It was seven o’clock and I was awake. I peeped outside. Dull as ditch water out there. Light, but not bright. At this time in the morning I always mull over what I should do – step outside for a walk? Or…. stay inside for some meditation? …. listen the daily prayers on Lectio 365? …….get the yoga mat out? Or even, go and get a cuppa and some breakfast? I opted for a bit of meditation, which worked very well, but you are encouraged close your eyes. It was a couple of hours before I woke up again…..
I know why I am tired – went to bed late, of course, but I also enjoyed a great tasting red wine last night, and this morning I think I may have been a little hung over. I read a bit of my book and then John, too, was awake so we softly chatted, still in bed, until we thought we really ought get up.
One of the things I have been enjoying during the period of staying in ‘at home’ is to do an e-puzzle. One of the art galleries on Twitter post one every day, so I like to challenge myself each morning to see how quickly I can do it. One or two others have also risen to the challenge so we share our times in a little competition. I am by far the slowest, but it’s such fun that I keep at it in the hope that, one day, I might move up the league table.
So, after I’d done my puzzle and eaten my brunch, John was ready and raring to go over to Sutton to do a bit more on the ‘man-shed’. I went with him so that I could have a go at shampooing the carpet in the front room there, with my brand spanking new carpet cleaner.
I think we both enjoyed the jobs we’d allotted ourselves today. I was particularly keen to see how my carpet shampooer worked because, as you may recall, the original one I had didn’t work and had to be sent back. I was sent a replacement but, no sooner had I got it than Michael was borrowing it. When you’ve got a dog, your carpets always suffer, don’t they? Well, it was time for another carpet wash and brush up chez les Sutton Sleaths.
The carpet cleaning went very well. I gave the carpet a deep clean and shook my fist at it daring it to come back for more. It was a bit cheeky, because it’s saying yep, it’ll come back for more. So I might give it another go another day and see how it likes that. The challenge is ON!
John also had a successful day tinkering with the electrics on the shed. I think he’s more or less put all the plugs in, but I can’t be sure, as there always seems to be something still to do. “I’ll come back tomorrow,” he says, “and finish that off.” I’m never quite sure whether any of it is ever finished. If it’s anything like the jobs in our house, it might be a case of: “Do you want it finished, or do you want to be able to use it?”
This evening we took delivery of an on-line shop, which had gone a bit awry when I sent the order in and it was a bit like a lucky dip. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to get. Seemed to get some of the important things though, like chocolate and wine, so we might survive.
We also took delivery of a take-away. Only the second time we’ve done it, and the last time we did we both had tummy aches because we aren’t used to rich food any more. But we’re determined to fight and get used to rich food, so we thought we’d have another go. OK so far.
We sat and watched TV before bed, but not before I had started planning our little trip away to Norfolk. Catherine phoned me today to confirm the arrangements, so I am now very excited to have something to look forward to. Walking boots. Tick. Walking sticks. Tick. Binoculars. Tick. Camera. Tick. That’s all we need right?
The programme we chose to watch this evening was the film about the plane that crash landed on/in the Hudson river in 2009. I remember the incident very well, but I hadn’t realised how well the pilot had done to avert a disaster. The film wasn’t really that good, but the story line was fascinating. I hadn’t realised that the investigators thought that the pilot may have been at fault. Every day an education, eh?
Talking of averting a disaster, we will do well to avert one and avoid a second wave of the virus, from what I understand in the news. However, I am relatively encouraged by the steadying of the figures and by the attention being paid by the majority of people who are doing the right thing and keeping their distance etc. 1,108 people were confirmed as infected with the virus today – how does that feel to you now? Still seems a lot but it’s not going up. And 12 people died in the community with just one death in a hospital yesterday. That’s getting better – not for the dead people and their families, of course, but better statistically and gives us hope.
Blessings to you all.