Shielding is not being helpless or screaming out the window ...I never have a dull moment

How high-risk cope with lockdown

theatre. I was visiting friends as well but now I’m completely limited. But I do make sure I speak to people every day. I have a nice Zoom group where we set each other tasks every weeks.

I want to counter this stereotype of older people and people being shielded in their houses.

It is not depression and helplessness and people screaming out of a window.

I’m reading and watching boxsets. I’m also sorting out my house. You have to look ahead – although I have no intention of dying. I want to organise my possessions so they have a home.

I want mine to go to individual people so I have been labelling everything. I don’t ever have a dull moment. I miss not being able to go out driving.

That’s something I’d love to do but it’s just if you break down or something then you are really in trouble.

The only place I really have to go is the hospital. I don’t think my cancer can ever be cured but I’m very lucky. I feel very well. The prognosis is ultimately not good but who knows? It’s not like I’m young and my life is being stolen from me. But I do see it as a kind of cosmic joke that I can’t go out when time is so important.

I don’t see this as a battle. I see this as all I can do to help my body. We have real lessons to learn from this lockdown. This is a great opportunity to improve society and right so many wrongs.

We need to put more investment into care homes and people should think more in general about what is needed.

Something needs to happen about the disadvantage of black and Asian people during this – people dying at twice the rate needs to be addressed.

And the environment. Pollution has dropped so quickly that if we keep going we have a real chance of addressing the climate crisis. You can feel it. The sun is hotter, the air is clearer and the birds are louder. Everything is different.