A novel time

We’ve all got one in us – and if lockdown doesn’t drive you to write that book, nothing will

- BENJAMIN SOUTHAN

DEREK PICOT

A HOTELIER FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS AND A CONSULTANT TO HOTEL DEVELOPERS

What a challenge it was adapting to lockdown, not least in terms of education. My children are grown up so they didn’t need any help, but I found myself on a steep learning curve because the new world order of shared duties means education starts at home. My first lesson was mastering the vacuum cleaner, of which the less said, the better. The second was how to make the bed with elastic cornered sheets that have shrunk (how was I to know that there were different temperature settings on the washing machine?). At least I didn’t need to participate in any exercise videos; vacuuming and bed changing were arduous enough.

DRAWN FROM EXPERIENCE

So it was an experience in terms of both home economics and home ergonomics. And then there was the trauma of placing a grocery order online. The delivery slot I secured was so far in the future that by the time it arrived we had already been forced out to various supermarkets to track down what we needed. I knew I should have pilfered more toilet rolls from my hotel days.