I can’t decide if it’s the lock down or old age, but I am slowing up. I often wake early and think I’ll get up. Then I change my mind and snooze on for a bit longer. Then I surf the internet and do a few e-puzzles before I finally throw back the covers and wander to the bathroom. That’s followed by a bit of wafting about ahead of a job or two.
Today, it was a typical ‘wafty’ start to the day, but I was enthused once I reached the kitchen, as I had planned to make a nut loaf for lunch. The reason for a decent lunch? Andrew was coming home, and he’d be sure to want to eat. Well, maybe it’s just that I like to feed him when he comes home, do you think?
Despite knowing the recipe for the nut loaf, having made the thing a few times before, I still needed to look it up and follow it step-by-step. And that’s when I noticed that everything takes such a long time. Goodness me, it took me forever with my chopping, slicing, frying, boiling, beating and mixing. In my head, it’s a half-hour job. In reality, it was an hour before I finally slotted the loaf tin into the oven.
And what a mess I made in what had been a nice, tidy kitchen! No matter how I try, I find it impossible to ‘clean-as-you-go’ and always look back in horror, once the preparations are completed, at the bombsite I’ve left behind. Every time.
Anyway, Son Number Three came home, to our delight, I fed him lunch and it was delicious. He brought with him some strawberry jams that he’d been trialling, which were even more delicious. I was dubious when he told me that one of them was made with pink peppercorns. Had no idea whether that was going to taste good or not. But it did.
We had a lovely afternoon together sitting under the shade of the gazebo and just comfortably chatting. Not long after he arrived, Andrew said “Where’s Grandma?” John and I exchanged glances and grinned. Ha! She wasn’t even up yet…… and it took her some time to make it. She finally appeared in the patio doorway, looking out. We called and waved to her. “Are you coming out, Mum?” She nodded and smiled. “Get your stick!” I yelled and sprang into action to help her down the steps into the garden, only to find, once I ventured into the lounge, that she was sitting herself down on the sofa. “Aren’t you coming out, Mum? I thought you were just getting your stick?” She looked surprised and said, “I was looking out. I’m not coming outside.”
And that was that. Did she want see Andrew? No, not today, she told me firmly. Or Paul, when he turned up a bit later on? No, thank you, not today. Ah, well, as long as she was happy. And she was.
Sons are very useful, though, aren’t they? John needed some bits and pieces from Screwfix. He ordered them yesterday on a ‘click and collect’ basis. The only trouble is, he’d clicked, but being in the shielding category, couldn’t collect. Now then, we wondered, stroking our chins, who could we possibly ask to go and collect the items today? Andrew was a willing errand boy – how good is that?
It came to the time when Andrew had to leave, so into his arms we thrust chef whites, his KitchenAid and cardboard boxes for packing up his belongings, ready for his flat move on Monday. Then, with regret, we waved him off.
After he’d left, we made a cup of tea and went to sit in the lounging chairs, next to the pond. The sun was really warm, and we laid back in the chairs for a bit of a rest – and a sleep, obviously. We had clearly had an exhausting day entertaining guests.
Once we woke up, John spent the next few hours pottering in the garage, head under the dashboard of the Lotus, with his new wiring diagram and the brand-new wires that came in the post today. I spent a happy hour pottering in the garden, dead heading this and that, potting on plants and pulling up a few weeds. I might have been slow at that too, but I didn’t notice so much as there was no agenda and no deadline to work to – unlike the morning activity of prepping lunch.
A nice day. It’s always a nice day when we see our boys. Fills our hearts and sets us up for a few more days. Keeps our minds off COVID-19 which is still there but not in such abundance apparently, although the government withheld yesterday’s number of deaths, due to a counting issue. This announcement was made:
‘The Secretary of State has today, 17 July, asked PHE to urgently review their estimation of daily death statistics. Currently the daily deaths measure counts all people who have tested positive for coronavirus and since died, with no cut-off between time of testing and date of death. There have been claims that the lack of cut-off may distort the current daily deaths number. We are therefore pausing the publication of the daily figure while this is resolved.‘
The NHS figures are also confusing, as I pointed out yesterday, with 2 deaths reported in hospital settings as of four o’clock on Thursday, 16 July 2020; 9 confirmed for the previous day, but 3 for the day before that, 14 July (which was five in their spreadsheet yesterday….). Any minute now, they’ll suspend reporting the NHS figures too, I suspect.
Anyway, stats? What do they prove, hey? Take care everyone. May you all know peace and happiness in the days to come.