The Daily Echo from Sleath Towers: Day 163

Well!! Would you believe it? It’s been an amazing day, with a few surprises today! How good is that?

First of all, I was just pottering about, as you do, in the house mid-morning, because it was such a blustery, wet day outside, when the phone rang. It was my cousin, Catherine, with an initial query of, “Where’s the blog today?” Oh…. I thought I’d sent it? Did a quick check, only to find that I’d sent it to just one person. Failed to click on the relevant ‘all subscribers’ list, so one recipient got the the blog at midnight, but no-one else.

Ah…… rectified that mistake fairly quickly, then Catherine said she’d been reading that we were thinking of trying to go away somewhere. “Fancy coming to our barn in Norfolk?” she asked. “Oooh, really? Yes, please!” I said immediately. How absolutely, wonderfully kind. Out went all that anxiety of how we were going to go away safely and in came the thrill and anticipation of some time to ourselves. Didn’t even have to think about it, and practically snatched her hand off. Thank you. Thank you. “Check with John,” she said, “and let me know.” Yes, I will. I know what John will say but, yes, just to be sure, I’ll check with him. What do you think, John? No brainer. Yes, please.

With excitement flowing through my veins, I carried on with me pottering while John, in the meantime, had decided that the morning in bed would be the thing to do. He’s been working so hard on his stone shifting that it’s finally caught up with him, so I agreed, definitely the best thing to do – recuperate a bit.

The pottering took me to the continuance of the clear-out in what was formerly known as Andrew’s sitting room, before it became Michael and Danielle’s sitting room. Which was formerly just the front bedroom. Anyway, it’s a BIG JOB. There are boxes of material to archive from John’s business. Then there are knickknacks to box up – little things I don’t want to throw away yet…. and there’s clothes and bedding and artwork and old TVs and photos. I tell you, there’s a fair bit of stuff to go through. But I have done a good job so far, and it’ll soon be neat and tidy again. John has a skip on the drive. I wonder if any of it will make it there?

Soon it was lunchtime. I didn’t feel like eating and John had only just got up so he had his breakfast and we sat with a cup of tea watching the news (cricket rained off) and then the front doorbell chimed. I trotted to the door and took a parcel from the postie as she gestured to a much larger parcel leaning up against the wall. Oooh, flowers!!

I did that thing that I often do, and wondered who they were from, well before I opened them. Who would be sending me flowers? I bet they’re from X? or Y? Once I’d opened them of course, I wondered no more – how lovely, they were from John. How thoughtful and romantic. I was a bit pleased. A very nice surprise with a very nice note to accompany them, thank you very much!!

With the flowers popped into a vase and put in pride of place in the lounge, I nibbled on one of the chocolates that had also come in the parcel and considered the smaller parcel that had arrived. I’d ordered some chocolates for Dawn, for her birthday – that’s what they’ll be, I told myself. But no. It was a bit of pampering kit I’d ordered after our pamper session with the college girls last week. Lucky me! It’s my lucky day today!! And I’m hoping, of course, that the pamper stuff will make me look ten years younger…….. ‘scuse me? Did I hear a snort of laughter somewhere?

And thus the day went on, me pottering, John resting (thank goodness) and then tea-time before watching a bit of TV – last one in this series of ‘Our Yorkshire Farm’ this evening. What a brilliant programme that is! All life is there to be seen and appreciated. Great programme to catch up on if you haven’t watched it.

With 1,184 people having been confirmed as infected with the virus today and 16 people having died in the community and 2 yesterday in hospitals, the news shows everyone is now arguing over what we should do about protecting the kids and the staff as everyone goes back to school next week. It’s not clear at all what the best course of action is. To wear a mask in the school corridor or not is today’s question. Oh dear. Even the experts can’t agree.

Stay safe everyone. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. And thank the Lord for every little mercy. God bless.