Stephen Jacklin, NWP web administrator, wrote, on the 7th April:

I am currently wondering why…

1) …I have so much to do, yet it’s technically the Easter holidays and our social life is mainly reduced to WhatsApp, FaceTime, the occasional game on Zoom and other proprietary software that we’re reliant upon.

2) …The dogs seem to be requiring more attention/fuss and how they simultaneously are annoyed we’re at home in the day time.

3) …Even though I have all of this opportunity to write, I’m resisting it somehow. I shouldn’t be working (really, though I do have bits to do for school), and things around the house and outside in our garden can be done in stages, yet getting going seems to take ages.

4) …Therefore, as nothing needs to happen immediately or for a specific deadline, there is all of this afore-alluded to pressure and guilt that we heap upon ourselves.

I’ve also realised that, in my attempt to contribute to NWP’s pages, I’ve actually done some writing. It counts, right? When I started, I knew I wanted a list, but I didn’t realise how that list would turn out. Half of my mind was encouraging me to hurry up so I could post this and get some lunch. A significant proportion was thinking about the mess in the garden and that I need to continue relaying the lawn. The rest somehow managed to write all of this, edit it and wonder if it’s good enough. Why do we do this to ourselves? It doesn’t matter where you start, but a start is exactly that. Now, I’m going to make some lunch and sing ‘Do-Re-Me’ a-la Julie Andrews. Now, “Let’s start at the very beginning…”