Social gardening!

Day 3

Keith and I had to go to Tesco again this morning as we needed a few bits I had forgotten on Thursday. I bought the board game, Scrabble, so we could have a change from cards in the evening, and I also purchased a stick blender as I'm intending to make soup over lockdown. 

Lynn, who is our new chair of the Parish Council, had put out a plea for bulbs to plant in our middle green so I lobbed a bag of daffodil bulbs into the trolley as well! We headed home and drove around the estate, where I caught sight of Lynn working away in the bushes. I walked up and gave her the bulbs, and we had a long chat about the green areas of our estate, kitchens and hoarding stuff! It was a gorgeous morning with golden, Autumnal sunlight dappling the leaves. A perfect day to go back out into the garden!

Graham appeared with his dog, Dennis, and said that Keith had already made a start on the conifers, and I could hear the distant whine of the electric saw. When I got back, a heap of conifer branches was lying on the road, so I made a start and cleared them all into a plastic box.

Gardening can be very sociable, and over the course of the next hour, we chatted with various neighbours who stopped to say hello. Paul offered us a large rubble bag, and I half-filled it with the conifer branches and leaves. By the time we'd finished, both conifers were just stumps, and the garden looked so much better. The branches of the trees really affect my skin - if I brush against them they bring me out in an itchy rash so I wasn't sorry to see them go. We're not sure if they will sprout again as we didn't remove them completely, but if they do grow again, I will control them carefully!

As Keith was a bit tired from constantly sawing away at the branches, I asked Mike and Sophie to go to the tip with me. I had put a plastic sheet in my boot and had filled it with branches, plus there was another box full as well. We headed to the tip and found there was a considerable queue to get in!

It didn't take us long to offload everything, and I suggested going to the new Costa drive-thru near Kettering. Mike said he would treat us (he was the only one of us with the means to pay!) so we drove over and placed our orders. Sophie and I had hot chocolates - an After Eight mint one for her, and a Terry's Chocolate Orange for me, while Mike had a Frostino. We drank them in the brand new car park and gazed around at the industrial estate, which has been built on the site of an old car yard. I remember the old cars stretching away into the distance beside the A14, but it was cleared a few years ago, and some new warehouses have been built. I don't think any of them have been let or sold yet, but it's just a matter of time.

We headed home where I finished tidying the garden, and put two more big boxes of branches into the boot of my car. I didn't fancy going to the tip and queuing again so I left them until tomorrow. It was then time for a hot bath!

Before dinner Sophie, Keith and I played Scrabble, and I don't think we did very well! It was enjoyable, though, and made a change from playing cards! We then cooked dinner of beef stroganoff, which was delicious!

The evening was spent watching Strictly, and I managed to catch the last half hour of It's A Wonderful Life with Sophie sat beside me. She knows I cry every time I see it, and tonight was no exception! We then decided to watch Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining, but gave up after fifteen minutes. It was seriously weird!

Garden leave

 Day 2

It didn't feel like Friday at all today! Sophie shut herself up in the conservatory to work, and after having breakfast and doing some odd jobs, I ventured out into the front garden. My aim was to tidy up a bit, rake up some leaves and that was it, but then I decided to cut back our Hypericum bush that was really straggly.

It was our garden bin day today but as we only had a few cuttings of grass and some old flowers in it, we didn't put it out. However, as I started cutting down the bush, I realised that all the branches would fill the bin completely, and then some! I also cut back a conifer that was way past its best so very soon I had a huge pile of branches that I needed to get rid of.

Keith came out to see what I was doing and started helping, which was a huge bonus. He went and fetched the bin, and we managed to fill it to the top, as well as having some more leaves and branches in another plastic box. Our next garden collection is two weeks away so we had no choice but to go to the tip with it all!

While we were putting all the stuff in the bin, Michelle came out for a long chat, which was great. We haven't seen her for a while so we had a lot to catch up on and Sophie came out as well to join in the chat. All plans to get together have had to be put on hold for the time being but hopefully, in December, we can meet up for a glass of wine, or two!

Thankfully, the waste and recycling centres are still open through this lockdown so we took the first load, and joined other people who all had the same idea! We struggled with the first bin load, but the second was much easier. However, on this visit, we had to queue for ages and we looked at the time anxiously as Mike was finishing soon!

Luckily, we were all done and home by 3pm so while Keith put everything back in the boot of my car I tried to tidy away as much stuff as I could, to keep it off the road. We still had another bin load, and after collecting Mike from an empty golf club, we headed home to finish off in the dwindling light.

It has been a beautiful, really Autumnal day today and perfect for working in the garden. By about 4.30pm we were finished, and everything looked a lot better. I cut the hypericum down to the ground, and we've decided to remove both conifers as well, just leaving another tall one in the middle. It's really opened up the garden, and Monty kept walking about as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing!

I went and had a hot bath as I was a bit achy, and then caught up with the news. We are still awaiting the outcome of the US elections - it's taking ages!

Dinner tonight had a German theme because Sophie and I bought a bottle of Riesling last week at Woburn. I'd bought smoked cheeses, sausage, German bread and a quiche for supper, and we enjoyed a Black Forest tart for pudding. The wine was lovely, but at £14 it wasn't worth the price tag, in my opinion!

Keith went upstairs to watch Newcastle play and Sophie and I enjoyed Tootsie, starring Dustin Hoffman. There was none of the usual, "Ahhh, it's Friday!" for me as now every day will feel like the weekend!

Lockdown starts

Day 1

I could have had a lie-in this morning as Sophie can't go to the gym but I was awake at 6am, probably due to the alarm going off at 5am! Mike is still working because, although the golf club is closed, they will still have to maintain the grounds. Keith was hoping that they wouldn't have to start at 6am, though! Mike has to work some extra hours because for the last few days they haven't been able to do anything due to the huge numbers of people playing a last round of golf before the restrictions kick in!

It's been a beautiful day today with blue skies and plenty of Autumnal sunshine. It felt bizarre not having to go to work, but this time I am determined to use the time to relax a bit, watch films and read a lot. The last lockdown was spent looking after my parents, and in-between, doing a lot of housework and decorating!

Over breakfast, I finished off the shopping list, and we decided what meals to have over the next few days. We are going to keep Keith at home during lockdown to be safe, so it will be down to me to go and get the shopping. I set off at 11am and drove to Aldi first where I went up and down the aisles several times looking for the things we needed! The store is brand new, so everything has changed, and despite making a quick visit the other day, I still hadn't a clue where anything was! Luckily, it was quiet!

I filled the trolley, which came to an amazing £60, including beer and wine, and drove over to Tesco where it was a bit busier. My small trolley was only half-full but the bill in there came to £50, and no alcohol this time! 

After getting some diesel for my ever thirsty car I headed home where I was met on the drive by Sophie and Keith who helped me unload it all and put it away. I then spent an hour sorting out paperwork and emailing Harborough Kitchens about their quote. Les had called Keith the other day to say the price for the kitchen (cabinetry, worktops, sink and taps, extractor and installation) was £25430, not including VAT. That would then take the price up to £30,000, and then we would have to pay for the building work, appliances, flooring, new lighting, new window and tiling. We wouldn't get much change out of £40,000, which was far more than we had budgeted for! I was very disappointed but had been half-expecting the cost to be high. It's back to the drawing board, then!

Keith and I went to get Mike at 3pm and we had to squeeze our way through lines of parked cars of parents waiting to pick up their children from nearby schools. I hope Mike's hours go back to normal soon!

Back home it was time for a hot bath, and a snooze on the bed while watching the news. The US elections are still not over, but it looks likely that the outcome will be very close indeed!

Although it's bonfire night, there will be no fireworks for us this year, which is a huge shame. I did hear some going off at a neighbouring house but they were very short-lived. I did contemplate buying some and setting them off in the garden, but I chickened out at the last minute! Memories of when I set one off years ago, and it was upside down, still haunt me! 

The Last Supper

So, today was our last at work for a month, and things started off quietly again. The announcement still hadn't been made but we were warned it would be put onto our website and media pages by lunch. As a thank you and, because it was our last day, Nicola gave us all a mini bottle of Prosecco, which should go well with the flavoured Gin I have at home!

At almost midday, we were told the announcement was to be made, and we were given details first. As we are a charity we were hoping people would keep paying for November, but as soon as the details went live, the phones started ringing! I could see the number of emails steadily increasing as I watched, going from 28 in the inbox to over 400 by the time I left at 2pm.

I'd volunteered to stay until 4pm but both Sara and Nicola said that it was OK for me to go. After the initial flurry of calls, things did quieten down a bit, which was a relief! I had visions of many calls queuing!

I left the building but I didn't feel as emotional as I did back in March. Then, we didn't know how long the lockdown would last, and it was all new and scary, but I am really hoping that things will improve and we can go back to our jobs on the 2 December. I have included my holiday hours in the next month's pay so at least I will get two weeks at 100%. 

Keith and I went over to B&M in Kettering because the blind in our en-suite had fallen down, and wouldn't work properly. We managed to find a lovely chequered blind with shades of grey and taupe that will go well with the colours in the shower-room. We then popped to Next where I bought two jumpers and some trousers for my Mum for her birthday next week.

Our last stop was Tesco where I bought cards and chocolates. I am seeing my parents this evening for the last time because all care home visits will be cancelled again. To me, this is ridiculous, as I never come into contact with them because of the plastic sheet between us. What difference would it make?

Keith and I headed home and I had half an hour before having to go back out again. I sat with Sophie in the conservatory, and read the paper until it was time for me to leave.

It was a beautiful late afternoon, and the sky was a mixture of pinks and blues. I am hoping the weather will stay dry and sunny for the weeks we are off, but that's perhaps being too optimistic for this time of year! We did say back in March that we were lucky the weather was so good, and how horrible it would be to go through this in the winter, and now we are!

Both my parents looked well again, and my Mum looked particularly smart. She said she needed some new shoes so I will order them for her. We chatted for almost an hour again, and then I left, feeling very sad that I won't see them for a while. I told my Mum to keep her phone charged up all the time so at least I could phone her.

Back home Keith and Mike were just about to walk down to the pub where we'd booked a table for a last dinner before lockdown. It was a cold night but perfect for walking to the pub! I changed and put on some make-up then sat and watched the news. At least the topic of coronavirus has been pushed off the top slot by the US elections, and the world is watching with interest to see what the outcome will be!

Sophie and I drove down to the pub, and found the men in the backroom, somewhere we hardly ever go. There was a lovely atmosphere in there, and Sophie and I ordered a bottle of red wine to last us the evening.

We were called through to the main dining area at about 7.45pm and took our seats near the bar. Silence ensued while we perused the menus, and we chose garlic bread to share for starters, followed by fish and chips for Keith, chicken for Sophie, beef and ale pie for Mike, and a sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce for me. We might as well go out in style!

The food was delicious, as ever, but they did forget my sauce so we had to chase that up. It was delicious poured over my steak and thick-cut chips! There was a real party atmosphere in the pub this evening, and at 10pm when we all had to leave it was really quite emotional. The pub will remain open for takeaway food so I'm hoping we'll have at least one meal from them before December. Anything to keep our precious pub open!

Small disappointments...

We were expecting to be very busy at work today, but after the first initial flurry, it went quiet again. I helped Sara create a spreadsheet with a list of people who wanted to freeze their November membership payments, which took me most of my shift to do. We still haven't had an announcement from our management team but it looks like even they will be furloughed during lockdown.

Before leaving at 4pm I managed to put a few more classes onto the booking system, but who knows whether they will go ahead, especially in December?

At home, Keith reminded me that it was our episode of Pointless this evening so at 5.15pm we settled down to watch... only it wasn't our episode, and Richard Osman, previously bearded, was clean-shaven again! We were so disappointed! Our episodes were the first of Series 24 and mysteriously, the BBC are now showing Series 22! Why?

This was just another disappointment to add to the list at the moment - we won't now be able to go and see On The Rocks at the Northampton Filmhouse as it will not re-open as planned. We had a ticket for the drive-in fireworks at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday - now cancelled. Everything enjoyable has been stopped - eating out, going to the theatre or cinema, live music, meeting up with friends and family, travel... the list goes on. I felt very grumpy! And yes, I realise there are far worse things going on, but we were looking forward to these events, as I'm sure a lot of other people were. The fireworks event was sold out.

Sophie had an appointment at the beauty salon for a treatment, so I said I would take her, and I'm glad I did as the car park was rammed. Obviously, everyone else had rushed to have last-minute treatments before the salon closes on Thursday! I finally managed to park in the street outside, and waited in the car for her. Luckily, she wasn't long and we were soon heading home through heavy traffic. Back at home, I had a drink, and we relaxed while Keith cooked dinner.

After we'd eaten we watched another episode of The Fall, which was very nasty indeed!

It's not Pointless...yet!

I really didn't know what to expect this morning at work, but was praying we wouldn't have a repeat of what happened back in March when we were flooded with people either cancelling or freezing their memberships.

Before going to work I cleared away drifts of leaves which had gathered around our back door. Looking over at Vince and Sue's door, they had none! I also made an appointment to see my parents tomorrow afternoon as it will be the last time for a month, and it's my Mum's birthday next Monday. Sadly, it will be the first time I have never gone out with her for a meal or afternoon tea, but even if she was still living at home, we wouldn't be able to go out or even meet. I had watched a video on Facebook of the carers celebrating Halloween on Saturday, and she was having a great time, so that's some consolation.

At work, I learnt that we didn't have masses of emails and that yesterday had been fine, so that was a relief! The calls started off by being busy, but that seems to be the pattern now. We did have a few people cancelling classes or swim sessions for later in the week, but not that many anxious calls about memberships. Our management team were in the midst of a meeting, and we awaited their announcement later in the day.

The calls tailed off by late morning, and I made a start on putting on the activities for the children, both during the day and after school. I put them on until Easter, and I was really hoping it wouldn't be a waste of time!

Because I was busy, the time flew and at 4pm I sped home to see what had happened at Mike's place of work as golf courses are to be closed as well. He didn't really have a lot of information, but Sophie said she couldn't go into her office for the foreseeable future, which was a shame as she looked forward to her one day a week to dress up a bit.

I had a lovely soak in the bath, and Keith said that tonight's episode of Pointless was the one before the one we saw back in January! We both recognised two couples who went out and came back for the first one we watched at Elstree! So tomorrow and Wednesday should be the episodes we saw! How long ago it seems!

Keith cooked a delicious cottage pie for dinner and then we were delighted to discover that The Fall is now available for download on the BBC! We caught up with an episode to celebrate!

The best meal ever!

Sophie decided to go to the gym this morning, to make the most of it before everywhere closes on Thursday. She will miss going very much but we have talked about having a walk at lunchtime, just to get some exercise and fresh air.

I gave her a lift and then went and put my filthy car through the car wash. The rain had cleared away and the sun came out so I decided to risk it! I also put £40 worth of diesel in the car, bought the Sunday papers and then went back to pick her up.

Back home Sophie helped me put a colour on my hair (I really was very badgery!), and while it was taking she went and did the preparations for dinner tonight. We had decided to cook The Hairy Bikers' Chicken Tikka Marsala and there were loads of things to do. I could smell her dry-frying a whole lot of delicious spices and filling the house with the lovely aroma.

As well as doing that she put some items on eBay, so let's hope we have better luck with them this week! We planned on going for a walk later, but the weather changed and it started to rain again so we decided to stay at home! I can hardly believe that today is the first day of November! Going into the winter in lockdown will not be pleasant for anybody.

Sophie and I went to get Mike from Abbie's house, and understandably she was upset as she now won't be able to see Mike for at least a month. We headed home, poured a glass of wine, and after relaxing for a little while Sophie and I made a start on dinner.

The chicken had been marinating all afternoon, and while Sophie made the marsala sauce I threaded the gooey meat onto wooden skewers that I'd soaked in water. The smells were delicious and we banished Keith from the kitchen as he was hanging around and subtly commenting on what we were doing as if we were clueless! Be gone!

We set the grill to the highest heat and thoroughly grilled the chicken, turning it over several times. The recipe called for us to blitz the marsala sauce in a processor, but we left it as it was with the chopped up onion intact. Once the chicken was cooked through we added it to the sauce, finished off the rice and popped the naan bread under the grill.

Well, I have to say it was the best dish Sophie had ever cooked, bless her! It was absolutely delicious and matched anything I've had in a restaurant. Mike had eaten at lunchtime and missed out, but there was plenty for the three of us with enough left over for Sophie's lunch tomorrow. The range of flavours in the dish was fabulous, and we could really taste all the spices and ingredients that Sophie had been preparing all afternoon. There was a lot of preparation, but it was so worth doing!

This weekend has passed in a blur and it's back to work tomorrow. What will I face, I wonder?!