An early awakening!

Day 23

For some reason, I was wide awake at 3am this morning so I decided to get up and watch Ben Fogle's New Lives in the Wild. The cat was very bemused as to why I was up, and even more bemused when I refused to give him his breakfast! It was way too early! He went outside in a huff!

By 4am I was flagging so I called the cat back in, put him on his bed in the kitchen, and went back to my own bed until 9am which was shocking! Of course, I then felt like I'd wasted a good part of the day!

I had to go over to the bank in the Weston Favell centre today to try and sort out some money matters for my parents. There was a queue (as usual) and when I spoke to one of the staff, she was very helpful, but it was really a wasted journey. Keith and I returned home and pootled about until lunchtime. Sophie and I managed a good walk into the village before having leftovers from our Indian last night. The previously grey day had turned sunny, and it was lovely to see the sun for a while. 

The rest of today has been uneventful. Boris gave a press conference at 5pm and said that it was unlikely that restrictions would be lifted until early March. I feel sorry for parents at the moment trying to home-school their children, hold down their own jobs, and cope with family life. I am so glad mine are adults and working!

21st Birthday celebrations!

Day 22

I had a very busy morning making a chocolate sponge cake for Mike's 21st, and also making a carrot and coriander soup for lunch. Outside it was grey and dreary, the blue skies of yesterday well and truly gone. We still had snow about, though, but with the forecast rain later in the day, it was bound to disappear!

I made the cake and I was quite pleased with it:

The soup was lovely as well, and I was able to use my new stick blender to smooth it. Sophie and I skipped a walk today as the weather was so horrible, and at 2pm we drove over to the care home so I could drop some shopping off for Mum. We were also able to get her on the phone so she could wish Mike a Happy Birthday. I never ever thought we would be celebrating in lockdown. A while ago I was planning a trip to Boston and Chicago to commemorate his special day! Good job we didn't book anything!

Back home we cracked open a bottle of Champagne and each had a slice of cake, which I was pleased with. I'm always worried it will be dense and dry!

I had a lovely soak in the bath in the evening, and we ordered an Indian takeaway for Mike's birthday meal. It arrived at about 7.30pm, and for once I chose a vegetarian curry with mushroom rice. The food was delicious and I hoped that Mike enjoyed his birthday despite not being able to go out and see his friends.

I watched a very disturbing documentary on BBC2 this evening about the start of the pandemic. Today, the UK death figures went over 100,000 people, a devastating number of lives lost. I still can't believe we are in this situation - at times it feels so unreal.

The good thing is that the vaccinations are ramping up, and we can't wait for Keith to be called for his!

A blue and white day

Day 21

Keith, Mike and I left at 8am this morning - a journey I was not looking forward to! The temperatures had dropped during the night and it was -3c on the way to Kettering. It looked like the gritters hadn't been out at all, as the roads were covered in snow.

Both Mike and I urged Keith to take it easy - my car is not the best to drive in these conditions, despite it being German! We went out of the village towards Mawsley and then picked up the A43, which was nose to tail with vehicles all going slowly. Keith took it very easy going down the hill towards the A14, as the new traffic lights by the industrial estate can change to red very quickly! 

Once we were on the large housing estate leading to the golf club, the going was slow and slippery again, and as we turned into the very narrow road which goes over a river and the A14, we had problems. The car couldn't get a grip on the snowy road, which had been hardly used, so we reversed down to the estate road and Mike got out there. It was only a short walk the rest of the way but we didn't want to get stuck!

In fact, as Keith tried to turn the car around we did nearly get stuck, and then he hit the kerb as he slowed down at a roundabout, so I was a nervous wreck! We had to go to Tesco, so we attempted to drive through the town but realised that a lorry was stuck going up one of the hills! We turned around at a roundabout and headed back towards the A14, which was a slightly better route. The road was busy with lots of lorries and I was astonished to see that the outside lane was still covered in snow! This weather had been forecast since Thursday so why weren't we better prepared?

I was very relieved when we arrived in the Tesco car park as we'd had to negotiate another hill to get there! We parked the car as best as we could (all the lines were covered in snow) and went to do our shopping in an almost deserted supermarket! We met Sue again and she said she'd walked to work this morning, leaving her house at 4.15am! She deserves a medal!

The journey home was a bit better but we followed a lorry on the A43 who had snow billowing from the roof of the truck. It was like a blizzard! 

View from the car

It was a gorgeous morning, though, with clear blue skies and sunshine. All the trees and bushes were laden with snow and it looked so beautiful. We arrived home, put the shopping away and had a belated breakfast in the conservatory. One of the first things I did was feed our poor feathered friends who appreciated the seed, mealworms, fat snax and suet pellets.

Once breakfast was out of the way I gave the downstairs of the house a clean, hoovered upstairs and did two loads of washing. I also cleaned out the understairs cupboard in the kitchen which was full of shoes and definitely needed sorting out!

At lunchtime, Sophie and I went for a walk in the snow. It was fabulous!

This is the first significant snowfall we've had for about two years, so it was wonderful to walk along and hear the crunch under our feet, and see it sparkling in the sunlight! We walked to the village and met lots of other people out having some exercise in the crisp, cold air.  Yesterday we didn't venture out at all, so we needed this half-hour walk!

Keith went to get Mike from work, earlier than planned, and Sophie and I had lunch. The afternoon was spent sorting out some finances and mooching about. The snow has lasted all day but over the course of the week it's set to become milder, windy and rainy, so it was great to make the most of it while we could!

Before dinner, Mike came bounding downstairs and said he'd been furloughed from work until next Tuesday. Why this hasn't happened before, I'll never know. The golf club is closed at the moment so what on earth can they all do in this weather?!

Snow!

Day 20

So, we were forecast heavy snow today, and when we first woke up we had a gorgeous sunrise. The whole sky was pink, it was so beautiful. I do think the old saying, "Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning" is accurate as at about 10am is started snowing, and didn't stop all day!

The weather gave us the perfect excuse to stay warm inside and do very little! Keith did venture out to Tesco when they first opened, but that was the only time any of us went anywhere, and it was lovely to stay in the house and watch the falling snow from the windows.

Very soon we had a decent covering and people started to go out sledging. It was great to hear the excited shouts of the children as they were pulled along on toboggans by their parents! We also saw photos of snowmen start to appear on Facebook, and I think the wintry weather was enjoyed by nearly everybody!

At around lunchtime, Sophie and I applied our weekly facemask, which this week was chocolate. It smelt delicious but we weren't tempted to lick it! As we now have the Sky Q minibox upstairs we were able to watch an episode of A Place in the Sun, and also record another to watch later. I think it's brilliant that we can record upstairs, and it appears downstairs as well!

I had a lovely soak in the bath later in the afternoon, and then I lay on the bed with Sophie while she was watching a film. The snow had stopped a bit in the middle of the day but by 5pm it was coming down heavily again and looked set to continue all evening.

I put our outside tree lights on and they looked gorgeous against the backdrop of snowy foliage:

Keith cooked a delicious roast chicken dinner this evening, and while we were eating we kept hearing loud thumps as chunks of snow fell off the conservatory roof. Mike is due back at work tomorrow for the first time in three weeks due to his broken rib, and I think he was hoping that he would be given the day off because of the snow. However, he texted his boss who wanted him in, but at the slightly later time of 8.30am. A lot better than 6am!

Calamity!

Day 19

I cooked a big breakfast this morning - Spanish omelette, bacon, sausages, baked beans and toast. I can't remember the last time we did this! It is Mike's birthday weekend after all!

The weather today has been cold and sunny, but there has been the odd sleet shower. Sophie and I went over to Beckworth at lunchtime to get a few treats for her friend Laura, who is taking an exam next week and is a bit stressed about it! Beckworth was very quiet, which I was glad about but I dread to think how much money they are losing every day with the restaurant closed. We did check to see if they were doing a takeaway service, but it was completely shut up.

After buying some treats, we headed to Laura's house and I was surprised to see how busy the roads were. This lockdown is definitely not like the first! Sophie had a chat with her friend outside (socially distanced!) and then we popped to Riverside for a takeaway coffee and a slice of cake. Neither of us fancied anything bigger as by now it was almost 3pm and I wanted to keep my appetite for our beef stroganoff dinner this evening!

At home we relaxed for an hour and then it was cocktail time! Sophie made us a Martini and we sat in the conservatory and played Scrabble. Sophie beat me! We did find some very good words this evening! After the game, we indulged in another cocktail - Spiced Rum and ginger ale  - and played cards with Keith.

Dinner was delicious and after we'd eaten we decided to watch The Bourne Identity. We now have so much choice available to us! As we were watching a particularly tense car chase through the streets of Paris, Mike came running into the room brandishing his hand which was covered in blood! He had cut his finger quite badly trying to extract a razor blade out of its packaging, so we took him into the kitchen where Keith washed away the blood and sorted his finger out with bandages from our First Aid box. Sophie felt a bit queasy so she stayed away! Mike disappeared back upstairs and managed to shave using just the tiny blade. He's mad!

More bills!

Day 18

We were all out early this morning to take Sophie's car and my Dad's car to the garage in Broughton for their MOTs. I followed Sophie in Dad's car, and the roads were very icy. It was a gorgeous morning, but cold!

Back home it was time for breakfast and a lazy morning spent mooching about. Towards lunchtime, Keith and I walked around the estate to get the newspaper and chatted to a couple of neighbours, which was lovely. If we can walk and get the papers, all the better! 

The weather stayed beautiful all day but Sophie and I skipped our midday walk. She was taking part in a quiz at 4pm, and so wanted to make herself look presentable, so after soup and toast for lunch, she disappeared to put some make-up on. It was a rare treat for her!

The cars were ready at about 4.30pm, and as Sophie was still at work, Keith and I went to collect them. The sky was a beautiful mix of pinks, blues, greys and peaches and while we were waiting for the cars to be ready I stood and gazed at the beautiful spectacle. We have heavy snow forecast for Sunday... let's see if the forecast is right!

My Dad's car needed new wiper blades, and Sophie's car failed initially because of the engine management light, and both cost about £100 so that's a fair amount the garage has got out of us this week!

Back home, Sophie was finished work for the week, and we relaxed with a drink and the film Notting Hill. Dinner this evening was pizza, potato wedges and salad so an easy meal to prepare! The weekend is upon us again... what are we going to do?!!

New Sky!

Day 17

The Sky engineer was due today to replace our ancient Sky box in the bedroom, which had stopped working a few weeks ago. He would then install a new Sky Q box downstairs, and a mini one upstairs, so we were looking forward to that very much! I've missed being able to watch live TV in the bedroom!

He'd been booked to come between 8am and 1pm, and he called at a few minutes after eight o'clock to say he was on his way. We had received an email to say that, with the restrictions in place, he was no longer able to come into the house, and would have to talk us through the installation from outside...

Luckily, today was sunny, dry and calm! I dread to think how he would have fared yesterday! He turned up at just before 8.30am and stressed again that he was not able to come inside. He then asked me to disconnect the Sky+ box from the dish, but I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Keith had gone to do the shopping but luckily, Sophie was downstairs, so together we managed to sort it out. He gave us the new box through the front window and warned Sophie not to bend the delicate wire going into the back of the box otherwise it wouldn't work. I dread to think what Keith would have done if we'd mucked it up and he wasn't able to watch the football or cricket! He would have killed us!

While Sophie was sorting things out downstairs, I went up and disconnected the old defunct box in the bedroom. I then connected the new box, which didn't need attaching to the long cable going into the phone line, so all that is now redundant! Once the engineer had been out and replaced our dish he connected the Sky Q box downstairs and told me what to do with the mini one in the bedroom. Keith came home just as he was finishing, and was amazed that it had been completed so quickly and easily!

Once the engineer had gone I helped Keith put the shopping away and tidied up. We were delighted with the new box as it has so many more features than the old one, and we can watch Netflix and Amazon Prime downstairs, which is a huge bonus!

The post arrived, and I had a bit of a shock when I opened an American Express statement for my parents. There was a charge on there that I hadn't expected, and also a late payment fee! I hadn't had a statement for a few months, so I called customer services immediately to see if they could help. Although I'm not the cardholder, they were able to put me through to a specialist department who were extremely helpful, and who emailed me a Third Party Mandate form for my Dad to sign. 

Sophie and I went for a walk at lunchtime, but it was cold and windy so not the most pleasant of outings! Back home I filled out the form and then drove to the care home to get it signed by my Dad. I sat outside in the freezing cold wind and waited, but at least I was able to get it sorted and sent off to American Express.

In the evening Sophie and I settled down with a drink and watched Grand Designs from yesterday. Now our old box has gone, a huge amount of recordings have gone with it, but with the Sky Q box we can record up to six programmes at the same time, which should solve a few problems! We also found a host of Apps, including a Taste channel which shows cooking videos! It was a bit like being in the US on holiday and seeing strange TV programmes! Also, anything that is recorded is stored on both boxes so we can watch them upstairs as well, useful if Keith's engrossed in the football downstairs! I only wish we'd switched sooner!