I decided on a slow start this morning with a bit of prayer and meditation. John, however, heaved himself out of bed and went to make cup of tea, which we sat and drank in bed. I always think it is the height of luxury to be having a cuppa in bed in the mornings, don’t you? But then, I am easily pleased.
I had a look at Twitter to see what the subject matter was of the little e-jigsaw competition we have, and found it was a portrait of Mrs Cooper, the wife of the founder of the Art Gallery that shares the puzzle with us. I wondered who was taking part this morning but no-one had posted a time, with the exception of Ken, who sent us this rhyme: ‘Can’t compete today, Mrs Cooper didn’t want to play, She came to me completed, Before I even tweeted.’ There must have been a glitch in the system, but the pressure was off, no-one had done the jigsaw, and I could take my time… how nice.
John got up and started making banana pancakes. I followed on and wondered why the kitchen door was closed……..oh!! On opening it there was a great fug in the kitchen. I hastily shut the door again lest the smoke alarm did its thing. John was growling at the frying pan and wafting at it. ” Bl***y things, keep burning,” he said through gritted teeth. We opened windows and the back door, doing more wafting.
As it turned out, despite the fact that there were black bits – well, front, back and sides – the pancakes tasted OK. We smothered them in raspberries and pecan nuts, drizzled them with maple syrup and plopped a spoonful of yoghurt on top. Not bad at all.
I had just put my plate into the dishwasher when the doorbell rang. We did that double-take to each other, like you do, of ‘whoever can that be?’ and ‘I wonder who that is?’ before even going to the front door to find out. My heart leapt as I pulled the door open – it was Paul, looking beautiful and grinning at me, pleased with the surprise he’d created. Ahhhh…. how wonderful to see him!
Paul strode round the back and I flitted through the house, calling to John on the way, “It’s Paul!” delight ringing out in my voice. Having let Paul in, we sat in the warmth of the sun in the garden, having a lovely chat. He’d been to check on the rental properties the other day, and was calling in, on his way to work, with an update for his Dad. He wasn’t in a hurry to get away – or, at least, he didn’t give that impression – and we just savoured the moments together. It’s a while since we’ve seen him on his own, so it was good.
We chatted about the family, of course, and what the kids were up to. And realised, with a jolt, that Freddie will be starting school on Monday. Crumbs!! We knew he’d be starting school this September, but we only realised it when Paul reminded us. Crikey! Where did those years go to? How did they gallop by so fast? When did Freddie turn into a little boy rather than a toddler? I mean, he’s got a uniform and everything……
After Paul had left, I meandered about the garden for a while. It was so balmy and I felt so relaxed that a little bit of dead-heading was just up my street. John, meanwhile, had put his feet up on a chair and his head back…..obviously equally relaxed but clearly exhausted by the trauma of filling the kitchen with smoke, he decided to have a bit of a doze.
Once the kitchen was habitable again I got on with my promise of yesterday – that I would do the washing up this morning, after having left the pots overnight. I spent a while tidying up the kitchen, then I emptied out the car, which was full of the tools that John had been using for Michael’s ‘man-shed’.
Why am I telling you about the car?? Well, I needed an empty boot because I had geared myself up to go to the shops.
My on-line shop had only delivered some of the items I wanted for Mum. When I visited and took her shopping round, I made a note of what else she needed. It was a good half-dozen things. Where should I get them from? Order them on-line? Go to the local Tesco? Sainsburys? The One-Stop? And how about the Co-op? I mulled it over. I ruminated. I talked to John about it. I talked to Andrew. I mentioned it to Paul. Finally, I decided I’d go to the Co-op.
I got everything I wanted bar one item and, surprise, surprise, no gremlins leapt out at me. I went round the shop unmolested, my path clear all the way and on through the checkout with no hitch. Phew!
Mum was pleased to see me when I dropped her shopping in, but then disappointed again that I wasn’t staying too long. I had agreed to pick up the key (for the barn in Norfolk) from Nuneaton at five o’clock, so I was on a relatively tight timeline. We had chance to have a cup of tea and a bit of a chat though, before I left.
When I got back from Nuneaton ‘we had us tea’ and settled, once again, before the TV. Nothing much on and, anyway, John was snoozing again. I was delighted, therefore, when Michael phoned. He was taking the dog for a walk along the beach and thought he’d have a natter while he walked. It was lovely.
Meanwhile, what has the ol’ man been doing all day? Well, mostly, I think he’s been snoozing or watching TV ensconced on the sofa. Poor man, he’s worn out with all the exertions of the recent weeks. Time for a well-deserved rest. Get his strength up for a week’s holiday – there’ll be lots to do…… well, maybe.
All the while that we’ve been enjoying our day, whatever we’ve been doing, there have been people catching the COVID-19 virus. 1,295 of them today to be precise. At least, that’s what the government has reported. Not sure how precise it is. 3 deaths today in the community and one yesterday in a hospital setting, and two confirmed for the day before. As Nicola Sturgeon said today – it’s still out there…….
Take care everyone. Don’t let the gremlins get you. God bless.
Glad you are venturing out more now.
Remember what the consultant said, play by the rules (mask, space, sanitise) and go only to places where everyone else is playing by the rules and it should be safe.xxxx
Yes!! Will do all that!!