The weekend is on its way….

Despite promises of good weather today, I felt doubtful this morning as the grey skies floated overhead. I mean, it was mild enough, but really? It’s flaming June now, so we should be having a scorcher. The overcast sky was enough to send me back to bed this morning – instead of getting up with the alarm at half past seven, it was half past nine before I got out of bed. And that was only because John was up and had brought me a cup of tea….

John’s morning was once again medical. A trip down to the GP surgery for blood tests and an injection for his prostate cancer. Eeeh, it’s an exciting life if you don’t weaken. While he was out, I floated about the house titivating this and that. A response to a letter here, a phone call there, a pile of washing here, a sift through of papers there. In, out, shake it all about…. you do the Hokey Cokey and turnaround… that’s what it’s all about. Tra-la.

My firm intention all morning was to get out in the garden and get those plants that I’d bought the other day into the ground somewhere, at least. But it didn’t happen this morning – there were too many other things to deal with. One of which was very exciting – and it wasn’t even my job!

Once John was back from the doctor’s he settled himself in the SnuGym, which is now the Medical Room, to inhale drugs from his nebuliser. I was tidying the kitchen and opening the post. Ah-ha! The V5 for the new car i.e. the log book (for those of us who remember it fondly as such) had arrived in this morning’s post. I nipped through to let the ol’ man know.

The receipt of the logbook is important because, a good few years ago now, John bought a number plate that ostensibly spells out his name. Unfortunately, we have never had a new enough car on which to put it, so it’s been languishing in John’s wardrobe ever since. But with the arrival of this little baby, John was able to change the number plate and adorn the car with his own, cherished one. A frisson of excitement ran through our home at the thought of it.

This afternoon, we did get out in the garden. The plants made it from their temporary homes in plastic, garden centre plant pots to ceramic pots of varying sizes, or into the rockery or the flowerbed at the bottom of the garden. Steve had been to cut the lawn this morning so things are beginning to look marginally better.

John, meanwhile, laboured with the quad bike that he dragged from the man shed. His aim is to give it a bit of a clean-up and then sell it as a refurb project. However, he’d stored it without wheels…… it was a bit of a b****r getting it out of the shed, but it’s looking a bit happier now that it’s got three wheels on. It’s just begging for its fourth one now. Maybe tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a phone call came in. It was Peter. Great excitement there. Rolls of turf have been delivered! The sons-in-law are going to lay the lawn tomorrow!! And can we borrow a scaffolding plank, please, to help in the operation? Well, of course. No worries.

I half heard the conversation with Pete, and John filled me in on the rest. Although it has to be said, I totally misunderstood what John told me and I had visions of all sorts of stuff needing to be carted round to the Cross household. Anyway, the plan was to walk the plank round. John carefully taped it to a sack truck and made a little handle for it so we could pull it. Ingenious. The only trouble was, by the time John had dragged the thing down the side of the house and made the contraption, he was knackered.

We set off, each holding the handle either side of the plank. Within a few yards, John realised he was weighed down by having brought Puffing Billy with him, so he needed to stop for a rest at the nearest lamppost. He managed to pant out that this is how he’d been when he’d been to the shops and had had to stop every few yards. Oh, dear. My poor, darling husband. “Not to worry,” I said, gathering up the plank and hotching it onto my left hip, “I’ll walk on with it for a bit, and then you can catch up when you’re ready.”

The plank nestled nicely on my hip and the wheels trundled dutifully behind. I was soon at Pete and Dawn’s. I swept the plank up onto their drive and half-way to the garage, telling Pete that here it was and I was just going back to see if John was OK. He wasn’t far behind, and it felt good to be able to walk together for those last few yards, despite Puffing Billy in tow.

Naturally, John gravitated to the garden to discuss what was what there and look at levels and gradients and measurements and things like that. I, of course, gravitated to Dawn and we went inside. “Glass of wine?” she offered, “although I’ll have to get someone to pour it out.” Well, what a daft question – the answer, of course, is going to be ‘yes, please’ and ‘don’t worry, I’ll pour it out’…..

We had a lovely natter and stayed for a couple of hours before we thought we’d outstayed our welcome and took ourselves home. Such an unexpected pleasure to round off our day. Lucky us.

And, what do you know? The COVID figures are continuing to rise, aren’t they? 6,238 people tested positive for the virus today. 11 people died with the virus in the community. 5 people died in hospitals with the virus on 2 & 3 June.

It’s the weekend, folks, and the sun is going to be shining, I hear. I do hope you all have a great weekend. Take care and look after yourselves. God bless.