The bees were a-buzzing, the hover flies were a-hovering, the birds were a-tweeting and it was a great day for gardening. Suddenly, the sound of the bees humming contentedly as they nestle their heads into the flowers seems to be loud! So, too, is the trilling of the birds. And I don’t recall seeing so many hover flies darting this way and that in the garden before. I’m noticing things because I’m not rushing about and, for the most part, the things I am noticing are starting to feed my soul.
Talking of feeding…. is anyone else getting as fat as flawn since the lock-down started? My waistline is now ever expanding – mostly due to imbibing red wine and eating chocolate, things I normally do when I am holiday. My brain clearly thinks I am on holiday. I think I need to have a serious word with myself.
Anyway, the day started well, was good in the middle and ended well. For starters, hubby brought me breakfast in bed! How good is that? He’d cooked banana pancakes, smothered them with berries, pecan nuts and a little maple syrup, and I feasted, and felt, like a Queen.
John, feeling up to it as his chest felt a bit better, ventured out into the garden as it was such a glorious day. I, too, wandered out and we both set to, each to our own allotted tasks. John has been creating a good edge to the rockery – the aim being to prevent the infiltration of those wispy bits of grass that are difficult to weed out. It looks very smart so far; fingers crossed it works! I was keen to weed the bed beyond the plum tree – the bit that was formerly known as the flower garden/formerly the herb garden/formerly the vegetable plot – now it’s just a weed garden with a few flowers struggling to beat their way out.
Truth to tell, I have neglected the garden for the last couple of years, what with one thing and another, so this bed has not been well-tended at all and is very much over-run with lemon balm. Not only that, the soil is bursting out over onto the path, so we decided we’re going to hem it in with some hefty pieces of wood. Got the wood – just need to heft it into place now. Tomorrow’s job maybe?
A satisfactory afternoon’s work, followed by a more than satisfactory WhatsApp video call to Michael, Danielle and William. Eating an ice cream cornet, William chatted away to us, wandering about the garden and showing us little things that he’d found among the stones as if we were there. Heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. I miss all the family so very, very much.
Then followed a delicious evening meal (steak, yum!) before we joined up on an e-link with our Centre Stage friends, Malcolm & Caroline, Linda & Brendan and Nigel & Hazel for another quiz night and a great, remote, social evening, We had been detailed to set the quiz this week, so I found one on t’internet, and thought it would do the trick. Well, it did…..except I hadn’t noticed that it had been set 8 years ago, with several questions specific to that year ……oh, dear, the contestants didn’t do so well. Our historic, percentage score of correct answers has been over 70%. This evening it was an unfortunate 52%. I blame the Quiz Master.
Whilst all this was going on Mum got up late, breakfasted at mid-day, watched TV, declined the offer of a walk in the garden, watched more TV, ate her evening meal (not the steak – it was too tough….) watched more TV and then went to bed. But she quietly enjoyed herself.
We did watch the news together though, and she continues to be shocked, as we do, at the volumes of people infected and dying as they are revealed at the daily government briefing. She is astounded in fact and can hardly imagine what it must be like ‘out there’. Today a slight glimmer of hope as the figures plateaued with 4,605 people infected and 761 deaths yesterday. The numbers remain simply those reported from hospital admissions, however, with the true figures clearly much higher as people are infected in the community and many elderly people are dying in care homes.
But the biggest story of the day has to be Captain Tom Moore. A 99-year old war veteran, walking ‘laps’ in his garden to raise funds for the NHS. His aim? To raise £1,000. His achievement so far? Over £10 million!! It’s just uplifting, isn’t it??
Sounds like a good day 🙂
Glad John is feeling better xx