Day 1, Part 2

It’s Day 235 since we shuffled to the back of our cave in March. Came out of hiding a little bit in the summer months but we’re back to it again today, with the first day of lockdown number two, in response to the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

In the absence of a shopping delivery, however, we were forced to go into Solihull this morning to ‘click and collect’ from Waitrose. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad at all, parking in a space for the disabled, whereupon John produced his badge to authorise our stay, and in we went. A minute or two to wait while the customer service assistant sorted out a chap in front of us and then it was our trun. Off she toddled and brought back a trolley full of trays, the contents of which we offloaded into the car and that was it. Easy-Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

I know it’s the beginning of lockdown, but we made a detour on the way home via Sutton to drop off packets of nappies that we’d got in with our shopping. The Sutton Sleaths were running low on supplies, there being no deliveries and them not wanting to venture to Asda if they could help it, so we added nappies to our list. Danielle slipped out of the house with Thomas in her arms, opened the boot, grabbed the nappies and there we were. All hunky-dory and no harm done.

Home and a bite to eat, before it was decorating and DIY time. John nipped upstairs to fit a new blind to the computer room, much to my delight. We had had a roller blind at the window there but the sun streams in, and so we have to keep the blind almost permanently pulled down, making the room a bit dark. I was so delighted with the venetian blind we bought for the kitchen that I suggested we buy the same for upstairs. And it is fabulous IMHO (in my humble opinion, for the uninitiated among you…).

And the last trip out was a drive over to Paul’s to grab a roll of wallpaper that was surplus to requirements chez eux so that I now have all the essential things I need for the decorating marathon I am planning over the next week or two. Well, maybe month or three……

And then I started painting the top coat on the book shelves. Another coat to go and then they’ll be ready to use. However, it’s one of those…. we will have to unscrew the book case from the wall again, so that I can paint the wall behind it. Oh, and while I’m at it, I’ll need to do the skirting board. And, of course, there’s the ceiling to paint. Crikey, there’s such a lot to do! Where to start, eh?

John offered to cook the evening meal for which I was grateful. I was nearly at the finishing line with the painting, but I could feel myself getting slapdash, so I abandoned it in favour of eating. Always a good move, I find.

Naturally, having sat down on the sofa, we weren’t so keen on getting off it again then. But we had a fabulous interlude, face-timing the Kenilworth Sleaths so that we could join in with their firework party. It was lovely.

We ended up watching a programme about an unsolved murder and then, because we couldn’t fancy much else on TV I had a look at the films and, to my surprise and delight, we were able to tune into ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood’ starring Tom Hanks. I had been keen to see the film at the cinema, but with one thing and another we hadn’t got there before they stopped showing it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but John was a little bored and gave up half-way through. He’s in one of those funny moods – neither here nor there really and a bit pissed off with feeling breathless – and so indulged himself in all those lovely ‘no-noes’ – wine, chocolate, cake and, did I spy the empty peanut butter jar in the washing up bowl? He enjoyed the treats anyway, so that’s something.

In other news, we have relieved the Sutton Sleaths of one of their pumpkins which they had no time to carve at Halloween. It is huge and bigger than my head! Mind you, that’s not difficult….It is sitting on our table and we are busy researching a thousand and one recipes now to use it up. Any suggestions anyone?

Even more exciting news, is that the goldfish bowl that I let the Sutton Sleaths have, now has an occupant! Allow me to introduce…….drum roll….. not a goldfish but a firefighter fish. And his name? Marshall, of course!! (Paw Patrol…… for those wot don’t know.)

Well, that’s better than COVID news, isn’t it? John and I have both been coughing a bit today and hoping we’re not going to be a statistic – the likes of which are: 24,141 people confirmed as infected today and 378 deaths in the community; 143 deaths in hospitals on 3 & 4 November. Let’s look at the fish instead, shall we?

Look after yourselves everyone. God bless.