I was up with the lark this morning, despite having gone to bed late and not able to sleep awfully well. John wondered why I was up so early. My answer was, “Because I want to.” That was it – that was all. I thought I might find a bit of motivation if I greeted the day a bit earlier than I have been.
It proved to be so. I spent a lovely hour or so in the garden. The sun was very warm and it was fantastic to be among the trees and plants, tending them and snipping away at dead heads. The idyll was over a bit too soon, though, as we were due to be at the hospital for John’s antibiotic infusion just after lunch.
I had the bright idea that, after I’d dropped John into the clinic, I’d nip along to the very large Tesco in Yardley and see if I could buy myself some jeans. I had promised myself and the world that I wouldn’t buy any clothes this year, with the exception of a pair of jeans – and the time has come. My cut-offs are shredded at the knee, which would be alright and fashionable, and I would probably get some more wear out of them if it was just that. But they’ve gone on the bum too, and I am sure that’s not a very pretty sight. My longs have also gone in exactly the same places, much to both my amusement and my irritation.
I duly dropped John off and made my way over to the shopping centre. I looked on the app to see how densely populated the COVID situation was in that area and it told me that there are five cases. I hesitated. Should I venture into Tesco after all? I decided not. I went into Peacocks instead, where there were no customers. Found a pair of jeans that looked like they might be alright, but realised that there’s no trying on. Ah. “It’s OK,” said the shop assistant, “you’ve got two weeks to bring them back.” Oh. I am not going to be coming over to Yardley for another three weeks-ish. Not making a special journey if they don’t fit. So I left it and scuttled back to the car sharpish in case any bugs were following me. Now, where’s that pair of jeans I was looking at on-line?
I drove back to the hospital, parked in a side road and sat in the car reading my book for just a few minutes before John texted to say he was all done – ‘Waiting in reception. No rush.’ I didn’t rush, but I was there in about two minutes. All in all, the trip was over and done with extremely quickly, which we were both very pleased about.
Once we were home, we had ourselves a luscious lunch – smoked salmon, poached eggs, freshly-picked tomatoes and a bit of beetroot all stacked high on one of John’s paleo rolls. A knife and fork job and absolutely delicious.
After lunch John went out into the front garden again to finish sorting out his trailer, getting ready to sell it, and plant the flowers we’d bought the other day. The front flowerbed looks lovely.
I watched some more tennis at Roland Garros, bemused by the fact that the players are all wrapped up against the cold, and there is no audience. It brought to mind memories of happier times watching tennis on holiday in Provence with Mike and Lynda and Linda and Brendan. In the heat of flaming June, Linda and I, fortified by large glasses of white wine, struggled to get a TV signal to watch the exciting matches then, amid the heat-generated thunderstorms rumbling all around. No white wine today and the tennis seemed laboured. All in the eye of the beholder, I have no doubt, as I looked back at times past with rose-tinted spectacles.
Other than that, I did a few chores – particularly cleaning, to a spotless shine, the downstairs cloakroom, which the District Nurses would use later on in the evening when they came to give John his night-time antibiotic.
We ate our evening meal on our laps in the lounge, gawking at the TV and feeling indignant over the Test and Trace situation portrayed by the Panorama programme. No-one knows what to believe any more, do they? The government says the system is the best thing since sliced bread. The reporter on Panorama was suggesting otherwise.
Afterwards we chose to watch a film, which was interrupted half-way through by the arrival of the nurses. The drug was quickly and efficiently administered by the now familiar nurse, Joy, and she was pleased that John was actually reasonably well. I was pleased too. Having been here before, Joy knew our home and just got on with the job – no need for any particular niceties or introductions.
I was also pleased to hear that the incidence of COVID infections is less than yesterday with 4,044 people having been confirmed as COVID cases; 13 deaths in the community and 8 in the last couple of days in hospitals. Fingers crossed that the rate is coming down again.
Goodnight, God bless and peace be with you all.