Month: October 2021

No rushing about, just taking it leisurely today, following a delightful start to the day with a phone call from Australia. Gail was ringing to say ‘thank you’ for a parcel we’d sent. She’s been having such a rough time of things that we thought a few goodies wouldn’t go amiss. Had a lovely long chat and heard all the latest on Gail’s treatment, and how stalwart Graham is being in supporting her. Smashing.

Having said goodbye to Gail, I left John in bed while I went round to Dawn’s for a morning of chatting about weddings. Lucy is getting married next year and Dawn is thinking about her outfit, so we had a good old natter to the seamstress, Jackie, who is going to make it for her.

For anyone who knows how to sew, I am sure it doesn’t come as a shock to you that making a wedding outfit is very complicated. What shape should the jacket be? How about the neckline on the blouse? And the sleeves? How long/short should they be? And how about the fastenings? Goodness me, but the list goes on……

Fortunately, Dawn had refined her ideas very well, and Jackie understood exactly what she was after. A very successful morning and Jackie breezed out with her laptop full of ideas. I stayed on for another hour (not sure if I outstayed my welcome, but there we are) and had a bit of chat before coming home to winkle John out of bed.

Meanwhile, I thought I’d give the dentist a ring. I have a toothache. My own fault, of course. I should have had something done months ago when I had the chance, but I baulked and got cold feet, so now I’m in pain.

I phoned yesterday to make an emergency appointment. Ha! Ha! “Dr Danjal can see you next Tuesday.….” Right….OK, well, I’ll have to go for that then, and hope I can hold out for a week. “But you could phone up and see if there any cancellations each day?” Good idea, so that’s what I did.

No cancellations, however, so I wondered if I could maybe have a ‘quick’ appointment to check whether an antibiotic is needed before any drilling takes place. “Erm… I can book you in for a telephone appointment this afternoon – and then, if an antibiotic is needed the dentist can prescribe it over the phone.” But did I get a phone call? No. Try again tomorrow. Wish me luck.

This afternoon we swanned about. Dozing, watching TV, reading – and John faffed about on the computer what seemed like hours on business-related stuff. And so passed a very pleasant few hours – for me, anyway. I think John was increasingly frustrated in what he was trying to do – with no success yet.

After our evening meal, I went out while John caught up on all the programmes he’s recorded. It’s been a while since I last went to my little prayer/bible study group but I finally made it tonight. I was made very welcome but I felt foolish because a) I’d forgotten the little book we’re studying from, and b) I forgot my bible. Never mind, I listened instead and a glass of prosecco from the host eased the sense of foolishness.

COVID-wise, Gail said they’d had about 250 cases in New South Wales and 2,500 in the whole country yesterday. And they were in lockdown. Ha! We have had 43,738 cases today and yesterday, we were world beating….. but no recommendations for mask-wearing, keeping your distance etc etc…… it continues to baffle me as to why we are accepting this and not doing something about it………

• Monday 18 October 2021: New cases around the world
  • UK: 49,156
  • Russia: 34,325
  • Turkey: 29,240
  • USA: 16,260
  • India: 12,242
  • Iran: 11,844
  • Romania: 10,141
  • Thailand: 10,141

But anyway, perhaps I ought to shut up as well, just like everyone else?

‘The Party told you to reject the evidence of your ears and eyes. It was their final, most essential command.‘ George Orwell, 1984

Take care everyone. God bless.

Monday: “What time have you got to be at your training this morning?” asks John, putting his head round the bedroom door. “Half past ten,” I replied, “but you’ve got to be at Heartlands at 10.15.” Hmmm, best get a wriggle on then! It was already 9.15.

John went to see Paneesha today and I let him out on his own…. I had a remote, online training session via ‘Teams’ for a simulated patient role at Warwick Uni. It’s a while since I’ve done this work given the pandemic, but they asked me last week, so I said yes. However, I am having second thoughts now – there have been so many cases of COVID that I am wondering how safe it will be. We’ll see.

John came back from the hospital not having seen Paneesha, but one of his side-kicks. Nothing to report on the leukaemia side of things. All good. It’s just all the rest now…… and there were no solutions offered.

After his visit to the hospital, John was tired out and mostly spent the afternoon asleep. As did I. Once I’d finished my training and assessment session, I came downstairs, had a bite to eat and thought I’d watch some relaxing TV. It was certainly relaxing….. I dropped off almost immediately!

Nothing else to report really. We’ve had a quiet day and rested. Very nice thank you.

And those COVID numbers I was referring to? 49,156 people tested positive for the virus today. It’s not so much the worry of people dying from the blooming virus now, although there were 45 in the community today, it’s the effects of the virus that’s concerning.

Scientists are reporting significant damage to the brain and other organs such as the heart, in all age groups now. The longer it goes on the more we know about it and yet, the government would have us believe it doesn’t matter. We are the worst infected country in the world now, not just Europe…… God help us, because the government isn’t.

‘Flenching’ – a Susie Dent Word of the Day from last week, meaning ‘promising an improvement that never quite materialises’. Harrumph.

Whatever you are doing and wherever you are, look after yourselves – and may your God go with you.

This weekend saw us staying over in Sutton Coldfield, looking after the Sutton Sleath grandchildren. It’s the first time we’ve done this for a long time and I anticipated that it might feel like a marathon, given that we’ve sometimes felt exhausted after even a few hours with the kids, let alone 48 hours of ’em!

However, it was an absolute delight. The children were comfortable with us staying at their house and were as good as gold. Great company and kept us laughing from morning until night. It was lovely. No tears, no tantrums, just sunny dispositions for the whole weekend.

Not only that, but William slept through until twenty past seven; and Thomas slept through until half past. None of this ‘awake a six o’clock in the morning’ malarkey. Marvellous.

And it didn’t feel like a marathon at all. We are not sure how we achieved it, but the days were broken up into lovely littles sections of activity and fun. Grandpa, in particular, was well in demand.

We are home now, of course, and all of a sudden we have both gone tired, so we’ve looked at one another and agreed: it’s an early night.

Michael and Danielle had gone to Cambridge for the weekend – firstly, to enjoy a lovely meal at Midsummer House, where Andrew works, to celebrate Michael’s birthday; and then, secondly, for Michael and Andrew to run the Cambridge Half-Marathon today.

Being a naturally anxious person, I worried about them both doing the event for different reasons, but I am pleased to report that they crossed the finish line in a respectable time of 2 hours 12 minutes, having supported each other all along the way. You can’t help but be chuffed they made it, can you? And we are – they are! Just look at those smiling, if weary, faces. Love them.

A very BIG thank you to everyone who donated sponsor money on Andrew’s fundraiser page. Over £600 raised and absolutely delighted that the money is going to the charity ‘Something to Look Forward to’. It’s nice to know that the funds will help someone else who needs it. Brilliant.

Such a great weekend, so I am not going to sully the blog with COVID figures tonight. Take care everyone. Night, night. God bless.

It seems a very long time since we went to Ragdale Hall. It is, in fact, a very long time, so I am in need of some pampering. The bones are creaking and the muscles are tying themselves into knots. My friend, Margaret, recommended the local salon as a good place to go for a massage, so I booked in and this morning was the morning.

Oh, what bliss. I had quite forgotten how wonderful it is to be massaged. The masseuse did a grand job of smoothing and soothing. I felt like a different woman when I came out of the salon and I decided there and then, that I’m going to try and pamper myself a bit more. Booked in for another one in month’s time – heh, heh, heh. I reckon I deserve it.

John was just about to get up when I got back, so we had a cuppa and then I fiddled and faddled about for the rest of the day. John is still coughing and struggling to breath, so he’s keen to do most things sitting down if he can. His job for the day? Clear out his ‘man-drawer’.

Gosh, it’s amazing just how much stuff you can get into a drawer, isn’t it? Anyway, he did a good job and didn’t leave too many things out on the work surface in the ‘to be decided’ pile.

The main thing that bothered John was the volume of pens and pencils we’ve got. We still keep them in Michael’s old pencil case and it was full to overflowing. Some of the pens and pencils date back to Michael’s school days, but the marker pens (which took up a lot of room) are mostly remnants from John’s business. “Don’t worry,” I said, “we’ll put back a few pens that we actually need, and I’ll take the others upstairs.” John was relieved – and I have now squirrelled them all away elsewhere. And, before you say it…. we will need to fish them out again if we have a Christmas Quiz……

My main achievement for the day was to get my passport application done and sent. But what a kerfuffle. I’d have liked to have done it online, but the photos that John took of me on my phone were the ugliest of the uglies, and probably not passport-friendly in any case.

I toddled up to the Post Office and proceeded to have my photo taken in the booth there. The government website said that the booths would do me an e-photo, but I couldn’t find a button to click for that, so I ended up with the standard photos and had to fill in the paper form at vaster cost than it would have been online…….. ah, well, it’s only money, isn’t it? Gulp.

While I think about money, there will be NO BLOG TOMORROW because we are babysitting over the weekend at the Sutton Sleaths. It is Michael’s birthday, and they are off to Cambridge for a fancy meal at Midsummer House, the restaurant Andrew works in, and then it’s the Cambridge half-marathon on Sunday. There is still time to sponsor Michael and Andrew if anyone is so inclined, in aid of a charity that supported John and me a few years ago. Here is the link to Andrew’s fund raising page:

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/cambridge-half-marathon-andrew-sleath

On the COVID front, there are still an inordinate amount of people infected. 44,932 today. 145 deaths in the community. 40 deaths in hospitals in the previous 48 hours. We are waaaay ahead of any other country in Europe. Well, I suppose we’d like to be first at something, wouldn’t we?

This is the latest graph from Independent SAGE. Spot a trend, anyone?

Do take care, as best you can. Not sure how COVID-friendly the half-marathon in Cambridge is going to be, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it all goes well and there are no ill-effects in any way from the event.

God bless.

“Don’t the leaves look pretty on the pavement?” I remarked to John as we bowled along into Birmingham for an appointment at Heartlands this morning. John was scornful. “Only a woman could think that the fallen leaves look pretty.” he replied. “Men are different. We don’t think like that.” He may have a point. As a woman, I do find odd things attractive, and the golden and russet leaves seemed just that as they nestled into the pavement, framing the road ahead, and occasionally rising and skittering along the pavement in a gust of wind. He wasn’t having any of it though. I suppose the roads into Birmingham are a bit bleak – and no amount of leaf-shaped confetti was going to do it for him.

I left John at the hospital for his treatment and was in two minds as to whether to come straight home or to go into Aldi to see if I could get all the ingredients for a Christmas lunch from their freezers, just in case…… I decided I’d do Aldi and I was in luck. They certainly had all the main ingredients that you’d need, so I bought ’em. It’s the siege mentality in me, you know……

Home again, and I stuffed all the ingredients into the small freezer that we’d had to empty because of the malfunction last week. I had intended to put it all into the freezer in the shed. However, this morning, when I went to check on it to make sure it was functioning appropriately, I got the shock of my life when I found that the door had been wedged open and I was faced with a veritable wall of ice. Oh….. that’ll be a defrosting job then, before I can use it.

This afternoon, I left John to it again as I toddled off to have a game of badminton. I wasn’t sure whether the game would go ahead, as there has to be a minimum of four of us to sort out the equipment and, with one being poorly, another on holiday and another one otherwise occupied, we weren’t 100% certain that we’d be quorate. However, we were in luck again, and four of us were keen for a match. Great fun and we all enjoyed ourselves.

John was watching the box when I got home and doing a bit on the computer – I think he’s got his self-assessment to do….. well, there was a lot of chuntering, so I think that’s what he was mulling over, anyway.

This evening it was a chat on Zoom to the college crew – all who could make it, at any rate. Had a lovely time catching up with everyone, commiserating with those who had ‘stuff to deal with’ or sons/daughters who have challenges before them; and laughing at the antics of everyone’s families. Lovely. But 50 years……. 50 years we’ve known each other!!! Crikey!!

If you haven’t seen the news – any guesses as to how many people have succumbed to the virus and tested positive today? Go on … guess!

45,066 people have been officially diagnosed with the virus. There will be many more, I have no doubt, who haven’t done a test to confirm their status, so who knows how many people it is in reality? This is madness.

157 people died in the community today; 37 in hospitals in the previous 48 hours.

This time last year? 19,724 people were COVID positive; 137 people died in the community; 45 in hospitals on 12 & 13 October.

Why does the general population no longer care? I don’t get it. Answers, please, on a post card to: The Mad House, England.

Take care everyone. Look after yourselves and your loved ones. No-one fully knows yet, the extent to which COVID affects us after the initial illness. So let’s not catch it, eh?

God bless.

The other morning I spent a while sorting out John’s various medical appointments, one of which we arranged for today. It was an early one at 9 o’clock and over at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. We were keen to arrange it early, because at noon we were to attend the funeral of our lovely neighbour, Richard.

As it turned out, the journeys to Birmingham and back were both ‘just in time’. We set off at 8 o’clock with the SatNav suggesting we’d arrive at the QE in about 50 minutes. Ha! Of course, by the time we’d arrived at the Stonebridge island, the SatNav was still suggesting we’d arrive in 50 minutes….. traffic builds up quickly at that time in the morning.

Anyway, we arrived not too many minutes after the appointed time and I dropped John off at the front of the building and went to park the car. Had a bit of trouble finding the ol’ man again though – I’d said ‘no’, when he’d asked if I wanted an email copy of the letter he’d been sent, not deeming it necessary that we both have it, so in essence I had no idea where to go. I wandered about a bit until someone pointed me in the right direction. It turns out I’d never have found him anyway, as he was warrened away behind ‘staff only’ smart-pass doors.

The appointment was to have a vaccination against COVID, but on a trial. The medics are trying to find out if the Pfizer jab or the Modena one creates any immunity in people who are immunocompromised. We know that the Astra Zeneca made no difference whatsoever.

After an hour of checks and questionnaires, John was vaccinated and we were on our way. Wonderful. “You may think I am mad, John,” I said, as we drove along the M6, “but when we get home, I’m thinking we’ll try and get to the church for Richard’s funeral early, before the cortege gets there. I can park in a disabled bay then. Not so far to walk.” Great idea – but the best laid plans…..

We came out of the house at 11.30 after a quick turn around and change of clothes, thinking we were early, only to see the cortege just passing our door. Ah, well, best follow along then.

The church was full. Full of beautiful people who loved Richard and love his family. The tributes were very poignant and on point. The Rector led the service splendidly and we all, I think, felt moved yet uplifted by it. Afterwards, John thought he’d prefer to come home for a rest but I went along to the wake to meet up with people whom I hadn’t seen in a while. It was lovely – the atmosphere wasn’t sombre, but full of life and reminiscences of a very nice man. Glad I went.

This evening it was Quiz Night. However, contrary to our normal eagerness to join in, we both felt drained, so we baulked at the opportunity for once. Nigel has sent us the questions though, so we can do the quiz in our own time if we want! Might just do that.

42,776 people tested positive for the virus today. Who’s counting? Anyone?

136 people died in the community. 40 in the previous 48 hours in hospitals.

Admissions to hospitals in the last seven days are up by nearly 7%.

On the plus side, the population is increasingly protected by the vaccine as children aged 12 and over are vaccinated. This means that 85.6% of the population 12+ has had its first jab, and 78.7% have had both jabs.

Let us pray that the vaccination does the trick and protects us all. In the meantime, here is the beautiful Irish Blessing that the Rector offered us at the end of the service today.

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Amen to that. God bless.

It’s Tuesday. We’d like it to be ‘Choose Day’ and have the wherewithal to find something exciting to do but, with John still being a bit under the weather we chose not to do a lot, after all.

We were up early and out to Solihull Hospital for a 9.30 appointment this morning, for John to have his eyes checked. Lovely girl who checked him over and then she said, “I’ll just let Mr Patel know the results,” Mr Patel is the boss and has been monitoring John since the very first days of his eyes going haywire. “Hmmm… ” says Mr Patel, ” Your eyes are very dry. In fact, they are the worst I’ve seen them since I first saw you. Make sure you keep on with the eye drops as often as you can.” OK. No wonder John’s left eye is so sore.

However, when we got in the car, it suddenly dawned on us that we failed to mention that John hadn’t been using his serum for the last five days, since the freezer breakdown. In our heads, that explains it….. fingers crossed it’s just a blip.

“When we get home, I’ll pop some pains aux raisins in the oven and we’ll have an elevenses treat, shall we?” I suggested, plumping on something to cheer us up. And they did cheer us up a bit. We really enjoyed them.

By the time we were tucking into our pastries, we had slouched in front of the telly again and were wondering what to do. I thought I’d pop back into Solihull to continue the impulse buying theme that I’d started on Saturday, and see if there was anything there suitable for birthday gifts. Michael, Danielle and Andrew all have October birthdays and are to buy for; and Gloria, too, to get a card for. No idea what to get …..although it seems that household goods are wanted by the Sutton Sleaths, so I had a browse round John Lewis, Dunelm and Lakeland.

I’ve got to say, though, there’s not much choice. In other stores, such as in the House of Fraser, there were empty shelves and things spread out sparsely across the shop floor; shops like ‘Le Creuset’ and Marks and Spencer’s have both closed. In addition, of course, all of the stores that are/were part of the Arcadia Group are closed too – Dorothy Perkins, Burtons, Topshop, Topman. It was a bit depressing, to be honest.

However, as I walked past Millets, I noticed that they were advertising reductions on Berghaus waterproofs. Ah-ha! My own is a good few years old now and has a rip in it, where it caught under the wheel of the buggy last year, having been wrapped round one of the grandchildren to keep them warm. ‘I’ll just have a little browse,’ I thought to myself. I am now the proud owner of a brand new jacket in a lovely shade of….. ‘when I am old, I shall wear purple‘. Feel a bit like me Mum, now….. and John says it looks a bit small on me….ah, well.

Home again, and it was more telly watching for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I do love a bit of ‘Bake Off’, ‘Saving Lives at Sea’, and ‘Our Yorkshire Farm’. So, we did have a bit of a ‘Choose Day’.

Numbers on the COVID front remain high and, I have to confess, I was very cautious in town. There are so many people mask-less. Anyway, 38,520 are reported as having tested positive for the virus today and 181 people have died in the community. 43 people died in hospitals in the previous 48 hours.

No surprise that the all-party inquiry into the government’s handling of the virus in the early days has come in for some sharp criticism in their report, published today. But hindsight is such a wonderful thing, isn’t it? I’d be a bit more cheerful if they’d take the blooming thing seriously now! I expect there’ll be another report in a year’s time loaded with criticism, too, looking back at autumn 2021, but it’ll all be too late.

Take care everyone. Keep your distance; wear your masks; wash your hands and ventilate your indoor spaces. God bless.

Apparently, according to Andrew, my best blogs are those that come on an email that says say ‘no blog tonight‘. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have time to read them.

So I thought I’d thrill him by writing a ‘mini blog’ today. One that says: we got up late because we are tired (John at one o’clock!) and we did almost nothing all day, but sit on the sofa and read books or watch telly.

I arranged and re-arranged medical appointments for John this morning, went for my flu jab at lunchtime and went to a yoga class at tea-time. That’s it!

Mini blog done. A longer one tomorrow I expect, if we’ve had a full day. Take care everyone. God bless.

• 40,224 people tested positive for the virus today…..
• 28 deaths reported in the community
• 9 deaths reported over the weekend in hospitals
• 816 people were admitted to hospital
• And Balsall Common is still purple…..

I spent this morning, it being a Sunday, in spiritual contemplation. “Are you going to church tomorrow?” John had asked last night. Actually, I had been thinking I would go but, having learnt that the village is rife with COVID, I thought better of it. I watched the service live online instead. It’s not as good as being there in person, but it gave me food for thought.

Peter’s sermon was interesting because he reminded us that, in order to get to where you want to go, or get something you need, you might have to move something. Just looking in one place may not get you to where you should be. And advice often comes from someone who loves you. OK. Noted.

After I’d watched the service, I went out into the garden where the sun was shining and it was rather warm. Sat myself down on one of the loungers and did a spot of meditation. The trouble with meditation is that, sometimes, you fall asleep. You are not meant to but, you know, with the conditions being so warm and comfortable, the eyelids droop and………. well, before you know it, you’re a-snoozing……..

Over an hour later, I heard a cough and then the back door opening, as John made his way outside. “Do you want a cup of tea?” he asked. Good idea, I thought, as I opened a bleary eye, it might wake me up. We sat outside for another forty minutes or so, just enjoying the garden and the weather. Gorgeous.

Then this afternoon, I thank you, Lord, for my Mum who, at the age of 95 and without much memory, is happy, cheerful and pleasant.

I spent a very happy couple of hours with Mum this afternoon. She was, as always, delighted to see me, giving me a huge hug and a beaming smile. She was delighted with the bits and bobs I’d taken over but, once again, wasn’t sure she was allowed to open the box of chocolates. “Why don’t you want to open them, Mum?” I asked. “Well, because I shall just eat them and eat them,” she replied, with a grin.

She did show a flash of her former self at this visit – something she’s done just once before recently – when she objected to the blouse I was wearing. “Whatever have you got on?” she said, searchingly. “It’s a blouse, Mum,” I replied. “Well, it looks a bit crumpled.” she said, “and you don’t look like yourself at all.” Oh….. well, truth to tell, the blouse is supposed to look a bit crumpled but, I hadn’t ironed it either….. she shook her head despairingly and tutted. Ah! That’s the Mum I used to know…..

Other than that, we had half a dozen renditions of her favourite song ‘I was born under a wandering star’ and a whole lot of reminiscence as we looked at photos of Lockdown 2020 and her 90th birthday album. Not only did we reminisce but there was a lot of giggling too. At one point, she was laughing and laughing, which made me laugh longer, until we both looked at each other, tears in our eyes, and laughed some more. Lovely.

She pored over the photographs and paused over the photos of Graham, her fingers fondly tracing his features. “How long is it since they went to Australia, did you say?” Eleven years….. gosh, what a long time ago……”I don’t suppose he’s changed much, has he?” she said wistfully. “No, Mum. He hasn’t changed at all. Still the same.” She nodded, satisfied. And then, “Send Gail my very good wishes for her recovery the next time you see her, won’t you?” Yes, Mum, I will……. must confess, I think there was something in my eye…..

It’s amusing to me now, though, when I visit, because there is always the same little routine of delight when I arrive and laughter during the visit; reluctance to open her chocolates; singing her song ad nauseum; searching for her hankies; and the shock of finding me in her room when she comes out of the loo, having totally forgotten that I am there.

When I arrived home, John had been busy. We had a leak under the sink in the utility room, so he thought he felt better enough to try and fix it. Despite all the spare parts he’s accumulated over the years, he couldn’t find the right piece for that repair, so he nipped to Screwfix to buy the right bit. Once home, he duly fitted the piece and….. voila! It looks like it done!

But you know that song about ‘The Gas Man’? Hmmm…. it was a bit like that….. the mending of the leak required moving both the washing machine and the tumble dryer and the shelf in the cupboard plus all its cleaning materials, which were all over the floor.

Buoyed up the success of mending the leak, John thought he’d have a look at the washing machine, which has been walking into the middle of the utility room whenever it’s on a spin cycle. I arrived home just at the right moment. “Here, hold this.” “Can you get the torch?” “We need a hammer” and, leaning the washing machine over at a 45 degree angle: “Have you got it? Safe? Not going to drop it?” and so on….

The thing about John is – he never gives up. I was all for having a tidy up and ‘leaving it until tomorrow’. But no, Mr Determined is his middle name. And, with me in a supporting role, he got it fixed. Boom.

“I’ll just put the tumble dryer back then,” I said, only to find that the hose on the tumble dryer had a gaping hole in it….had we got a spare? Erm… that’ll be a ‘no’. “I think I threw it away when we had the skip because we thought it was surplus to requirements,” I said. Yep, we’d chucked it out. Oh, well, that’ll be a job for tomorrow then.

COVID news tomorrow folks – can’t face it today.

Take care everyone. And to quote Dave Allen: ‘May your God go with you’.

Saturday. And a day in which we had nothing in the calendar. Well, that’s a first for a long time. So, what to do with the day?

John got up and made a cup of tea this morning and then not long afterwards he got up, up and came downstairs, dressed and ready to watch TV. “Are you feeling better, John?” I asked. He didn’t know really, but I think he’s a bit better because he didn’t stay in bed all day. And because he’s resisting my ‘healing’ suggestions. However, he’s still coughing very well, so not out of the woods yet.

“What are your plans for the day?” John asked. “Hmmm…. I don’t know really,” I replied. “I’ve got a long list of jobs…” John protested. “But it’s Saturday!” Yes. I know that but, to be honest, every day is like any other these days, so I just shrugged. “Maybe I’ll do a bit of shopping. Go to Waitrose in Kenilworth and buy you some chicken broth.”

I whiled away the morning, therefore, with housework. There is always something to do, isn’t there? John whiled away the morning with the TV on and his eyes closed. Hmm.. he’s still not well.

This afternoon I did go to Waitrose – ostensibly to buy chicken broth. However, I made a firm decision that I was going to impulse buy. After all, Halloween is coming up soon and there’ll be a demand for tricks or treats. And then there’s Christmas not long after that, and there’ll be advent calendars, and chocolate tree decorations needed. And, if more excuse were needed, I thought it might make me feel good – or better, at any rate. The blues descended on Thursday and, although there have been some happy times, I still have an underlying feeling of despondency. Irrational, I expect, but there we are.

John spent the afternoon watching qualifying for the Grand Prix and then inspected the back of his eyelids again for a few hours. Poor man – it’s hard work, all this coughing. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. Might have to take action……

After the shopping spree, we chose to watch that ‘Murder Island’ programme, where novices try to solve a murder. Made us chuckle, really, and realise just how brilliant the regular detectives are. Then, this evening it was Strictly, which was a cracking programme in my opinion. John wasn’t keen and listened to his book instead, but I really enjoyed it. Some of the dances were just brilliant. Who’s your favourite?

In COVID news, there’s still a lot of it about. 34,950 people were reported as having tested positive for the virus today. 133 people died.

One of my friends from church sent me a news update this evening from our local Neighbourhood Coronavirus Community Champion (didn’t know we actually had one of those until I received it today….). Apparently, the area we live in is now one of the worst affected areas in England, with 66 people in Balsall Common having been infected with COVID in the last 7 days. Gosh, that was a shocker!!! We are almost deep purple – deep purple being the colour on the map that shows the highest infection rates. I haven’t been checking local figures recently so hadn’t been aware of this at all. Schools? Do you reckon? Probably.

Take care everyone. It’s nearer than you think. God bless.