Seeing friends

Day 8

Sophie ran around the estate this morning while I walked three laps. It was a gorgeous morning, but cold. The birds were out in full force, lucky things, and singing away!

After a breakfast of porridge with Sophie, Keith and I popped to Tesco for Mum as she needed a few things and we wanted some more milk and bread. I was dreading going, but it wasn't too bad. I had to queue outside for about ten minutes and we were allowed in only when a certain number had left. Again, there was a weird subdued air about the place but the staff were very helpful and polite. We had to queue for the checkouts and I said hello to Janine, one of our regular checkout ladies who always chats to us. To be honest I felt quite emotional when I saw her, and I never ever thought I would hanker after the good old days when we used to go shopping and things were normal! Walking past the empty, closed up Costa was also horrible.

We dropped the things off to Mum and I had a quick chat but I didn't see Dad. Maybe later in the week I'll go around and stand in the back garden to say hello.

Back home I pottered about doing little jobs and washed the kitchen window and the front door. I spotted Sue's car across the road so busied myself until she appeared. We then had a long chat from opposite sides of the road! She was doing well, still gardening and working so that was good news.

I spent the rest of the afternoon editing my 2012 blog and then jumped in the bath, which was heavenly. Sophie finished work and we caught up with Masterchef before cooking cod and vegetables for dinner.

After we'd eaten we fancied watching a film so we chose The Day After Tomorrow. It was eerie how prescient the film was, even though it was made sixteen years ago! Looking back, maybe it wasn't the best choice of films, but it was enjoyable nonetheless!

Good news...

Day 7

Keith went to Aldi and Tesco this morning and managed to get everything we wanted that was on our list. He breezed into Aldi but had to queue to get into Tesco and he said the experience wasn't that bad. Better than mine and Sophie's visit, obviously, but then he does have a little coterie of women he gets on with very well in Tesco!

Sophie went for a run and by 9am she was back at work in the conservatory. When Keith returned we put all the shopping away, had breakfast and then popped around to Mum's with some bits that she needed. The roads were a bit busier today and one of the streets in Broughton was closed because of a gas leak but we managed to negotiate our way through without mishap!

Back home I cleaned upstairs and by 1pm I had finished the bedrooms and bathroom. Sophie heated up some leftover paella for lunch which was delicious! Outside the weather wasn't brilliant but (and I can't believe I'm saying this) the rain was needed as the gardens are beginning to get a bit dry! Yesterday we had the tiniest of snow flurries in the late afternoon but it didn't amount to anything at all, which was a shame as seeing the fields and hedgerows blanketed in white would have been lovely.

One piece of good news is that my Dad came home today and we have carers in place to help Mum. We've also arranged a proper hospital bed for downstairs if he can't make it up the stairs, so that's a relief. I am praying that things will become more settled now and I'm so glad that he's at home to keep Mum company.

Keith's brother Val called today - he is about 90 years old and is on his own as well, as his long-term partner, Norma, is staying with her own family. They had a chat on the phone and it was great for Keith to catch up with what he'd been doing.

I relaxed in the afternoon by watching the end of Book Club and my Dad called to say he was home. He sounded remarkably chirpy so that was a relief! When Sophie had finished work we went for a short walk down to the village and then back up again to one of the gates further up our road. There were a fair few people about so this seems to be a popular time to exercise!

Dinner tonight was chilli con carne and while Keith was preparing dinner, Sophie and I watched 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days. Needless to say we're hooked again!

Spring Forward

Day 6

The clocks went forward by an hour last night and for once I wasn't grumpy about it! If I had my way they could have gone forward by months!

I woke up at 7am and it took a few minutes to realise that it was really 6am! Ho hum! Keith was already downstairs and I watched half an hour of Book Club, a film starring Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda, about a group of women of a certain age who meet up to discuss books. When they choose Fifty Shades of Grey, their lives undergo a bit of a change! It was great escapism!

The wind today has been bitterly cold so not an ideal day for going out into the garden. Mum wanted me to drop off a phone charger to Dad in hospital, so Keith and I went to get the Sunday papers and then called to see her to pick it up. She was finding it very difficult this morning and reports on the news didn't help by saying that we could be facing this lockdown until June. It will feel like half the year has been wasted!

The hospital was very quiet indeed and after talking to a man on reception, a trio of nurses appeared and managed to phone the ward and show me which way I had to go. The ward was right down at the other end of the hospital and it was spookily quiet. As soon as I had dropped the charger off, I raced back to the car and we sped home on empty roads. Before having breakfast I showered and washed all my clothes again, just to be on the safe side!

We did manage to venture out for a quick walk (Sophie ran)  and said hello to various neighbours. Back at home Sophie made a delicious chocolate chip and banana loaf which we enjoyed with a cup of tea and we also prepared tonight's dinner of Coq au Vin.

I finished transferring my 2012 blog onto a word document and mooched about for the rest of the afternoon reading the newspapers, even though I said I wouldn't!

Dinner was delicious and afterwards we watched a bit of Antiques Roadshow. It was like witnessing a different world... people milling about in the sunshine, standing close to one another and acting normally. How I wish it was like that now!

What day is it?

Day 5

It's the weekend, but at the moment, it could be any day of the week! After another lazy start to the day (although I was awake early again) Sophie and I went out to get some essentials - the newspaper (the first since Tuesday, but at the moment, I really don't like reading it), milk and eggs for Mum who was running low, and flour so Sophie could make a cake.

I was dreading going to the shops but the reality was OK at the One Stop Shop in Mawsley and the Co-op in Broughton. No stern lectures on what we could or couldn't do, so that was a relief!

The weather today has been overcast and cold, with an insistent wind that prevents us from going out into the garden. My left foot is hurting, which is a complete nuisance because it's stopping me from going for a walk. I think it's a return of the plantar fasciitis I've had in the past. I relieved it then by going into the jacuzzi at Virgin and training the water jets onto my foot, but I really don't have that option now! I'm hoping Ibuprofen gel will alleviate it a bit!

I spent a lot of time transferring my blog onto a word document and 2012 is now almost finished. If this "lockdown" carries on, I will probably get all of the blogs up until 2019 made into books!

Sophie and Keith made Paella for dinner and there was another "virtual" pub session with our neighbours, which was very enjoyable. We are relying heavily on Facebook, WhatsApp, the telephone and texts at the moment to keep in touch with family and friends.

After dinner Keith and I watched Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. We are recent converts as the show is pure escapism and very funny. Obviously tonight they were presenting it from their own homes (last week they were at the studios but there was no audience) so we saw clips from previous programmes, including a hilarious piece where they played a trick on Gordon Ramsay!

Helping out

Day 4

I have still been getting up early every morning, so no lie-ins for me! I seem to wake up naturally at about 6am so it's downstairs for a cup of coffee and a cuddle with Monty.

Sophie had to go into work today as she and her manager had some admin tasks to sort out that couldn't be done online or at home. It was pretty strange waving her off, as we have got used to her being at home.

Today has been gorgeous again, with clear blue skies and sunshine, but there has been a chilly wind. Keith went for a walk and I sorted out Mike's inhaler prescription and called my Mum to ask her to phone the hospital ward my Dad is on, to find out whether we can drop off a bag with toiletries and clean clothes. She called back to say that we could drop off the bag at Reception so after Keith returned and we enjoyed bacon butties for breakfast, we set off to collect the bag from Mum and go to the hospital.

I wasn't sure what sort of reaction I was going to get, to be honest, but it was vital he had some of his belongings with him as he needed his glasses, bless him! Keith dropped me off and it seemed that it was business as usual for Kettering General Hospital. I stood and waited for a member of staff to appear on the Reception desk and while I was waiting, my phone rang. It was a nurse on my Dad's ward. I said I was downstairs so she came down to get the bag and we had a good chat about how he was. They're hoping he will come home at the weekend, so that was good news! The nurse was lovely and really put my mind at rest.

Once back in the car, Keith drove me to Mum's again so we could see her for a few minutes. We then returned home where I put all my clothes into the washing machine and had a good hot shower. You just never know!

I made Keith and I a hot drink with lemon juice and honey and we sat in the sunny conservatory and chatted. The rest of the day stretched ahead so I did an hour on my French course and then transcribed my blog onto a word document, ready for turning it into another book. We also ordered some sealant from Amazon, as now is the perfect time to tackle the windows in the conservatory that need attention!

I then decided to make a batch of custard cream biscuits, which were delicious with a cup of tea at about 4pm! Sophie arrived home and had had a stressful day so it was lovely for her to sit and relax before dinner, which was pizza, wedges and salad. While we were washing up, Mike called on video chat and it was a shock to see his hair so short! He had called me earlier in the day while Abbie's mum was cutting his hair but I didn't realise he was going for a buzzcut!

A new way of shopping...

Day 3

Sophie and I took a deep breath and went to Tesco at 7am this morning. It was not a pleasant experience.

We arrived and parked away from other cars, gathered up our shopping bags and joined a queue of people all standing a good distance away from each other. We didn't have to wait long and a security guard waved us inside. The atmosphere was eerily quiet and the lighting quite dim inside the store. I didn't like it one bit. We had to make a real effort to keep our distance and exchanged wry smiles with people we passed in the aisles.

There was hardly any bread, which annoyed me as the store had only opened an hour ago, so there was obviously a problem with the supply chain. We managed to get almost everything we needed, except baked beans, tinned tomatoes, rice (but we could get Paella rice, which was good as we needed that!), pasta and flour. We had heard the store was limiting people to three items but I thought they were for essentials, like milk, bread, bottles of water, meat, etc. I bought eight bottles of beer for Keith and we chose three bottles of wine and a small bottle to use in a recipe.

There were taped lines by the checkout that we had to stand behind and Sophie made the terrible mistake of putting one foot on the other side, which earned her a reprimand from the checkout lady. She was busy chatting to the previous customer who most definitely was not six feet away. This meant we had to wait to put our items onto the conveyor belt. Sophie then put her foot over another line, which prompted another outburst. We both felt like criminals.

The real fun began when the woman started putting our purchases through and barked that we weren't allowed all the beer and we had to get rid of one of the wine bottles. Her attitude was horrible - she made us feel terrible and I know she could have spoken to us with a bit more civility. The stupid thing is, if we'd thought about it a bit more, we could have taken two trolleys and shopped separately and used two different checkouts. Also, there was absolutely nothing stopping us from coming back later in the day or going to another branch to get our purchases! To fully implement this rule, are we going to go down the rationing route next with everyone issued a ration book, like in the war?! I agree that some foods should be limited, but I really don't think that beer and wine are classed as essentials!

We packed our bags and fled and I decided to go to Aldi where I knew I could get Keith's beer. The roads were very quiet (by now it was 8am) and the supermarket had just opened. What a difference it was! The staff were friendly and polite and said I could have four bottles of beer. There was also ample stocks of pasta, tinned tomatoes, rice and flour (but no self-raising).

We headed home to put all of our purchases away and upon looking at the Tesco receipt, we discovered that we had been charged for four bottles of beer, not three! I said to Keith that next week we'll go to Aldi at 8am and then visit Tesco afterwards to get what we couldn't buy in Aldi. Perhaps he can go in there between 9am and 10am when "older" people are allowed to shop!

After our experience at Tesco I felt really depressed, to be honest. This situation is horrible enough without people being nasty! We all need to show kindness to one another because we don't know what worries people are having. It's going to take all of us some time to get used to these new rules.

I mooched about and then decided that to make the most of this time, I need to do something constructive, so I've signed up to a short French course with the Open University. I can start to brush up on my French in readiness for our visit in September! It's completely free and there are others you can choose from.

Keith then suggested a walk so we went down the track from the village to the Nature reserve.

It was a beautiful day and the temperatures had risen to about 15c, so lovely and mild, although this weekend is set to get colder and we may even have some wintry showers! It can snow all it likes if none of us have to leave the house!

Back home we had lunch sitting in the garden and then Keith and I drove over to see Mum, but we didn't go into the house. She stood at the front door and we stood well away from her and made sure she was OK. She is very upset about my Dad being in hospital and we don't know when he'll be coming home. I really felt for her, but there's nothing we can do except phone her regularly and maybe pop over and speak to her from a distance.

Back home I put a colour on my hair as it was way overdue and then relaxed. The time today has gone very fast and it's been great to be able to catch up with my colleagues at work through our WhatsApp group. Online communication is now vital to us all and it's great to speak to neighbours in the street as long as we keep our distance.

In the evening Sophie went for a run around the estate and said there was a lovely atmosphere with people out walking and enjoying the late sunshine. We made a delicious beef pasta bake for dinner and enjoyed a glass of red wine with it. Tomorrow is Friday but there was no sense of relief like there usually is!

"Every day is like Sunday..."

Day 2

Mum telephoned this morning to say she was really worried about my Dad as he seemed confused and his legs were stiff. She said she was going to ring the emergency number and try and get some help, and I just couldn't believe it was happening. I was unable to go over and see her and when she called later, she said that he was going into hospital, the last place any of us want to be at the moment.

To cut a long story short, he certainly won't be going into the Hawthorns today as he has a urine infection, which could account for him being a bit confused lately. I think the best course of action would be for him to come home when he's recovered, and they get some help in the house. Mum wanted to go to the hospital but I wouldn't let her, telling her to stay at home! Tough, but necessary.

Sophie ran around the estate while I walked four laps and it was another gorgeous morning. The birds were singing their little hearts out, and who blames them? They have no worries. When we got back, Keith went and did his walk and then we had cheesy scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast. Tomorrow we must go and get some shopping as we are running low on milk, bread, margarine, eggs and food for dinners.

I am so grateful today has been a glorious day and it was lovely to see the sunshine and the blue skies. I put washing out on the line and Keith did a pile of ironing. I put Mikey's bed back and then washed my car while Keith cut back one of the bushes at the front of the house. We were lucky to see Richard and Michelle returning from a walk and we had a long chat with them - from across the road! They are both working from home, which Sophie has been doing all day.

I do need to start planning things to do every day, though, as the last thing I want is to drift aimlessly through this isolation. Richard said this morning to be ready for three months of not being able to go out. How on earth will we all feel at the end of it? How many divorces will there be due to couples being cooped up together and not really getting on?

I know I said I liked being at home, but not like this!