I’VE been in lockdown at our home in West Linton since March 14, along with my partner, the former teacher I call the Heidie and our Jack Russell terrier called Hamish. I’ve been keeping a diary to avoid going stir crazy. If you have any funny stories of your lockdowns please tell us via community@thenational.scot.

Day 15: You never know you’ve missed something until you miss it. Never thought I would miss shopping, but when you can’t go out at all it’s a real bind that you can’t just pop to the supermarket and buy some booze.

Instead we get ours delivered, thanks to the wonderful Fi of the Old Bakehouse. And we get an excellent meat parcel delivered by Gillespies Good Food from Biggar.

This could be the end of me shopping forever, especially as fellow Yes Linton members have volunteered to deliver my daily copy of The National – us old schoolers like the actual paper, but please consider taking out a digital subscription.

Day 16: Do a What’sApp call with our friends who can’t resist showing off by taking part from their hot tub. They’re waiting on a new puppy, a Jack Russell called Dougal and the video of the wee fellow is the best tonic I’ve had all week.

Dugs are an in-thing at the moment, with STV weatherman Sean Batty telling us all about how it is outside at home with his Cavapoo, Harris. Got a better hairstyle than Sean, I have to say. And why do the weather forecast when nobody is out there?

Day 17: We are eating better than ever and the Headie has re-discovered the joys of cooking. And jigsaws. A thousand piece job is completed when I go all Boris and say “get jigsaw done”. And isn’t Boris looking like a burst ba?

I started the day with an experiment to see how difficult it is not to touch your face, as in the medical advice. I give up at 37. And that was only one morning. The Heidie has her own experiment. She’s counting how many days it takes for us to finish a toilet roll. I was going to point out this that depends on how your bowel movements are going, but decide that discretion etc.

Day 18: Start to count the cliches on telly and radio. Yep, I’m that bored. By lunchtime I have decided to throttle – metaphorically of course – the next person to say “stay safe”. The good thing for me is that I have to work during the day for The National – what do you mean, you wouldn’t notice the difference if I didn’t? So I am in a routine now, with Hamish having to be walked and me exercised once a day, and that’s comforting. What is also reassuring is the fact that so many people are posting seriously funny videos – check out the Irish family the Flemings for a belly laugh.

Day 19: Why is it that at a time of national crisis with a huge captive home audience that the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and 5 still serve up the same daytime mince than they always do? It’s the same diet of pap that they have been foisting on licence payers for decades. And then the BBC say they are going to cheer us up by showing old football tournaments like Euro 96. Not a good plan for UK unity...

Day 20: All of a sudden the virus really bites and for the first time I know people who are included in the statistics. Jimmy Gordon, Lord Gordon of Strathblane, was someone I first interviewed many years ago about his biggest slice of luck. He was producing a film about the history of Celtic and did they not go and win the European Cup. He was the friend of a good friend, and I was really sad to learn of his death.

A hour later and Facebook tells me that Edinburgh rugby stalwart Mike Sanders is dead at 75 from illness caused by coronavirus. He was the president of Edinburgh Northern back in the day and a guy who lived life to the full.

I rage against the idiots running the UK who did not do enough to stop this virus getting into our population. There must be a full public inquiry when this is all over.

Day 21: It’s Friday, 5pm – time for the Crackerjack Crew and the virtual bevvy sesh.

Scotland is in lockdown. Shops are closing and newspaper sales are falling fast. It’s no exaggeration to say that the future of The National is at stake. Please consider supporting us through this with a digital subscription from just £2 for 2 months by following this link: http://www.thenational.scot/subscribe. Thanks – and stay safe.