Dear Readers, life is gradually ‘getting back to normal’ for Bug Woman here in East Finchley. Today, I met my dear friend P for lunch in Table du Marché, easily my favourite restaurant on the High Street. Admittedly I was leaning on a crutch and she had a walking stick so we made a pretty four-legged pair as we sidled crab-wise into the restaurant, but after three courses and a good old catch-up we both felt much better about the world. Plus, the wait for the 263 bus to take my friend home was only about five minutes, and the bus driver even stopped to make sure that she’d sat down before he took off towards Archway. Result! All too often the driver pulls away from the bus stop as if they’re driving a Formula One racing car, with the result that all the standing passengers head towards the back of the bus like pinballs.

Anyhow, my Open University course is open for those keen people who want to start early (official start date is 4th October), tomorrow I’m venturing into Islington on my own to get my hair cut, and on Friday I’m back to pilates for the first time in three months, which will necessitate a very slow and careful re-introduction to core strength and flexibility.

And in other news, I am giving a talk for  Finchley Women’s Institute on 9th October, which is coming up extremely fast. How to pack everything into 45 minutes is the question! I want to talk about making a garden wildlife friendly and what there is to see around North London in the way of urban creatures, plus I would really like to sing the praises of my beloved Coldfall Wood. Some judicious editing will be required for sure. And this is the first time that I’ve spoken in public since before lockdown, so I am sure to be a little anxious. Never mind! The past few months have shown me how easy it is for the world to get smaller, so now that I’m able to get out and about a bit I’m determined to push back the walls a bit and let the outside world back in. Let’s see how we get on.

The link to my talk in October is here. Wish me luck!