Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 8 April

The thoughts of a nation

Like the green shoots of spring, the newspapers today provide a scattering of stories to cheer us up. The prime minister's condition in hospital is reported as stable and he is said to be in good spirits. 'Britain sends a message of hope to battling Johnson', says one headline and there is a lovely photograph in The Times of staff at a Warwickshire hospital spelling out, 'GET WELL SOON BORIS'. (Above.) Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, who has taken over until that happens, says he is confident the PM will be back. 

The message of hope is boosted by the response to the appeal for volunteers to help the most vulnerable, confined to their homes. The Royal Voluntary Service, the organisers, were staggered by the response: 750,000 answering the call, three times the target.

Sir Keir Starmer: new leader

There is better news from Europe, with Denmark, the Czech Republic, Norway and even Spain thinking of lifting some of their restrictions. Opinion on the need to keep schools closed is divided with some suggesting they will stay shut until September. On the political scene, rightly very much in the background, the new Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, has formed a much broader based opposition team, sacking key figures from the last one. This 'cabinet in waiting' - and it will almost certainly be waiting at least four years - is younger and has a majority of women. He has said they will help the government and act constructively, not politically. 

The past week here at Sunrise has been my most settled and contented time for years. The response to my television interview has been surprising with comments from family, friends and even from overseas including the USA and Germany. Thank you! I am also in better health. When I came to Sunrise last September, I was in a poor condition after struggling to look after Rosemary and keep our home going. After a spell in hospital I was at a low ebb. But the comfort and marvellous care has made a huge difference. Yesterday, I managed to walk into the garden. I sat on a bench alone in the warm sunshine listening to the birds. Wonderful. It was the farthest I have managed to walk for three years or more. I couldn't even cross the road to the pier from our Penarth flat. I am enjoying these green shoots.