Saturday 20 March

Today is the vernal equinox, the official start of spring. It is apparently not often on 20 March but it is not always on 21 March either, it can be 22 March. It is also the International Day of Happiness, established by the UN in 2012. “The pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal.” And in addition, it is French Language Day: “For the French language, 20 March was chosen as the date since it “coincides with the 40th anniversary of the International Organization of La Francophonie“, a group whose members share a common tongue, as well as the humanist values promoted by the French language.” I discovered that most French speakers are in Africa, 124 million it is said: another random piece of information to be digested today.

We drove to Ealing to help entertain grandson Adam, or rather, graciously permit him to entertain us. I mistakenly thought it would be more interesting to drive through the suburbs than round on the motorway, but there was an enormous amount of traffic on the roads. Where is everyone going? Few shops open, but certainly Richmond Park was heaving: thousands of cyclists. We are now experts on every park and playground. One of the things I am grateful for is that Adam is too young to know what the Covid scenario is. The fact that his parents are working at home is irrelevant to him: he is pleased that Mummy and Daddy are both there for lunch when he is not at nursery, so he will only be aware of the advantages.

I was very sorry to read that the situation in France and Germany seems to be worsening. Friends there are still waiting for their first injection, and lockdown restrictions are being re-imposed. I read that there have been protests in many cities, including London, and I do wonder how long it is feasible to keep restrictions in place.

I admire Krystian Zimerman’s playing enormously: he makes it sound so effortless, the notes just trickle, so lovely.