A big trip today - to Manchester for haircuts.

We hadn’t been since early December, the last haircut. J was scared - shielding, a trip to a place with people in any kind of proximity is alarming. On the other hand, despite my best efforts (I have had a cautious go) - her hair needed professional intervention.

My cut did not take too long. Her colour and cut was a longer affair. So I went for a stroll. I was curious to see what was going on. The hair salon is off centre, away from all the retail, and the big space of St Peter’s Square is nearby. So that was my first destination.

It all felt relatively quiet. Most office workers are still home working (home working in some form is with us for good I think). In the Square the wahonia trees were in flower - in the extra, the shadow of one of the trees seems to have captured someone. In another - romance is in the air. The main blip is the collonade under the town hall extension.

Then back to the salon. Very few people in today (they are not usually open for anyone on Mondays), so it did all feel safe.