Another morning wake up call from the construction site next door, the air beyond the window still cold and clear. It's not so usual to see this here, the air tending to be opaque, but maybe that's the one bonus of the viral situation here, that the pollution levels have decreased, although the masks have a new and more immediate use. I did want to write serious use but it struck me that the pollution levels here, while not up at the Beijing or Delhi levels, come with phone warnings to stay indoors, that there's regular spikes where it's more healthy to sit and do nothing that to head up into the surrounding hills.


And it's a little too easy to sit and do nothing, back into the confines of the city, the advice to avoid and keep a distance getting through. Again wandering a little through the streets there's something in the air, almost an expectation of some staccato violins bursting through ominously as they offer a slightly threatening soundtrack to the scent...