Virus Diary Week 32

What is it about lockdowns and fantastical obsessions? During those first spring and summer months the six-year-old immersed himself in Doctor Who, repeatedly playing the theme tunes, dressing up as his favourite (mainly Matt Smith, sometimes David Tennant and never Jodie Whittaker), writing to his hero and then listening to the theme tunes all over again. Rinse and repeat for five months. But as soon as the restrictions ended so did the appeal of the space

and-time travelling adventurer – just in time for us to retain our sanity – and it so it stayed until, well, the latest lockdown.

No sooner had the school announced its extra, early week of mid-term than those ominous bass notes struck up once again. We can’t comment, however. Our fascination with Paul Weller, (inset) dormant for many years, also came back in late March, subsided after summer, and without warning we found ourselves forensically searching the internet for a striped cardigan the Modfather once wore. (By Roberto Carlo £18 in 1983 as it happens). Thing is we can’t even figure out whether Weller is the coolest person ever to slip on a slip-on or a bit of a prat. There must be some psycho-therapy reason for it though, retreating into some kind of comforting nostalgia fantasy while the world moves in unpredictible new directions. Likewise, the youngster could be seeking his own form of escape with his shoddily-painted, cardboard Tardis that makes an awful mess in the rain. Maybe if we pool our resources we could actually end up in The Style Council for real – or at least grab that natty cardigan at a bargain 1983 price. Shout To The Top indeed...