The Daily Echo from Sleath Towers – Day 160

I always write my daily diary at the end of the day – and it’s usually late at night. Today is no different except that I am tired this evening, so have set myself a challenge: what can I write in twenty minutes? Here goes…..

We’ve had another good day. John has done another stint on the stones and really gone to work on them. He’s pushed himself outside into the windy weather, even when the sofa seemed more inviting. He’s keen to get it done. And how wonderful that a passer-by offered to come and help if he was still on the job come Monday. There are some good people in the world. Not sure if he’ll be able to take up the offer though as we are ‘garden entertaining’ on Monday….

I, on the other hand, didn’t push myself much. I just drifted through the house picking up a little job here and a little job there. I did manage to get started on the front bedroom clear-up however, and shifted one or two items. The kitchen got a bit of a polish up, too, and toys in the lounge were moved from A to B. More washing and drying was done and, just when I was bracing myself for more front bedroom sorting, I was reprieved. The phone rang. It was eldest son offering to pop in with Freddie for an hour or two in the garden.

Well, that was it then, wasn’t it? Dropped all chores and got ready to greet them. Freddie is so at home in our garden now that he just comes in and gets on with playing. Paul stopped for a short while in the front garden to help John lay some of the weed protective material, which was a great help as it was bulky, unwieldy and a bit heavy. And then we all settled down with a cuppa in the back garden to hear all about the holiday.

Naturally, I was drawn to playing with Freddie as that is what he expects. And we had a lovely companionable time, pottering about picking the blackberries, which he then shook up in the tub and took home the resultant mush. We gazed into the pond and fed the fish, and Freddie played on the slide and swing to his heart’s content. It was warm enough for ice creams too, although Freddie abandoned his Magnum after he’d picked all the chocolate from it. “Daddy, you eat it,” he said, offering a mauled lolly on a stick. “I’ve had enough.” Shock, horror! How can you ever have had enough of a Magnum, I want to know??

After the representative two of the Kenilworth Sleaths left, we carried on with our chores for a while before it was time to eat and then Skype Pete and Dawn. Had a lovely evening with them, as always. They are such good company. Got through half a bottle of Prosecco though…… they are clearly a bad influence.

And so, here we are at the end of another successful, if tiring day, thrilled at the cricket score and thrilled for young Zac Crawley and his wonderful innings. Not so thrilled at the slight increase in COVID-19 infections reported today though: 1,288 people confirmed with the virus today – and 18 people died in the community according to the new counting system, and 2 in hospitals yesterday.

That’s all I’ve got time for today folks – twenty minutes…… no time for frills today, time for bed! God bless you all and may you all know peace in your lives.