When you wake up at half past five in the morning, what is your inclination? Groan, turn over and snuggle back to sleep? Get up and go to the loo – then go back to bed? Sit up and read? Or get up, get up? That was my dilemma this morning. In fact, it’s been my dilemma for the last couple of mornings. Not sure what is so magic about that time of the day, but something is waking me up. Dawn chorus maybe, or the sun rising, perhaps.
I was actually tempted to get up, get up. For about ten minutes I thought I might wander downstairs and start on the ever-lasting jobs list or go for an early morning walk. However, I resisted temptation, rolled over and went back to sleep until eight o’clock. Then I started on the ever-lasting jobs list.
One of the things I wanted to do was to put all of the lockdown blog into the leather-bound Family Album. I had started it a few weeks ago but made a mess of backing some of the pages when printing it out. Today, it was tidy-up time. I am sure there are going to be oodles and oodles of writings about the pandemic and the lockdown situation from different people, but this is my personal account for the friends and family – and anyone who’s interested really.
Because the putting-together of the album is for the family, I am kicking myself now for not including more photos, so I intend to rectify that by choosing some apt ones to accompany the words where I can. However, the album is now full, and I can hardly squeeze any more pages in. I thought I’d start a second volume, so researched the company that made the original book, only to find that it’s a Polish company and it looks like they may not make that particular product any more. So, here’s another little project – hunt down a similar family book to complement the one I’ve got. Yay!! Another project……. photos and a new album.
John, as you know, has plenty of projects on the go and today’s tasks were to a) watch qualifying for tomorrow’s Austrian Grand Prix, and b) fit the edging round the ‘office-cum-gym’ on the laminate flooring. In between times, he offered to cook our late lunch.
We do a mean poached egg and vegetable ‘stack’, so we thought we’d have that. I made the mistake of suggesting that, instead of simply frying sliced sweet potato, we could have rösti. Great idea, and John was up for the challenge. The only thing is, that in doing the ‘stack’ you have to get the timings right. Bless him, he got exceedingly hot and bothered fulfilling the brief and was, in fact, exhausted by the time it came to eating it! The only saving grace was that whilst he was cooking he was able to watch the Grand Prix qualifying at the same time!
Despite being exhausted, John did tackle the edging in the ‘office-cum-gym’ and it’s looking good. I did hear a fair bit of swearing along the way, but I can’t see what there was to be swearing at. He’s doing a grand job and I think he’s feeling quite satisfied with it and himself.
Mum, on the other hand, was feeling very weary-willy today. The heating had kicked in due to the drafts circulating in the house, and I think it had made her room too warm. She wasn’t keen to get up and showed me a very woe-begone face. I decided not to take notice of it but just to be matter of fact in the hope that she’d soon get over it. And, indeed, she did.
But she was funny. I’d suggested that she stay in her dressing gown until she’d had her bath. Unfortunately, because she’d got up so late and I was so busy with my Family Album that it was mid-afternoon before it was on the cards. It’s the first time I have actually heard her ask, “When am I having my bath?” Had to laugh.
And the laughter continued into the evening. Being a people-watcher, I enjoy a bit of Gogglebox – whether it’s standard folk or celebrities – and so, wanting a little light relief at the end of the day, I put it on. Well, Mum and I had a real giggle, then John came and sat with us and he laughed along too. We fell into the highlights of the Michael McIntyre show afterwards and, unusually, found ourselves laughing at that too. Sometimes, it’s good to be entertained by something other than an earnest piece of drama, isn’t it?
With our social interaction also being soft and gentle today, we’ve generally had a decent day. Malcolm called with the shopping this morning, with whom I enjoyed a ‘path chat’. Excitingly, he brought cherries – not just any old cherries in a punnet, but a great big tray of them. I have lots of favourite foods, and cherries is one of them. Honestly, I am as happy as a pig in clover!
All our boys have been in touch one way or another today, too. Andrew called us on his way to viewing a flat, with the news that the car wouldn’t start. It transpired that he’d left the lights on and the battery was flat. All sorted now, but it’s one of those little things to remember, with it being an older car. We have got so used to modern cars thinking for themselves, haven’t we? Michael called us on a video chat. Well, to be precise, it was William at bath-time, who spent a good twenty minutes telling us all about his SuperWings and how they’d got put out the fire. Plenty of actions to accompany the words as well. Made my heart sing, I can tell you. Paul and Harriet went across to West Midlands Safari Park today and Harriet sent us photos of them having a great time there. Looked fabulous fun and I wished I’d been with them. One day……
One day…. when there’s zero deaths from COVID-19 perhaps, but not yet. Today’s figures from the government, as at five o’clock yesterday, show 67 deaths from the virus in all settings and 624 people infected. The NHS figures show 2 people died up until four o’clock yesterday with 19 deaths confirmed for the day before.
The pubs were open today. Let’s look at the figures in a couple of weeks time……In the meantime, take care and God bless.
Lots of love to you all your always in my thoughts and heart x x