Month: May 2021

The day started off rather murky and I wondered if we were really going to get any decent weather after all. But by lunchtime, the sun had got his hat on and we were away.

In the end, though, I didn’t do any sunbathing at all. We were busy, busy. Although to be fair, I was slow, slow, busy busy. Still struggling to find the energy to run around.

John stayed in bed for a bit after the exertions of yesterday and so I baked some buns while he slept. Paleo-style, in an attempt to keep the ol’ boy healthy which I am still trying despite all his attempts at sabotage.

Once John was downstairs he was keen to get on and do some more on the hedge-planting. Amazingly, he didn’t feel too bad and was happy to tackle it. Mind you, medication takes a while so it was nearly mid-day by the time he started. A repeat of yesterday but more progress because he’s managed to get three of the blighters in! Excellent job.

Afterwards, he had a bath…… I don’t know if he struggled to get out of it today. I didn’t ask.

I had bought a few plants yesterday and decided to plant some of them up as is often the tradition on a Bank Holiday Monday. The hose was playing up though so, before I started, I thought I’d pop to the local garden centre to buy a new spray head. Oooh…. they had a table full of herbs. Might have bought a few. Ooooh… they had a section of bird food. Might have bought a couple of bags. In fact, I did a fair bit of impulse-buying – and I had only gone for one thing!! Ah, well, a bit of retail therapy does you good, I hear.

Home again, and I potted up the hanging baskets for the back of the house. I’ve yet to do the front ones because a) the garden centre didn’t have any coir to line them with; b) I need to buy more plants; c) I had no more energy, once I’d planted the back ones.

In essence, because the garden centre didn’t have the lining I was after, I bought sphagnum moss instead. Normally, I line the baskets with my own moss gathered from the lawn, but since Steve treated the lawn there’s none left……. Anyway, once you’ve watered the baskets which are now full of sphagnum moss, they ain’t ‘alf heavy! Nearly did myself a mischief lifting them onto the brackets. In fact, I probably have done myself a mischief….. we’ll see tomorrow when I get up whether the twinges have gone away.

Well, actually, the mischief was done either heaving up the hanging baskets or heaving the mattress this morning. In between other jobs, I was changing the bed linen and washing/drying it. Underneath our sheets we have one of those mattress protector things that encases the whole mattress. I looked at and decided it was time for its wash. But, heck! The mattress is very heavy and unwieldy. Was it then that I did my shoulder/hip in? Or, on the other hand and now I think about it – was it, maybe, when I was lifting my weights that I thought I’d try this morning? Hmm…..I’ll let you know if I’m crippled in the morning.

All in all, another productive, if messy, day. And by messy, I mean that we have now littered the house with all sorts of things and not tidied up. Gulp! And we’ve got guests coming tomorrow…….ah, well, they are old friends so I am hoping they’ll turn a blind eye to the mess.

In the news today we are being softened up for a delay in the full opening-up of the country on June 21st with the Indian variant now being the dominant strain of the virus. Scientists are telling us that this variant is 60% more transmissible than other strains and there is a big push to get people vaccinated.

There have been 3,383 people confirmed as positive for the disease today and one death in the community. There is no new data though, for those who have died in hospitals today.

Bank Holiday Monday was good for us. Hope it was for you, too. The weather forecast suggests it’s going to be another warm, but perhaps cloudy, day tomorrow. Enjoy it while we can is what I say.

Take care everyone. God bless.

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been under the weather. We had sniffles last week which didn’t amount to too much, but this week I think I have been run down, as me mother would say. I have had a mouth full of bloomin’ ulcers which, no matter what remedy I have tried, just will not go away. I have felt a touch miserable and wanting to hug my bed.

John has also wanted to hug his bed, but mostly because he is chronically sick and the effort of doing anything takes it out of him. One day a bit of work and then three days recuperation needed.

So, this morning, we did bed-hugging again. To be fair, John got up well before me – about 11 o’clock – because he has the project of planting the hedging that was delivered on Friday. John wanted to dig holes. But, phew! What a mammoth job it is/will be. I mean, the ground is hard, for a start; the holes to be dug need to be quite wide and quite deep; and it was hot today!

Amazingly, John did not give up one bit. He worked for a while, then sat and had a drink – a loop he repeated over and over again. In some respects, although it is tiring, I can see that it’s doing the ol’ man some good (apart from the aches and pains) as the blood courses through his veins. Fingers crossed that he is not feeling too crippled when he gets up tomorrow morning.

I finally got ‘misery me’ out of bed at lunchtime today, having made the decision that church didn’t beckon for me this morning, despite it being Trinity Sunday and Café Church (sadly, without the pastries and coffee until restrictions ease some more). Still struggling with my mouth ulcers and fatigue, I took a couple of paracetamol containing caffeine. I had a bite to eat and then, still feeling a bit ‘meh’, I laid myself out on the sun lounger and soaked up the sun for an hour. What an absolutely glorious day.

I think something did the trick because, after my rest, I found myself interested in the pond. I fished out a bit of the choking weed and was excited to see that I’d also fished out a couple of small newts – which I put back again, obviously. I then found myself marginally interested in a spot of weeding, so I knew I felt better.

Better enough, in fact, to toddle round to the shops. I bought a selection of plants that they had on sale in the Co-op and did the grocery shopping. Now, that’s a first for along time. Normally we ask them to deliver, but I was perky enough to choose for myself.

Not only that, but I put the shopping away and cleared the decks in the kitchen. We have no idea how it happens, but rooms run away with us. They have minds of their own and mess is generated even if we are not in there, I swear.

All in all, another quiet day, but a productive one. I think John is pleased with what he has done so far – albeit he has yet to put any of the shrubs in their ‘oles, but good progress is being made.

After John had done for the afternoon, he went up for a soak in the bathtub. “Good idea,” I said, “make sure you use some Epsom Salts for those aching limbs.” I don’t know whether he did or not. Bathing done, he came downstairs and I cut his hair. As we were chatting during the haircut, he said, “Having a bath is all very well, but it’s a devil to get out of.” Ah….. yes, I agreed, we’re not as young as we were, are we? He told me that he wasn’t sure he was actually going to be able to get out of the bath – I think it was a struggle to do so – but he made it. What do you reckon? Is it time for grab handles? Well, I wouldn’t object…..

The day having glided away it was evening meal time and……. oh, look! It’s Roland Garros!! “Do you want to watch anything on TV, John?” I wondered, my finger hovering over the Eurosport channel. He grinned. A rather long-suffering grin, really. “No, you go ahead and watch the tennis.” Well, thank you. Brilliant – rounded off the day nicely.

The numbers of people who have tested positive for COVID in the last 24 hours is 3,240 and 6 have died in the community. Scientists are still concerned however, and are still reminding us to take every precaution when we are out and about. Masks, hand washing and keeping our distance are still key, as is ventilation in our homes. I think I may have mentioned this before. Now sounding like an old record that’s stuck….

In the meantime, the weather is good for a day or two, so let’s make the most of it. Might do a spot more sunbathing tomorrow…..

Take care everyone. God bless.

I had hoped to be sitting outside drinking prosecco in the garden today but the weather was fairly gloomy for most of the day until later on this afternoon, by which time I had developed a headache and I didn’t fancy an alcoholic drink nor a sit outside. Disappointing, but there we are. Maybe tomorrow?

We have taken it easy for most of the day, although the hedging that we took delivery of yesterday was glowering at us saying, ‘Plant us. Plant us!’ John did go out into the garden just before tea and started digging, but it’s proving hard work. I think he was relieved when I called him in to say that food was ready.

I also did a little bit of something but not a lot – I managed to get the ironing done, including the sheets that we stripped from the bed at Paul and Harriet’s yesterday, ready for Catherine to come and collect to put back on the bed. Catherine is staying at Paul and Harriet’s while they have a break away with Michael and Danielle. The house they are staying in looks lovely and we are not jealous at all.

After I’d done the ironing and a spot of tidying round, I sat on the sofa and promptly fell asleep again. This is madness – don’t think I’ve dozed so much in an afternoon in all my life until recently. Can’t think what is going on! Old age, I expect.

John, too, pottered about a bit and then also fell asleep in his chair, so we were like two old codgers. At least he has an excuse for falling asleep – he’s not well……

Apart from a walk up to the shops and prepping food, that’s more or less all we’ve done today. Watched a bit of TV too, of course, and we’re ploughing through the series called ‘Mare of Easttown’ which is supposed to be good. I am finding it a bit dark but still watching it anyway.

So, a short blog today as there’s nothing to report.

There were 3,398 people who tested positive for COVID today and 7 deaths in the community. No data from hospitals though because they are no longer reporting over the weekends.

I hate to be gloomy, but cases are up by 25% and deaths within 28 days are up by 38% this week compared to last week. We are not over the pandemic yet – and it won’t go away just because we want to do away with masks and restrictions. We’ve gotta keep going, haven’t we?

Take care everyone. God bless.

After the excitement of a day trip yesterday, I think we both felt exhausted today. We ambled about all day and, if we should have happened to sit in our comfy seats, we may have closed our eyes for a moment or two at different times during the day.

Neither of us got up very early, and I was keen this morning to watch The Great British Sewing Bee which I’d recorded but not yet enjoyed. So that’s what I did. I meandered about a bit, then grabbed some breakfast and watched TV. John also meandered about a bit then spent a good while with his medications. These things always take a fair bit of time.

We were waiting in for some new hedging to arrive today, but I’d promised to nip over to see the Kenilworth Sleaths, so I abandoned John to it. He said he’d manage. He did manage, but I think it was very hard work lugging the tall shrubs from front to back and then cart the pallets round the back as well. When I arrived home from my visit to Kenilworth, John was inspecting back of his eyelids.

I had intended to nip in and out of Park House to grab a set of keys from Harriet but, when I arrived, she was out. Paul let me in but he was on a business call, so asked me to wait a few minutes. I wandered into the lounge where I found the ironing board still out and a pile of ironing waiting to be done. So, I thought I might as well do that while I waited. I suspected that half of the pile, at least, was going to be needed soon.

Of course, when Harriet came back, I asked her if there was any more ironing, to which she replied, ‘No’, then, a few minutes later came in with bundle of clothes and a ‘Wait a minute….’ there was, of course, a bit more…… I put the clothes in everyone’s rooms once I’d finished the ironing, and then helped Harriet change the bedlinen on the bed in the ‘Eden’ room ready for Catherine coming to stay tomorrow. Then it was time to go.

Because I had stayed longer in Kenilworth than I anticipated, it was gone lunchtime. As I say, John was a-snoozing when I got back, so I popped up to the shops to buy some bits and bobs for lunch and our evening meal. I prepped my lunch and sat on the sofa to eat it – despite the fact that we’d promised ourselves we wouldn’t eat in the lounge……. I put the TV on and started watching ‘What are we feeding our kids?’ (a very scary programme…) but my eyes drooped a bit, so I paused it. Just for a couple of hours…..never did get those jobs done that I’d planned.

And that’s more or less us today. More food prep for our evening meal and a bit more telly and a bit more snoozing this evening and the day is done.

I know I’ve been bleating on a bit about the COVID numbers going up and hoping everyone was being cautious, but the figures have gone up again today….. 4,182 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours and 10 people died with it in the community. 8 people died in hospitals on 26 & 27 May.

And you know it’s getting serious when one of the leading experts on the situation is irritated that the government are not taking it all seriously enough. Professor Christina Pagel admits she may have lost it a bit when she was interviewed on the BBC today. Well, if that’s what it takes…….

People seem to be thinking it’s OK for the kids and young people to catch the virus, and they also seem to think that because the death toll isn’t very high, it’s really not a problem if you do. But the problem is long COVID. There’s quite a lot of that about and the experts are really advising that we take care so that we don’t ruin our future lives. Eeeeh, it’s tough isn’t it? People management?

Anyway, the sun is going to shine and it’s now the weekend.! So I’m looking forward to a relaxing time in the garden. Whatever you are up to, hope you have a wonderful time.

Take care everyone. God Bless.

Well! That went well! Not only did the weather play ball, but so did the traffic on our journey, plus absolutely everything else that we did today. Woo-hoo!! *Does a little dance*

We have long had a standing invitation to visit Meg and Tim in Bristol and, in particular, the offer of a personalised, bespoke tour of the SS Great Britain, on which Tim volunteers as a guide. So, today was the day.

It all went like clockwork. I was up early, greeting the sunshine with relief, bathing and colouring my hair (couldn’t really be seen in public with roots like rats’ tails again……), prepping a bag of things to take with us ‘just in case’, and planning the route in my phone. I finalised the pre-holiday washing for the Sutton Sleaths and popped it in the porch ready for collection, and then took John a coffee to wake him up while I dried my hair.

John, in turn, was up and about taking all his medication conscientiously this morning in preparation for the day ahead. He, too, was keen to be thoroughly ready for a day out. Oh…. the anticipation of a day out!! Can’t tell you how excited we were!

With a bag of chocolate Minstrels ready to sustain us on our journey, we set off just before eleven o’clock. The journey there was a smooth as you like. Fairly busy this end of the M42/M5 but fast-moving and no bother. We took the journey in one go and arrived at our destination just before one.

The sun was still shining, so we sat out in the open air in Brunel Square with a cup of cappuccino and a panini each. Tim joined us after he’d finished his morning shift while we waited for Michelle (aka Meg) to arrive from her work. It was just lovely. All very relaxed and so very, very nice to sit and chat in the warmth of that beautiful sunshine.

Once Michelle arrived, we moved onto the ship where Tim did us proud. Honestly, it was the best tour we have ever had. Well, obviously, I suppose, as it was just for us, but really it was brilliant. Absolutely fascinating history to the ship and well worth a visit, folks. So good, that we spent hours on the ship…..

Meg had arranged for us to eat at Yo, Sushi! this evening so, once we’d finished the tour and had sat and drunk another cup of coffee, we set off for our evening meal. Once again, all good. The restaurant was split up into little areas and we had a table to ourselves all cordoned off with Perspex sheets to keep everyone safe. We ordered and paid for the food using an app on John’s phone, which meant that the waitress didn’t need to keep coming to the table. Food made its way from the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant (where we could see it being prepared) to us on the little conveyer belt, as quick as a flash. Our appetites were satiated in no time at all. *Does another little dance.*

Our journey home was a whizz. There was no traffic on the road hardly, so we fairly flew home. Marvellous. What a wonderful day. Absolutely fantastic to meet up with dear friends whom we haven’t seen for such a very long time. Delighted in their company and was rather pleased that we slotted back into that easy chat of long-standing friendship. Michelle texted and said, ‘Just like old times’. Yes, that.

On the COVID front there have been 3,542 people who have tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours and 10 deaths in the community. There have been 4 deaths in hospitals on 24 & 25 May.

Scientists are still debating the data and what it means – whether there will be another wave, whether we need to be worried, whether the last part of the roadmap will happen and so on. I did read a long article on Twitter about what the figures mean in terms of the new variant but, to be honest, I found it difficult to make sense of it all. However, suffice to say, the figures are going up…..

Take care everyone, as best you can. God bless.

You never really know how your day is going to pan out, do you? Some days look miserable as they lay themselves out before you, with not a lot to do and not a lot of motivation to keep on keeping on. However, today was different. What started out as ‘more of the same’ became something a bit more interesting.

First thing this morning, still laying in bed and a bit bleary-eyed, Michael made a video call to us. “What are you up to today/tomorrow?” he wanted to know. “Not a lot today, other than Quiz Night tonight,” I replied, “but tomorrow we are planning to visit Tim and and Michelle.” Ah…. he had wondered what the mystery trip was – so that was it. “Just wondered if you had any spare time to help us with some pre-holiday washing?” he said. Well, yes. We’d got all day, so no worries on that front.

Danielle called in at about ten o’clock and stayed for an hour before she shot off to take Thomas to a music class, BoJingles. It was lovely to see her and to chew the cud even for a short while. There’s always something to talk about and she’s very good company. Thomas, too, is good company, with his ready grin.

We pressed the washing machine and tumble dryer into service immediately and, while the clothes were whirling round, I did a bit more admin for Mum’s affairs. I wanted to let the Civil Service Pension people know that she’d moved and to send correspondence to me but, hey, that was a bit more difficult than I thought. “Send us a copy of the Power of Attorney agreement.” they said. No problem. “And two items of photo-ID plus a utility bill with your name and address on. Oh, and something formal like a letter from HMRC dated within the last three months.”

Hahahahaha! I split my sides laughing. ‘Scuse me? I am old. I do not have photo-ID. My passport has expired, I still have a paper driving licence and all our utility bills are in John’s name.

I could hear the general shrugging of shoulders and feel the tutting over the phone. In the end, I sent a copy of an expired passport, my paper driving licence, a copy of a letter from HMRC dated January, a utility bill in John’s name and my bus pass. That’ll show ’em! Honestly, it could only be the Civil Service, couldn’t it? In triplicate, madam?

Meanwhile, John had been trawling ‘tinternet for cars. He showed me one or two and I suggested we make an appointment to try one out fairly locally. He booked for test run at four o’clock. Lovely.

We ploughed on with our bits and pieces – washing, tumbling, admin-ing, tidying, washing-up and so on until it was time to go. We had a really good run to Coventry and met the sales chappie on time. We went through all of the features of the car. We mulled over the fuel consumption, its age, its service history, its reliability etc etc. Then we had a test drive. We liked it. “We’ll go home and discuss it,” we said.

On the way home, we both agreed we liked the car. “If you’d like to buy it, John, we can, can’t we?” I said. “I’ll check on the insurance, first,” he replied. Good idea. I don’t know if you are waiting for a ‘but’ – but there is no ‘but’. Insurance was OK. We still liked the car. We think we’ll buy it. Boom.

This evening, it was Quiz Night. We were the Quiz Masters and I thought the quiz was going to be easy – only it wasn’t as easy as I thought, despite the fact that we’d had a few of the questions before. I am not sure how everyone enjoyed the quiz, but they were all very polite about it anyway. I really enjoyed the evening though, as there was lots of chat, which is always very pleasant indeed. However, note to self: must make the quiz easier next time…… I mean, do you know what a baby puffin is called?

The news has been dominated today by the testimony of Dominic Cummings to MPs as part of the enquiry into the handling of the COVID crisis. He has slashed to the right, left and centre and hardly anyone has come out of it un-bloodied – including himself. I am watching with interest as to what the fall-out will be…..lies, lies, and more lies?

The COVID figures are now rising with over 3,000 people infected with the virus in the last 24 hours. 9 people have died in the community with the virus and 6 people have died in hospitals on 24 May. I think it’s going to get sticky unless we are sensible and remember to be cautious wherever we go, because people are travelling now. Like us, tomorrow. Fingers crossed that it’ll be safe.

In the meantime, it’s still a full moon – well, nearly, 99.56% of it is visible – and it is very bright. It always befuddles me when it’s that bright. Might have to sleep in our old bedroom where we’ve got black-out blinds……

Take care everyone. God bless.

In retirement we thought we might do all sorts of things. One of those things was to laze in bed, just because we could. So we did. And it were luvverly. We spent the entire morning scrolling through social media, playing e-games and generally lazing about in bed. No demands, no distractions, no nothin’.

When we finally winkled ourselves out of bed and downstairs it was brunch-time and, in line with our attempt at a ‘diet’, we thought we’d have protein instead of carbs for our meal. Whipped up a nice little mushroom omelette, which was very yummy.

John then heaved himself into work-mode. The breakfast bar was calling. Having fruitlessly searched for a bit of wood, 2mm square, to use as a batten, John opted to nip to Les Sheppard’s to buy some timber to finish off the job. I opted for a walk instead, and took myself off to Mum’s old flats to deliver some strip-lighting that’s no use to us, but will be to them.

When I got back, John was already on his knees drilling and hammering and pushing and pulling pieces of wood to make them fit. I helped a little bit by pushing pieces into place while he drove a nail in, or secured a screw.

My usefulness over, I walked up to Pete and Dawn’s to deliver the gift that is so very belated, to Jack. I was delighted to be invited in for a cup of tea and a chat while we waited for Jack to finish his bit of gardening. Jack was happy with his present and we all agreed that my habit of forgetting birthdays has the advantage of prolonging the celebrations – which is a bonus, I think.

Home again, and I did some admin work, sorting out Mum’s accounts and laughing at/cursing Scottish Power, who have refunded Mum some money on her account, but have made the cheque payable to ‘Michael Blanning’ – the name of the flats……Grr….. there’s another job for the morning. Honestly, it’s never-ending.

I came downstairs to find that John was on the very last task on the breakfast bar. I am delighted to say he’s done a good job. And, I know he won’t think so, but he really wasn’t as out of breath as he was last week. *Does a little dance*.

This evening, I was due to go to my prayer/bible study group but, having started the day very late, the day ran late and we didn’t sort out our evening meal until gone seven o’clock, so I had to send my apologies. Instead, we watched TV and finished the programme called ‘The Pact’ which was gripping and disturbing. No spoilers, but how the characters could live with themselves is beyond me.

2,493 people tested positive for the virus today and 15 people died in the community with it. 5 people died on 23 & 24 May with the virus in hospitals, too. There are signs of the numbers increasing slightly and scientists are still sharing their concerns about our behaviours in the light of the infectiousness of the new variant.

There has been a bit of a kerfuffle over the government failing to announce its new advice for areas where the new variant is showing signs of increasing. It does start to make you paranoid though, doesn’t it? Why would they not announce precautionary measures to those areas? Heaven only knows. Herd immunity conspiracy theories abound.

Anyway, we are keeping our fingers crossed that the new variant doesn’t leap across to other towns and cities and stays contained as best as it possibly can be, because we have a trip planned on Thursday. Woo-hoo!! How about that? Will tell you more about it, all being well, when we’ve been and are back,

In the meantime, take care everyone. God bless.

John said he didn’t sleep too badly last night but I had a rubbish night’s sleep. Awake every half an hour or so with a little cough – the residue of the sniffles from last week – and a bit of an irritant, if I’m honest. Blooming thing. I was proper awake at 4.30 and did that thing of wondering whether I should get up, but resisted temptation.

In the end, when we woke up this morning, John said, “Let’s just lay in bed this morning.” Well, it seemed a good idea to me, even though I wasn’t in ‘sleep’ mode any more. I answered a few emails/text messages; made a phone call; and was just about to settle down with a book, when the front doorbell rang.

It was dear Caroline. She was in the village sorting out a bit of furniture to sell, so thought she’d call in. How wonderful!! “Come in! Come in! You can – you’re allowed! Would you like a cup of tea?” Yes, please – Caroline came in and we sat and had a cup of tea. We were still conscious of being careful, so kept our distance, and I left the front door ajar to get a bit of air circulating. But, oh, how absolutely blooming marvellous!! It was so good to be able to chat uninhibited for as long as we liked in the comfort of our home. More please.

It was nearly mid-day before Caroline left, and the visit had set me up for the day. I felt very chipper. We sorted out a bit of brunch and then started working out what the rest of the day might look like. John decided he’d do a bit on the breakfast bar, so set to. I decided I’d do a bit of sorting of Mum’s bit ‘n bobs.

We both worked steadily for a while, and then we drifted into the lounge for a rest. My plan, I boldly announced, was to walk up to the Tesco shop and drop our dead batteries into their recycling box, then nip up to the flats where Mum used to live, to take some strip lighting that will fit the flat for the future occupant, and then walk round to the Crosses, to offer a belated birthday present to Jack. Hmmmm….. Yes, sounded a good idea, thought John. He’d walk with me. In the meantime, what about a bit of lunch?

I decided on a stir-fry. Ah… needed a few mushrooms. “I tell you what, John,” I said, “I’ll nip up to Tesco now, get the mushrooms and drop the batteries off, and then we’ll do the other bits of the walk after we’ve eaten?” OK – all good. Except we ate, and then I read my book, John fell asleep and no walking round to anywhere or anyone’s took place.

In fact, John slept until gone six o’clock this evening. He’d clearly worked hard on the breakfast bar. Once he was awake again though, he thought he’d better have another go, so he’s been fettling away for an hour or two this evening, too.

I had a reasonable sort out, and have made a decision about what to do with some of Mum’s things. We had thought we might try and sell things on eBay, but I think I’m going to look into setting up an Etsy shop instead and see if things’ll sell via the vintage way. A fiver apiece would be OK, cos there’s lots of bits and pieces, despite the fact that lots went to charity. We’ll see.

We did manage to have our main meal at just-gone-lunchtime so, in theory it was a snack this evening. However, by the time we’d faffed about it was half past eight and John had already tucked into the chocolate bar. What to have then? A banana or something along those lines was what we opted for. Not sure that’s quite enough really, but still. We’ve yet to get the hang of this idea of eating big at lunchtime……

We had a lovely chat to Michael this evening and then we looked at the time and thought, “Bedtime!” So here we are – last job of the day – write the blog.

Current COVID figures are showing as 2,439 people testing as positive today, 3 people who have died in the community, and 3 people died in hospitals on 21 & 22 May.

I know I am a Job’s Comforter but these figures belie the current concern over the latest variant. There is confusion over whether people in certain areas are being advised not to travel outside of their own areas or not, but the scientists are definitely telling us to be very cautious.

According to some reports the variant is 50% more transmissible than other variants, and cases are rising fast in the North-West and London, and there are certainly some nearer to our neck of the woods in the East Midlands.

I am still waiting to see what the Government will do about the last bit of the roadmap. Will they allow further restrictions to be lifted? Or will they start suggesting local lockdowns instead? Flip a coin……

So that’s us. Hope I sleep better tonight – but there seems to be a full moon…..

Take care everyone. God Bless.

It being Sunday, we did Sunday things. I went to the church this morning for the first time in absolutely ages; we watched the Grand Prix; snoozed a little this afternoon and then went out for dinner.

I mean, that’s what Sundays are for, isn’t it? Well, they used to be, and today was the first Sunday that felt like one for a very, very long time. The only thing we didn’t do was buy a newspaper. Sometimes, you just know that you’re not going get through a Sunday broadsheet, even in a whole week, don’t you?

So, I was up relatively early and made the decision that I would actually go to church rather than be present via YouTube. I looked out of the window and saw that it was a fine day. Right, I thought, I’ll walk. So I did. It was lovely. A beautiful day for a walk – overcast, but not too cold and it was very, very quiet, the church bell tolling, calling its congregation as I walked up the hill.

I enjoyed the service, but I can’t wait to be able to sing the hymns. We’re still not even allowed to hum! It was good to see fellow congregants and pass the time of day with them before I set off back home. Several greeted me warmly, surprised to see me but pleased nonetheless.

Once home, John was up and we sat and had a cuppa while we planned what to do with our day. To be honest, I wasn’t so sure what I was going to do but thought I might do my hair before our outing to the Queen and Castle for our evening meal. John’s plan was to watch the Grand Prix and have a game of poker.

In the end, I pottered about a bit and then thought I’d read my book before I did anything else. John was already in the lounge, so I joined him and started my book. I felt my eyes go heavy after a while, whereupon I put my book down and closed my eyes for a moment or two…… Next thing I knew it was Grand Prix time and the cars were revving up on the start line. Crikey!! That was unexpected – where did that hour and a half go? John, too, was inspecting the back of his eyelids but awoke at the sound of the revving cars. We looked sheepishly at each other, before I said,”Do you want something to eat? Or a cup of tea?”

We grabbed a bite to eat and then watched the race, although halfway through we took a video call from the Sutton Sleaths and a phone call from Andrew, too. Then all of a sudden it was time to get ready to go out. We were to meet Paul and Harriet, Lily and Freddie at the pub just before five o’clock.

I didn’t feel awfully brave before we got there, as this is our first visit out to somewhere indoors, but John was happy and said he wasn’t worried. So, once we were inside ordering our drinks and food, I soon relaxed. We had a nice meal, and it was good not to have to do the washing-up afterwards. Paul suggested we call into their house for coffee afterwards, so we were excited to accept.

We spent the whole evening at Paul and Harriet’s – how good was that? We put Freddie to bed in his ‘London Bus’ bunk bed and I read him an improbable story called ‘The Dinosaur that Pooped a Pirate’. First time I’ve come across this series of titles and we both found the story amusing – even if ‘pooped’ was an unexpected turn of phrase!

We spent a very pleasant evening chatting and trying to put the world to rights, debating a variety of subjects. We called it a day, though, when our hosts found a topic upon which they couldn’t agree. We thought any contribution we made at that point might fan the flames of discontent, so we left while the going was good.

What a happy day. It was a real Sunday – we spoke to all the family; we ate a proper Sunday roast; we watched seasonal sport and I, at least, said a few prayers. Thank the Lord for such mercies.

2,235 people tested positive today for the virus and 5 people died in the community. The scientists, however, are up in arms over the publication of a report released on Saturday night in the middle of Eurovision (in which we did get nul points) which holds some startling data on the new variant. Watch this space folks, I’m wondering if it’s going to get messy…..

In the meantime, take care everyone. God bless.

One disadvantage of going to bed early is that I wake up early. I know that sunrise isn’t until 5 o’clock really, but by four o’clock in the morning the birds are singing and it’s quite light. I chose not to actually get up at that time this morning, but I did wonder whether I should.

In the end, of course, I snoozed on, fitfully, until nine o’clock when John got up to make us a cup of tea. I suddenly remembered that I needed to be out of bed too, in case the upholstery man called with the seats to my kitchen chairs. I flitted about a bit until he arrived, which wasn’t until nearly 11 o’clock, and I was pleased with the work he’d done. They look alright and match the feature walls. Mind you, now I’ve seen the photo of them, all in a line, I think they look a bit like conference chairs……..tee-hee!!

We now need tips on keeping the bloomin’ cats off the chairs……

After the upholsterer had left, we both pottered about a bit. John had a go at tidying up the area round the breakfast bar ready for the new work surface. Essentially, there was still a ‘snagging’ job on the kitchen floor from when he put the new laminate flooring down. I think he’s been successful and it’s looking good. He also did a bit of a measure-up on the wood he needs to ‘dress’ the breakfast bar. Not sure if he’s cut that yet. One step at a time – no need to rush.

I was once more into the breach, venturing into the loft again. Managed to clear out a mouse nest (although I didn’t actually see the mice); put all the suitcases that Harriet had returned the other day, up there safely; and filled up the trunk with items of no value other than sentimental. I also managed to vacuum the loft which was a good thing. There was chewed up paper and bubble wrap, plus nasty mouse droppings. Note to self: must leave the loft trapdoor open and let the cats in there…… or get a mouse trap?

After I’d been in the loft, I felt very grubby so grabbed a shower before we ate our evening meal. But really, that’s been our lot. We did have a lovely chat to the Sutton Sleaths – William phoned but I’d left my phone upstairs at the time so he phoned Grandpa instead, then asked, “Why didn’t you answer the phone, Grandma?” Oh, dear – must keep my phone on me at all times.

We haven’t watched the Eurovision – although I know it’s great fun for some, but it’s just not our cup of tea. But will the UK come home with more than ‘nul points‘? We shall see.

We haven’t watched the news either today, choosing to keep ourselves sane for a change. However, we do know that there have been 2,694 people who tested positive for the virus today and 6 deaths in the community. We’ll wait and see if the figures rise by much over the coming week with the Indian variant on the loose.

So the day has passed unremarkably. We are looking for inspiration. Something to gee us up. Better weather might help…..not that there’s much chance of that over the next few days. I am wondering if the clear-outs and tidy-ups will help….. we’ll see.

And tomorrow it’s Pentecost. Another day for celebration – just like Christmas or Easter – except we don’t do we? This one passes most people by. But I shall be fascinated by the story of how the apostles spoke in tongues – it’s such a weird one…..

Take care everyone. Enjoy your Sunday, however you choose to spend it. God bless.