at this festive time”, to “taking a considered/responsible view of what risks I and those close to me were prepared to take in the current pandemic crisis” at the other.

It was also not entirely without incident.

Having been “up and active” for about three hours from midnight on Christmas Day, I returned to bed for forty winks before then rising again at 5.15am, shaving, showering, “getting ready to depart” and setting off in my car roughly an hour later.

I had travelled for about two miles on my way to the Hanger Lane gyratory system and the M40 out of London when I realised that – having opted to wear my “best” puffa-jacket  rather than my everyday one at the last moment – I had therefore “failed” to take a face mask with me (despite having at least fifty in various boxes in my flat).

This cock-up required me to about-turn and revisit my flat in order to collect one before setting off for a second time – an act that I judged (I felt correctly, then and now) would be less problematic than continuing and trying to find somewhere open at which to buy another mask (or box of) en route.

There were none.

Having arrived at my destination four minutes late, I was then greeted (as pre-arranged) by my daughter and family, dressed to the nines and ready for a walk in the crisp early morning air.

Presents and socially-distanced greetings were exchanged and then we set off and walked for an hour in the vicinity, mostly on tarmac paths in parks.

Back at the house afterwards, I nipped inside for a swift pit-stop before – with further exchanges of Christmas good cheer – departing upon my return to Tier 4.

Throughout the gathering my not-yet-three-months-old new and first grandchild – despite all the tales of him creating if not screaming at all times when not at his mother’s breast – remained fast asleep.

By 10.30am I was back at base where I first made myself a bacon sandwich and then retired for a late morning snooze before facing the main events of the day which including devouring a very acceptable roast beef with all the trimmings lunch served at 4.30pm.

 

 

Avatar photo
About Gerald Ingolby

Formerly a consumer journalist on radio and television, in 2002 Gerald published a thriller novel featuring a campaigning editor who was wrongly accused and jailed for fraud. He now runs a website devoted to consumer news. More Posts