Day 15
It has been a beautiful day today and ideal for tackling outdoor jobs. Sophie woke up with a headache this morning so decided to abandon any running, which I thought was a good idea. It disappeared very soon, though, which was a relief, and I think it was a hangover from working the previous day. She was doing a lot of figures and maybe squinting at her laptop screen all day.
Keith went out for a walk and I washed Sophie's car, inside and out. When Keith returned he came out to chat and I mentioned the overgrown bushes at the front of the house, which really needed some attention. He agreed to tackle them with the hedgetrimmer and I followed behind him raking up the fallen branches and making everything tidy.
Of course, it was a great opportunity to chat to neighbours (Sue was visiting Archie and Bailey) and Richard and Michelle also came out to say hello (we all stood far apart though!). Everyone was enjoying the warm temperatures and sunshine and the atmosphere was quite jolly!
We worked until about 1pm and I was very pleased with the results. The bushes have been cut right back (but not aggressively - I reined in Slasher Keith!) and now the light can get to the verge, which we will re-turf later in the year when we can get out and buy some grass to put down. I did contemplate top soil and grass seed, but I know that Monty likes to lie in this patch of grass and no doubt the birds will also feast on the seed!
I made sandwiches and fruit salad for lunch and then went out to tackle the front windows which were dirty and cobwebby. I took the step ladders out with me, but decided to try not to use them as several friends have had accidents doing cleaning jobs since we've been confined to our houses! One friend has broken her ankle falling off a ladder, while another has done her back in!
By 3pm I was pooped so I watched A Place in the Sun and then had a shower. Afterwards I lay on our bed for half an hour and dozed. Outside I could hear the lovely sound of children playing - although we are all confined to our homes, it's still nice to hear life going on all around us!
When Sophie finished work we went for a walk again and did the same circuit as last night. The sunshine was a bit more hazy this evening but it was still beautiful and the lambs seem to be getting used to us walking through their field! Back home a delivery from Amazon arrived for my Mum and Dad so we popped it over to them, and then returned to relax with a soft drink while Keith made cottage pie for dinner.
The week is whizzing past again and we're looking forward to Easter this weekend, but it won't be Easter as we know it! I hadn't yet booked any time off over Easter and was preparing to work either Good Friday or Easter Monday, but that's not a worry any more!
Tuesday, 7 April 2020
Monday, 6 April 2020
Here, there and everywhere!
Day 14
I woke early this morning and watched Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again as an alternative to the news! Last night Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital, which was a bit worrying. His symptoms seem to be continuing longer than expected and I did wonder whether his refusal to rest and recover had an impact?
The blue skies and sunshine had gone to be replaced by grey skies and rain, so Sophie decided not to have a run first thing. I had an appointment for a blood test at 9am so Keith came with me as we were going to go and do some shopping afterwards.
The surgery was very quiet but I was seen quickly and efficiently and within minutes we were driving towards Mawsley to pick up Mum's prescription from the pharmacy there. I will be mightily glad never to have to go there again! However, her medication wasn't ready so we went straight to her house and I picked up her bank card as she wanted some shopping. By now, the sun had come out and it was very pleasant indeed!
We drove to Aldi and Keith went in to do a shop which should last us all week. I sat in the car and read the paper while he was gone as I think only one person is now allowed in to do a shop. Crazy times! I still can't believe we are in this situation!
From Aldi we went to Tesco and it was my turn to go in. I queued up like I did the other day and the woman in front of me was not happy when she saw we had to queue around the homewares department! She stormed off saying she only needed a few things! I managed to get everything on my list for Mum and a few bits for Keith that he wasn't able to get in Aldi. We drove to Mum's, dropped off her shopping and went home to have lunch in the sunny conservatory.
We had one more trip to do - go back to the pharmacy and collect Mum's prescription, pop to the Co-op to get bread (we'd both forgotten it) and then it was finally home. Keith and I decided to watch Ant and Dec's last Saturday Night Takeaway which should have been coming from Florida - what a terrible shame.
Later in the afternoon I realised that today was the first day of what would have been the Easter holidays, and I thought back to all the time I'd spent inputting the crash courses and the holiday playscheme...Arrggghhh! What a phenomenal waste of time! I could have sat and cried!
Once Sophie had finished work at 5pm, we ventured out for a much-needed walk in the early evening sunshine. It was glorious. We walked up to the village and then through into one of the fields. Walking along the perimeter, we came to the gate and strolled through the sheep field, trying to be as quiet and careful as possible so as not to scare the animals. A couple of sturdy lambs spotted us and idled off, but most of them seemed unfazed by our appearance!
It was a really beautiful evening with a Florida sky again and a cool, gentle breeze. Once in the village we walked along to the single track road and then turned back, admiring the gorgeous purple Aubrieta as we walked.
We were out for about 50 minutes but it did us the world of good and we plan to do the same tomorrow night as well. We are giving up alcohol in the week so it's a perfect time to get out and enjoy some fresh air instead!
I woke early this morning and watched Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again as an alternative to the news! Last night Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital, which was a bit worrying. His symptoms seem to be continuing longer than expected and I did wonder whether his refusal to rest and recover had an impact?
The blue skies and sunshine had gone to be replaced by grey skies and rain, so Sophie decided not to have a run first thing. I had an appointment for a blood test at 9am so Keith came with me as we were going to go and do some shopping afterwards.
The surgery was very quiet but I was seen quickly and efficiently and within minutes we were driving towards Mawsley to pick up Mum's prescription from the pharmacy there. I will be mightily glad never to have to go there again! However, her medication wasn't ready so we went straight to her house and I picked up her bank card as she wanted some shopping. By now, the sun had come out and it was very pleasant indeed!
We drove to Aldi and Keith went in to do a shop which should last us all week. I sat in the car and read the paper while he was gone as I think only one person is now allowed in to do a shop. Crazy times! I still can't believe we are in this situation!
From Aldi we went to Tesco and it was my turn to go in. I queued up like I did the other day and the woman in front of me was not happy when she saw we had to queue around the homewares department! She stormed off saying she only needed a few things! I managed to get everything on my list for Mum and a few bits for Keith that he wasn't able to get in Aldi. We drove to Mum's, dropped off her shopping and went home to have lunch in the sunny conservatory.
We had one more trip to do - go back to the pharmacy and collect Mum's prescription, pop to the Co-op to get bread (we'd both forgotten it) and then it was finally home. Keith and I decided to watch Ant and Dec's last Saturday Night Takeaway which should have been coming from Florida - what a terrible shame.
Later in the afternoon I realised that today was the first day of what would have been the Easter holidays, and I thought back to all the time I'd spent inputting the crash courses and the holiday playscheme...Arrggghhh! What a phenomenal waste of time! I could have sat and cried!
Once Sophie had finished work at 5pm, we ventured out for a much-needed walk in the early evening sunshine. It was glorious. We walked up to the village and then through into one of the fields. Walking along the perimeter, we came to the gate and strolled through the sheep field, trying to be as quiet and careful as possible so as not to scare the animals. A couple of sturdy lambs spotted us and idled off, but most of them seemed unfazed by our appearance!
It was a really beautiful evening with a Florida sky again and a cool, gentle breeze. Once in the village we walked along to the single track road and then turned back, admiring the gorgeous purple Aubrieta as we walked.
We were out for about 50 minutes but it did us the world of good and we plan to do the same tomorrow night as well. We are giving up alcohol in the week so it's a perfect time to get out and enjoy some fresh air instead!
Sunday, 5 April 2020
Birthday celebrations...sort of!
Day 13
I was awake early this morning and arranged Sophie's gifts by the fireplace. She had a box of presents from her manager and a bottle of Taittinger Champagne from us, as well as lots of cards.
She came down at about 9am and we woke a groggy Mike so he could wish her happy birthday as well. She received some lovely French style gifts from her manager and a recipe for a "Welsh" something she would have been eating if we'd been in France!
Luckily, it was a gorgeous day with warm winds, blue skies and plenty of sunshine. How lovely it would have been if we'd been by the seaside! Never mind! We pottered about in the morning and Sophie watched some of her programmes on TV, and then we went for a walk around midday. We walked down to the village and went to see the alpacas but they were as uninterested as usual!
We trekked through the fields and sat by the graveyard for a little while, enjoying the warm sun and seeing numerous cars and cycles go past. This morning, when we went to get a newspaper, we saw twenty eight cyclists both ways to Mawsley! I'm sure that must be some kind of record and at one point about seven came through a block of temporary roadworks in a group, when the traffic light was against them. Naughty!
We walked through the graveyard pointing out various people that we had known over the years, and then turned right to walk back through the village. Overhead, we saw one of the Red Kites, which reminded us about the other day when one of them came swooping down into our garden to pick up a piece of fatty meat that Keith had thrown onto the lawn! He was right overhead and so close I could see his feet tucked up under him! He made several fly-bys but then a couple of crows appeared and frightened him off. It was marvellous to see, though!
We arrived back home feeling a little hot as by now it was warm in the sunshine. Sophie wanted to open the Champagne so we had a bowl of nuts, olives and crisps with the delicious wine. Mike joined us and we had a good chat. I then suggested opening a huge bottle of sparkling Perry that Sophie had received at Christmas from one of the managers as it was only 5% but it was horrible! Keith had suggested drinking it with Guinness and that's the only way I would touch it now after taking a sip!
We relaxed by watching the end of Charade and then Sophie wanted to watch My Best Friend's Wedding as a birthday treat. There was no sport on so Keith could hardly complain!
Afterwards, I watered the garden as the wind and sunshine had dried out all out winter flowering pansies and violas. It's been perfect drying weather and lovely to get the washing out on the line!
Before dinner we watched Gordon, Gino and Fred's tour of Mexico and the USA which was hilarious and great to escape into. How I wish we could have been with them! Sophie and I then prepared dinner - a Spanish themed meal of cold meats and cheeses, tortilla, ciabatta served with aioli and patatas bravas. It was delicious and a fitting end to a lovely day!
I was awake early this morning and arranged Sophie's gifts by the fireplace. She had a box of presents from her manager and a bottle of Taittinger Champagne from us, as well as lots of cards.
She came down at about 9am and we woke a groggy Mike so he could wish her happy birthday as well. She received some lovely French style gifts from her manager and a recipe for a "Welsh" something she would have been eating if we'd been in France!
Luckily, it was a gorgeous day with warm winds, blue skies and plenty of sunshine. How lovely it would have been if we'd been by the seaside! Never mind! We pottered about in the morning and Sophie watched some of her programmes on TV, and then we went for a walk around midday. We walked down to the village and went to see the alpacas but they were as uninterested as usual!
We trekked through the fields and sat by the graveyard for a little while, enjoying the warm sun and seeing numerous cars and cycles go past. This morning, when we went to get a newspaper, we saw twenty eight cyclists both ways to Mawsley! I'm sure that must be some kind of record and at one point about seven came through a block of temporary roadworks in a group, when the traffic light was against them. Naughty!
We walked through the graveyard pointing out various people that we had known over the years, and then turned right to walk back through the village. Overhead, we saw one of the Red Kites, which reminded us about the other day when one of them came swooping down into our garden to pick up a piece of fatty meat that Keith had thrown onto the lawn! He was right overhead and so close I could see his feet tucked up under him! He made several fly-bys but then a couple of crows appeared and frightened him off. It was marvellous to see, though!
We arrived back home feeling a little hot as by now it was warm in the sunshine. Sophie wanted to open the Champagne so we had a bowl of nuts, olives and crisps with the delicious wine. Mike joined us and we had a good chat. I then suggested opening a huge bottle of sparkling Perry that Sophie had received at Christmas from one of the managers as it was only 5% but it was horrible! Keith had suggested drinking it with Guinness and that's the only way I would touch it now after taking a sip!
We relaxed by watching the end of Charade and then Sophie wanted to watch My Best Friend's Wedding as a birthday treat. There was no sport on so Keith could hardly complain!
Afterwards, I watered the garden as the wind and sunshine had dried out all out winter flowering pansies and violas. It's been perfect drying weather and lovely to get the washing out on the line!
Before dinner we watched Gordon, Gino and Fred's tour of Mexico and the USA which was hilarious and great to escape into. How I wish we could have been with them! Sophie and I then prepared dinner - a Spanish themed meal of cold meats and cheeses, tortilla, ciabatta served with aioli and patatas bravas. It was delicious and a fitting end to a lovely day!
Saturday, 4 April 2020
Visiting old haunts!
Day 12
This morning dawned beautifully sunny and the forecast is for it to remain the same all weekend. Today, we should have been on a ferry to France, which was a real shame, but hopefully, we can go in September when this is all over.
First thing, Sophie and I went to the pharmacy at Mawsley to pick up Dad's prescription. I had a long chat with Mum on her doorstep and then we came home to a breakfast of veggie sausage sandwiches, sitting in the sunny conservatory.
I will say one thing at the moment, though - the time is absolutely whizzing by, which is a good thing! Sophie and I did a quick tidy-up and hoover and we prepared the chicken for our Jerk Chicken Pasta this evening. By lunchtime we had contacted Mike and went to pick him up from town. In all honesty, today resembled a "normal" day - there was quite a few cars on the roads and tons of people out walking, jogging or cycling. In fact, I have never seen so many people out on bikes on the roads!
Back home I made Sophie's ice-cream cake and then had a quick shower. The plan was to go out for a walk and I put my walking boots on in the hope they would ease the pain in my foot. Yesterday, a Shiatsu foot massage machine arrived and it's been a big hit with all of us, even if it is a little painful at times!
We had a wonderful walk - we went up to the village and crossed the sheep field to join up with the track we used to use. I can't remember the last time we went this way and it brought back some truly lovely memories, especially the field where there used to be horses, and the owner would dump a load of carrots nearby to feed them. We always managed to find weird shaped ones to giggle over!
We saw another family out walking and stood for ages looking at the back of our estate where changes had been made to some of the houses since we came here last. I felt so lucky that we have all this on our doorstep and we can roam over the fields to our hearts' content!
We carried on and decided to take the path that comes out behind a row of houses in Walgrave. However, since our last walk here, a small bridge had been removed so we had to walk a bit further to cross the small stream. It was so beautifully quiet, only the sound of a skylark somewhere overhead could be heard.
Finding the track at last, we passed an old friend of Sophie's who was out walking with her family and when we reached the village we met one of her old teachers! We had a chat and then trudged home - by now we had been out for an hour and a half!
Back home we had a good chat with Richard and Michelle, Paul and another neighbour Ruth. The sunshine has certainly brought everyone out!
Today was supposed to have been the Grand National from Aintree but they decided to run a virtual race instead! I picked Any Second Now as my runner and we were still able to place bets on the race. It wasn't the same as usual but I was able to watch it without any fear as the horses weren't real and if they fell, it didn't matter! Keith's horse came first and mine came third so we didn't do too badly!
After the race, Sophie made us both Margaritas and we settled down to watch the lovely film, Charade starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It was really great to sit and relax and forget about the current situation.
I made dinner this evening and while we were cooking I went out to get another bottle of wine and heard an almighty racket going on - Monty was having a vicious fight with Joe who lives down the road! I managed to separate them and Sophie came rushing out to find out what was going on. Both cats hared off down the road, where Monty had another go at Joe! Sophie managed to separate them again but Monty was all bristly and in a right state! He growled at her when she picked him up and she realised he was bleeding from his paw.
We always thought that Joe and Monty got on but it seems not! We settled him down but he was very uptight all evening!
Dinner was delicious and after we'd eaten we watched a new Nordic thriller on BBC4 called Twin. It looks very promising!
This morning dawned beautifully sunny and the forecast is for it to remain the same all weekend. Today, we should have been on a ferry to France, which was a real shame, but hopefully, we can go in September when this is all over.
First thing, Sophie and I went to the pharmacy at Mawsley to pick up Dad's prescription. I had a long chat with Mum on her doorstep and then we came home to a breakfast of veggie sausage sandwiches, sitting in the sunny conservatory.
I will say one thing at the moment, though - the time is absolutely whizzing by, which is a good thing! Sophie and I did a quick tidy-up and hoover and we prepared the chicken for our Jerk Chicken Pasta this evening. By lunchtime we had contacted Mike and went to pick him up from town. In all honesty, today resembled a "normal" day - there was quite a few cars on the roads and tons of people out walking, jogging or cycling. In fact, I have never seen so many people out on bikes on the roads!
Back home I made Sophie's ice-cream cake and then had a quick shower. The plan was to go out for a walk and I put my walking boots on in the hope they would ease the pain in my foot. Yesterday, a Shiatsu foot massage machine arrived and it's been a big hit with all of us, even if it is a little painful at times!
We had a wonderful walk - we went up to the village and crossed the sheep field to join up with the track we used to use. I can't remember the last time we went this way and it brought back some truly lovely memories, especially the field where there used to be horses, and the owner would dump a load of carrots nearby to feed them. We always managed to find weird shaped ones to giggle over!
We saw another family out walking and stood for ages looking at the back of our estate where changes had been made to some of the houses since we came here last. I felt so lucky that we have all this on our doorstep and we can roam over the fields to our hearts' content!
 |
| A gorgeous Florida sky! |
We carried on and decided to take the path that comes out behind a row of houses in Walgrave. However, since our last walk here, a small bridge had been removed so we had to walk a bit further to cross the small stream. It was so beautifully quiet, only the sound of a skylark somewhere overhead could be heard.
Finding the track at last, we passed an old friend of Sophie's who was out walking with her family and when we reached the village we met one of her old teachers! We had a chat and then trudged home - by now we had been out for an hour and a half!
Back home we had a good chat with Richard and Michelle, Paul and another neighbour Ruth. The sunshine has certainly brought everyone out!
Today was supposed to have been the Grand National from Aintree but they decided to run a virtual race instead! I picked Any Second Now as my runner and we were still able to place bets on the race. It wasn't the same as usual but I was able to watch it without any fear as the horses weren't real and if they fell, it didn't matter! Keith's horse came first and mine came third so we didn't do too badly!
After the race, Sophie made us both Margaritas and we settled down to watch the lovely film, Charade starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It was really great to sit and relax and forget about the current situation.
I made dinner this evening and while we were cooking I went out to get another bottle of wine and heard an almighty racket going on - Monty was having a vicious fight with Joe who lives down the road! I managed to separate them and Sophie came rushing out to find out what was going on. Both cats hared off down the road, where Monty had another go at Joe! Sophie managed to separate them again but Monty was all bristly and in a right state! He growled at her when she picked him up and she realised he was bleeding from his paw.
We always thought that Joe and Monty got on but it seems not! We settled him down but he was very uptight all evening!
Dinner was delicious and after we'd eaten we watched a new Nordic thriller on BBC4 called Twin. It looks very promising!
Friday, 3 April 2020
A strange way of shopping!
Day 11
Sophie was at work today so she woke up a little later, which meant I had a lie-in as well! Keith had already gone to get our week's shopping at Aldi and Tesco so after waving goodbye to my daughter I watched Everyone Loves Raymond, which was light-hearted escapism for a little while!
By the time Keith returned with the shopping, I was showered and dressed and after putting everything away and having a quick breakfast, I drove over to Mum and Dad's to get their shopping list. I was really dreading going to Tesco for them, but after an initial queue which stretched the width of the car park, and then a single file shuffle through their homewares department, we were allowed to go our own way, albeit with the help of arrows on the floor. It was the strangest shopping trip I have ever been on!
As the time went on, it did become quite busy and it was almost impossible to keep two metres away from people. I think to do it properly Tesco would need to prevent too many people coming into the store.
However, I bought everything I needed, including some bird food for our feathered friends who are busy building nests at the moment, ready for their babies. I took everything to Mum and Dad's and found both a carer there, and a district nurse, so they were certainly being looked after properly!
The rest of the day was taken up with running errands for Mum and Dad - going to the pharmacy and picking up some medication and talking to various nurses and carers on the phone, so the afternoon was very busy and our planned job of replacing the sealant in the conservatory had to be put off for another day.
Sophie came home from work and had had a really good day - much better than yesterday when she was struggling. Her manager had ordered pizza and had given her a gift bag for her birthday on Sunday so it was great to see her looking so cheerful again!
Mike also got in touch with us and has asked if he can come home tomorrow. We were initially reluctant, but as he's been spending the last two weeks in self-isolation, we thought it was safe. I have really missed him, to be honest, so it'll be nice to have my family all around me again!
Sophie was at work today so she woke up a little later, which meant I had a lie-in as well! Keith had already gone to get our week's shopping at Aldi and Tesco so after waving goodbye to my daughter I watched Everyone Loves Raymond, which was light-hearted escapism for a little while!
By the time Keith returned with the shopping, I was showered and dressed and after putting everything away and having a quick breakfast, I drove over to Mum and Dad's to get their shopping list. I was really dreading going to Tesco for them, but after an initial queue which stretched the width of the car park, and then a single file shuffle through their homewares department, we were allowed to go our own way, albeit with the help of arrows on the floor. It was the strangest shopping trip I have ever been on!
As the time went on, it did become quite busy and it was almost impossible to keep two metres away from people. I think to do it properly Tesco would need to prevent too many people coming into the store.
However, I bought everything I needed, including some bird food for our feathered friends who are busy building nests at the moment, ready for their babies. I took everything to Mum and Dad's and found both a carer there, and a district nurse, so they were certainly being looked after properly!
The rest of the day was taken up with running errands for Mum and Dad - going to the pharmacy and picking up some medication and talking to various nurses and carers on the phone, so the afternoon was very busy and our planned job of replacing the sealant in the conservatory had to be put off for another day.
Sophie came home from work and had had a really good day - much better than yesterday when she was struggling. Her manager had ordered pizza and had given her a gift bag for her birthday on Sunday so it was great to see her looking so cheerful again!
Mike also got in touch with us and has asked if he can come home tomorrow. We were initially reluctant, but as he's been spending the last two weeks in self-isolation, we thought it was safe. I have really missed him, to be honest, so it'll be nice to have my family all around me again!
Thursday, 2 April 2020
Not the best of days...
Day 10
I walked around the estate this morning while Sophie ran and it was the best part of the day - gorgeous early morning sunshine and birdsong. I did three laps and then sat on the front step with a coffee while Sophie carried on running. The sun was coming up and it was beautiful!
The rest of the day hasn't been quite so good as Mum is finding it very difficult with Dad at the moment and we honestly don't know what to do for the best. He is now upstairs as the carers don't think it's a good idea to bring him down, so that made it worse for Mum who has to keep going up and down the stairs all the time.
The early sunshine gave way to thick cloud but the forecast is looking better over the next few days, thank goodness. I couldn't cope with grey, horrible weather at the moment! We popped to Mum and Dad's pharmacy to pick them up something they needed, and then went to our surgery as Mike's prescription for his inhaler had to be picked up as well. It was nice to actually get out in the car and drive!
We drove across Pitsford to get to Brixworth and the footpath around the reservoir has been closed. There were still a couple of cars parked nearby though and both of us said that we couldn't understand why the path was shut. If people stayed away from each other, surely it would be OK for them to get out in the fresh air and exercise?
Back home, Sophie was also having a stressful day with her work and she was very glad when it was 5pm and she could stop. She needed petrol so we both went to the garage in Moulton, being careful to wipe down the petrol pump and wash our hands thoroughly when we got home. The weather had brightened up a bit and it was a lovely evening. We drove back and it was the time that Sophie would usually be going home along the A43 and it was so quiet, not nose-to-tail traffic like it usually is!
Mum and Dad didn't have anything in for dinner this evening so I suggested they call their local pub who was doing deliveries. They called and placed an order for a meal and it was delivered straight to them! Brilliant!
I walked around the estate this morning while Sophie ran and it was the best part of the day - gorgeous early morning sunshine and birdsong. I did three laps and then sat on the front step with a coffee while Sophie carried on running. The sun was coming up and it was beautiful!
The rest of the day hasn't been quite so good as Mum is finding it very difficult with Dad at the moment and we honestly don't know what to do for the best. He is now upstairs as the carers don't think it's a good idea to bring him down, so that made it worse for Mum who has to keep going up and down the stairs all the time.
The early sunshine gave way to thick cloud but the forecast is looking better over the next few days, thank goodness. I couldn't cope with grey, horrible weather at the moment! We popped to Mum and Dad's pharmacy to pick them up something they needed, and then went to our surgery as Mike's prescription for his inhaler had to be picked up as well. It was nice to actually get out in the car and drive!
We drove across Pitsford to get to Brixworth and the footpath around the reservoir has been closed. There were still a couple of cars parked nearby though and both of us said that we couldn't understand why the path was shut. If people stayed away from each other, surely it would be OK for them to get out in the fresh air and exercise?
Back home, Sophie was also having a stressful day with her work and she was very glad when it was 5pm and she could stop. She needed petrol so we both went to the garage in Moulton, being careful to wipe down the petrol pump and wash our hands thoroughly when we got home. The weather had brightened up a bit and it was a lovely evening. We drove back and it was the time that Sophie would usually be going home along the A43 and it was so quiet, not nose-to-tail traffic like it usually is!
Mum and Dad didn't have anything in for dinner this evening so I suggested they call their local pub who was doing deliveries. They called and placed an order for a meal and it was delivered straight to them! Brilliant!
Wednesday, 1 April 2020
A bit glum...
Day 9
I was really hoping that the headlines of the news today would be "April Fool!" - it was just a joke and now we can get back to normal, but alas, it wasn't to be. I'm not sure if anyone has the stomach for playing tricks on us this year!
Today dawned grey and overcast, which matched my mood. Every morning I wake up and then the reality hits me... we're all in lockdown. Sophie did her run and then settled down to work and I spent most of the day grappling with uploading my blog onto the book publishing website. Now I know why authors have it done professionally! It was extremely frustrating!
By early afternoon, I'd had enough so I managed to convince Keith to let me have the remote control and I did something I rarely do during the day - watched television. I chose The Aftermath, a film starring Keira Knightley and the gorgeous Alexander Skarsgard. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it nicely filled a couple of hours!
We had planned on going for a walk when Sophie finished work, but the weather continued to be grey and very cold - we've had the heating on all day so heaven knows what our bills are going to be like for this period.
Instead of going out we settled down and watched Masterchef as we are a couple of episodes behind. Dinner tonight was breaded chicken escalopes and I'd suggested to Keith we make our own chips for a change as the oven ones are so insipid. I went upstairs to get changed and when I came down Keith had filled one of our large saucepans almost to the top with vegetable oil, which unnerved me. Having worked in the fast food business for over 20 years, I was very alarmed to see the oil bubbling away... I suggested we use our big wok instead, but he pooh-poohed that idea and started putting all of our chipped potatoes into the pan.
Predictably, the oil overflowed and went all over the hob. Thankfully, it didn't catch fire which would have been a real calamity! I quickly turned off the gas and went to get the wok so we could use that! Sophie appeared and started taking charge because, of course, she used to cook in the cafe and knew exactly what to do!
Over dinner we talked about where we'd go if we had the chance and for some reason I started talking about Scotland, when we did the whale watching tour and Keith had eaten fish and chips every evening for his meal! Maybe we'd give that a miss!
Our viewing choice for the evening was Tony Robinson's new series of train travel around the world. It was heaven to watch it and escape for just a little while!
I was really hoping that the headlines of the news today would be "April Fool!" - it was just a joke and now we can get back to normal, but alas, it wasn't to be. I'm not sure if anyone has the stomach for playing tricks on us this year!
Today dawned grey and overcast, which matched my mood. Every morning I wake up and then the reality hits me... we're all in lockdown. Sophie did her run and then settled down to work and I spent most of the day grappling with uploading my blog onto the book publishing website. Now I know why authors have it done professionally! It was extremely frustrating!
By early afternoon, I'd had enough so I managed to convince Keith to let me have the remote control and I did something I rarely do during the day - watched television. I chose The Aftermath, a film starring Keira Knightley and the gorgeous Alexander Skarsgard. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it nicely filled a couple of hours!
We had planned on going for a walk when Sophie finished work, but the weather continued to be grey and very cold - we've had the heating on all day so heaven knows what our bills are going to be like for this period.
Instead of going out we settled down and watched Masterchef as we are a couple of episodes behind. Dinner tonight was breaded chicken escalopes and I'd suggested to Keith we make our own chips for a change as the oven ones are so insipid. I went upstairs to get changed and when I came down Keith had filled one of our large saucepans almost to the top with vegetable oil, which unnerved me. Having worked in the fast food business for over 20 years, I was very alarmed to see the oil bubbling away... I suggested we use our big wok instead, but he pooh-poohed that idea and started putting all of our chipped potatoes into the pan.
Predictably, the oil overflowed and went all over the hob. Thankfully, it didn't catch fire which would have been a real calamity! I quickly turned off the gas and went to get the wok so we could use that! Sophie appeared and started taking charge because, of course, she used to cook in the cafe and knew exactly what to do!
Over dinner we talked about where we'd go if we had the chance and for some reason I started talking about Scotland, when we did the whale watching tour and Keith had eaten fish and chips every evening for his meal! Maybe we'd give that a miss!
Our viewing choice for the evening was Tony Robinson's new series of train travel around the world. It was heaven to watch it and escape for just a little while!
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