leukaemia-limbo-dance

Well, it was certainly a stormy night last night, with the wind howling round our house and rain lashing against the windows. But we woke up to the most glorious sunshine this morning and my thoughts immediately turned to going for a walk. First of all though, we had a bit of a clear up after Christmas…..

Christmas Day was very, very different for us. No longer the full family gathering at our house with bodies littering the lounge for three or four days on the trot. We did get to see everyone, but we travelled.

I went to the 8 o’clock church service, knowing that there wouldn’t be many people there, and we managed to get out of the house just before ten o’clock to whizz over to Kenilworth. The whole clan, Paul, Harriet, Catherine, Ellie, Lily and Freddie, had gathered in their lounge, the patio doors open, two picnic chairs, a blanket and a chimenea pulsing out warmth just outside for John and me. Everyone was pleased to see us and Freddy was particularly thrilled. I had taken the parcels over beforehand but they were still in the garage, so we played Santa which was quite exciting.

A little drop of Bucks Fizz and a whole load of virtual hugs and kisses later, we thought we’d better set off to visit the Sutton Sleaths, where we were greeted with another lovely sight of a burning chimenea and outdoor sofas for us to sit on. More Bucks Fizz, or beer, or wine if you wanted it and fabulous company. There was Michael, Danielle, William, Thomas …and Andrew, who is ‘bubbling’ with them over the Christmas period. This time gifts had already been opened so it was fun and games in the ‘Man-shed’ with a ‘Hot Wheels’ car track that Andrew had bought for William. I think all the boys loved that particular gift.

Dinner was nearly ready at the Sutton Sleaths, so we left to let them get on with it and then popped over to Mum’s. She was funny. She had absolutely no idea that it was Christmas Day and her Christmas Dinner was still sitting on the side, uneaten again. I soon served it up for her and she enjoyed her lunch. She exclaimed at our Santa outfits, giggling at us, so I said, “Well, it is Christmas Day, after all.” Is it? She wondered. “Is it, really?” Yes, it really was, so we got out the sack of parcels for her to unwrap. She was hesitant. “Are you sure it’s Christmas?” she said. “Am I allowed to open the parcels?”

Once she got going, she enjoyed her parcel unwrapping and the couple of hours that we spent with her. We watched the Queen at three and whom Mum hardly recognised, but there were photographs to look at and exclaim over; new hankies to be pleased with; chocolates to savour and a letter from Australia to pore over.

We left Mum’s at about 4 o’clock, intending to put our turkey dinner on to have an evening meal. As we were driving away, John said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking we might just have a ham sandwich. I’m knackered.” Well, to be honest, I was tired as well, having been up and on the go since seven in the morning. So, I didn’t think twice and agreed. “We’ll have our Christmas Dinner tomorrow.” we said.

Normally, at Christmas, we Skype Graham and Gail. I was getting worried. I hadn’t heard from them for nearly three weeks, and there had been no reply to my texts. In the evening, I thought I’d try getting hold of them again on a Messenger phone call. There was no reply. I tried again on a video call. Still no reply. I fretted. As always, John came to the rescue and phoned from the landline. He got through. And the reason for them being incommunicado was revealed. They had a new phone. Ah…… Messenger wouldn’t load up. Oh…I see….. but then, they’d been busy anyway. Gail hadn’t been very well. In fact, she was in hospital having an operation for breast cancer.

They do things fast in Australia. No sooner suspected, than tests were done, and then more tests, diagnosis made and whisked into hospital to deal with it before you can say ‘kangaroo’. Operation on Christmas Eve, Gail? That alright with you?

On Boxing Day then, we just spent the day opening the rest of our parcels, getting our lovely lunch ready, eating it and worrying about how Gail was faring. Traditionally, we eat a starter, the turkey dinner and a Christmas Pudding, but we were full after the mains. We’ll eat the pudding tomorrow, we said. We really are stringing out our Christmas Dinner. As we settled down in the evening to watch TV, still with Gail on our minds, there she was as if by telepathy, on the other end of the phone, having been discharged from hospital, reassuring us that everything had gone to plan and she was recovering well. Slightly relieved……

And today? Well, we went for our walk, over at the Lavender Hall park. John texted the family beforehand and asked if anyone fancied a walk with us? Yes, please. They did. All of them, apart from the girls, who were doing girly things. How blessed are we? Had a very lovely time.

And this evening, we played a Zoom version of ‘Articulate’ with the family. It was a bit of fun, but stilted and seemed to be an awkward process. There was a hiatus while baby Thomas was fed, and then we girls threw in the towel as we were trailing by what seemed like millions of moves. We stayed on Zoom and chatted for a while before tiredness got the better of us and we gave in.

So, on what is Day 11 of our second Tier 3/Day 26 since the start of Tier 3, and Day 284 since our March incarceration, here is a quick rundown on today’s COVID figures:

• 30,501 people have been confirmed as infected with the virus
• 316 people have died in the community
• 150 have died in hospitals in the last two days
• And, as of 20 December, over 2 thousand people a day are being admitted into hospital with COVID.

Hoping that you have all had a good, festive Christmas despite being apart from family, if you were. God bless. Take care of yourselves.

Well, there is a bit of a Blog today, but a short one. And I may take a rest tomorrow and Boxing Day. I am feeling exhausted. This is borne out of the will we/won’t we uncertainty, and the constant shifting of arrangements.

We’ll plan to do X, only to find we now have to do Y, but tomorrow it’ll be Z. The shopping was ordered to cater for a full family gathering. Now, obviously, a change of plan – deliver some of the food to the other Sleath households, including turkey, instead. We’ll come to you to exchange gifts/No, we’ll come to you. And so on….

So today we played Santa and trundled round the Midlands to drop off the toys for the children’s stockings, squirreling them away in secret places hoping the kids won’t seek out the hidey-holes and spoil the surprise. It was lovely to go round and see everyone, even from a distance.

This afternoon, I sat and watched Christmas TV – John watched some of it but pottered about finalising the shower cubicle. And then, just as we were about to cook the tea, there came a ring at the doorbell and rat-a-tat-tat on the door. There was our Andrew, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He’s come to spend Christmas with the Sutton Sleaths, and called into the village to collect fish, for their traditional Christmas Eve fish platter, from a friend who runs a restaurant in Henley-in-Arden. Ooh, it was so thrillingly exciting to see him!

He finally made it to Sutton, rather belatedly, as his journey hadn’t been an easy one, with hold ups on the A14. Once he arrived, he self-administered a lateral flow test for COVID, which proved negative, which offers everyone a little bit of reassurance. Although we know that the tests aren’t 100% accurate, so caution still to be exercised, but nevertheless, it’ll allow for a more relaxed frame of mind as the celebrations get under way.

John and I decided to open a few of our Christmas presents early as we are planning to do more trips out tomorrow to see everyone, and we’d like to be able to say a genuine ‘thank you’ when we see people. We had great fun doing it too – it felt illicit and was it really allowed? We were like a couple of schoolkids, giggling over our little activity.

There is no better news in the news, however, with the incidence of COVID infections still very high and the scientists advising that families shouldn’t mix. I think it is incredibly hard to say ‘no’ to a family member though, don’t you? We are hoping that our plans to be outside, masked up and well-distanced on our visits won’t prove to be a mistake.

• 39,036 people were confirmed as having contracted the virus in the last 24 hours
• 574 people died in the community from the virus in the same period
• Admissions to hospital are increasing all the time, with a 16.5% increase over the last 7 days. The latest data was from Sunday 20 December with 2,143 people having been admitted.
• 215 people died from COVID in hospitals on 22 & 23 December
• We’re on Day 8 of our second go at Tier 3 in our area of Solihull, which makes it Day 23 since we went into this tier
• And it’s Day 281 since John and I made the decision to stay home as much as we could.

Whatever you are doing over the Christmas period, I hope you enjoy the festival and it brings peace to you all. God bless.

I did watch the news today and heard how there are now two variants to the COVID-19 virus and much of the south of England needs to be in Tier 4. I also watched, in distress, how the lorry drivers – thousands of them – are stuck, either on the motorway or in a lorry park near Dover. Most of them have no prospect of hanging up their stocking for Christmas; nor do they have appropriate facilities and they are hungry. The Sikh community is coming to the rescue with food, which is a wonderful thing.

But, here in Balsall Common, we are getting ready for Christmas in some form or other – collecting the turkey, the ham, the sausages and a tree of sprouts; delivering parcels, listening to carols and watching Arthur Christmas and Fred Claus from the safety and warmth of our cosy sofa. Feeling guilty? You bet.

We recognise that, at our age and state of health, we are no longer influencers, movers or shakers, and can do very little to help. We watch, helplessly, from the sidelines and pray for better times – and perhaps better governance. Arguments rage about how best to tackle the crises that emerge and perhaps no-one really knows, but it does feel, to me, that we should be doing better. I mean, lovely as it is, is it really the best we can do – to ring a bell on Thursday to show support for lonely people?

Anyway, despite my angst about the situations across the country, we have managed a ‘tidy’ day, as Ness, from ‘Gavin and Stacey’ would say. John has really set to and had a jolly good look at the shower cubicle again; been disappointed that the bit he glued didn’t stick because I’d moved the heavy weight to keep it down; and he’s unhitched some of it to re-shape it. One day it’ll be finished. Maybe tomorrow?

I was up early, fumbling about in the dark, to get to Oakes’ and the butchers to collect the meat and trimmings for Christmas day. They had a brilliant queuing system, but even at 7 o’clock in the morning the queue was beginning to snake out of the door.

Once I was back, I sorted through the parcels and loaded the car with the gifts for the Kenilworth Sleaths and trundled them across to them there. It was wonderful to see Paul and Freddie for even a few minutes. Freddie’s’ gorgeous little face looking up into mine and clearly pleased to see me, wanting to run into my arms but hesitant, as Paul said, “Remember, not too close.” I couldn’t help but stroke his face though, as he stood before me, disappointment clouding those eyes for a moment.

Back home, I cooked the ham ready for carving cold on Christmas Day at tea-time, before sitting down on the sofa for a rest. That was when the afternoon films kicked in and we watched a bit of light entertainment.

There was also some light entertainment in the form of a WhatsApp phone call, too. We’d just finished our tea, when my phone rang. It was Anita. She was phoning, not only me, but all the girls in the College crew. We had a laugh. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but four of us stayed on the line and had a four-way chat. We were delighted for Anita that Jo and her fiancé, Rob, had made it out of London to spend Christmas with her and she wouldn’t be on her own after all. Not sure what they are going to do now about getting back though, as London is in Tier 4. Wait and see, I suppose. Wait and see.

And we commiserated with Sue P who has had all her plans scrapped because Jenny and the family can’t come now as they are all in Tier 4 or going into that tier. A shock for Sue, who was in Tier 2 only yesterday. Gosh, it’s hard, isn’t it?

This evening was Quiz Night and fun was had by all. The questions were brilliant in many ways, because they made you think and dredge your brain for long-lost facts. Or, alternatively, made you smile wryly as you knew you had absolutely no clue whatsoever as to what the answer might be. I am now going to try and learn the Periodic Table……

So, with a heavy heart, I record the figures for the day.

• 39,297 people have been infected with either the original virus or its English variant today
• There have been 744 deaths from the virus in the community
• And 245 deaths in hospitals in the last couple of days.
• We are trying to sit tight in Tier 3 and are on Day 7 of our second go at it, but Day 22 since the beginning of this tier.
• And it’s Day 280 since we started this malarkey.

Take very great care everyone. God bless.

There’s a quagmire to the left of us; a minefield to the right; a storm ahead and a maelstrom behind. Are we stuck in the middle? Yes. We are. But at the very, very centre of each and everyone of us is love. And all we have to do is retrieve it, use it, share it, grow it and manifest it for there to be a change in circumstances.

This struck home today when Danielle sent us all a Charlie Mackesy drawing, one of those inspirational depictions that he offers us, and which fans the flame of hope.

It felt particularly apt too, as the decision-makers agonise over the best thing to do regarding both the virus and Brexit, and we agonise over missing out on seeing loved ones at Christmas time. Love – that’s what I am holding fast to and I am sure it will see us through. Not least because it allows sacrifice, and if we have to sacrifice our traditions now, it doesn’t matter at all if it enables a more stable future.

And so, in the spirit of love I carried on finalising all the gifts I have bought, and distributed one or two around the village today. I got up early to do it and nip up to the shops before anyone was around, and I caught the most beautiful sunrise coming up over the hill. I was so enamoured of it that I took a photo – although it really doesn’t do it justice. But honestly, it was lovely.

I got what I wanted at the shops and beavered away to get the last bits sorted and my wrapping area, aka our old bedroom, tidied up. Then, after lunch I drove out as postie before ending up at Mum’s.

She was, as always, pleased to see me but she remains as confused as ever, bless her. It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon and I found her lunch sitting on the side again, uneaten. “Mum? You haven’t had your lunch.” She thought she had and shrugged her shoulders. “Would you like it now?” No, it was too late in the afternoon and she wasn’t hungry. And anyway, she’d eaten cakes so she was alright.

I toddled down to see the manager to ask if there was any possibility of them reminding Mum to have her lunch once it was delivered. Sorry, but no. Not every day. Ah. I see. No worries, we’ll sort out with the Care Agency someone to go in at lunchtimes to help Mum remember to eat.

I had taken Mum a little basket of food things that I’d made up, with which she was delighted. But I haven’t any real confidence she’ll eat any of it. There’s a beautiful little Christmas cake, a Christmas Pudding, some chocolates and clementines, a miniature bottle of Bailey’s and a jar of cranberry sauce. I could tell from the look in her eyes that it would be more likely that she’d admire it all packaged up under its cellophane from a distance, rather than delving in. I suggested I might take the clementines out and put them in the fridge so they didn’t go off. She nodded agreement. We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted…..

Meanwhile, John was also finalising. Finalising the shower cubicle – I think, anyway. There’s still a lot of tools in there so not quite sure if it’s finished or not…..tidy up tomorrow, maybe?

This evening, I had a Zoom chat with the ‘Bibliophiles’ – the little reading group I’ve joined. Unfortunately, I hadn’t quite finished the book, so was preparing to wing it. However, fortune smiled on me and, as one or two members couldn’t make the session unexpectedly, we agreed to meet up next week instead. That gives me a few days grace to get the book finished – phew!

Despite the chaos around us, it’s been a nice day. I have felt relieved that the parcels are wrapped. I have enjoyed seeing one or two friends in the village and chatting to my reading group – and I have also enjoyed christening the library area of the lounge. It was so lovely and comfy that, mid-way through a chapter I found myself nodding off…..

But the virus situation isn’t any better, I’m afraid. Here’s the doom and gloom:

• 36,804 people have been confirmed as infected with the virus in the last 24 hours
• 691 people have died from it during the same period
• 229 people have died in hospitals in the last 48 hours
• The maps of the country show the relentless spread of the virus, bleeding out of all the Tier 4 areas now
• Hospitals are beginning to be overwhelmed again, already
• 3,000 lorries are stuck in Kent trying to get out of the country
• And Tesco has introduced rationed goods
• We are on Day 6 of our second Tier 3; Day 21 since the original Tier 3
• And it’s Day 279 since the original, original lockdown.

Please take care. God bless.

With Christmas Day a few days away, it is time to get into the Christmas spirit. And I intend to do just that, now that I have the link to yesterday’s church services. There’s the nativity – played out by puppeteers – and, of course, the carol service that we missed out on yesterday. I shall be singing my heart out to all of the hymns chosen, and listening intently to the lessons read.

Not only that, but I am looking out my party frocks to wear to all the ‘Zoom’ catch-ups over the next few days. I have even winkled out my costume jewellery to wear and bring back lovely memories. And, if I am not wearing my party frock, I might be wearing my ‘Mrs Santa’ outfit, like I did this evening.

What a lovely time we had. We zoomed in to meet up with Pete & Dawn and Carol & John to replace our traditional Christmas Eve ‘get-together’. We knew it was going to be different this year anyway, with or without the COVID situation, as Carol and John had no plans to be trundling down the M1 to visit the Coventrians this year. So, my plan was to get dressed up in my finest – well, anything that would fit, really – and partay….

Rewind to this afternoon when the post arrived with a couple of parcels on the doorstep. Both addressed to John. He sat down to open them and then threw one at me and said, “This one’s for you.” Oh? Whatever could it be? We cut open the parcels and found, to my delight, Santa outfits! One for me and one for the ol’ man. Ho! Ho! Ho! That’s what we’ll wear to our get-together then! And we did.

The Santa sets are very warm, however, and we both abandoned them half-way through our on-screen party. Fortunately, I was wearing a sea-green sparkly dress underneath that I’d found in the wardrobe and actually fitted. I also found jewellery that Carol had given me over the years that complemented the dress perfectly. A beautiful beaded necklace that she had made herself, and a very pretty chromium-plated bracelet, studded with pale blue sparklies. I loved my little bit of dressing up – it’s such a long time since we did it that I am going to make the most of it over the Christmas period.

In other news, we took delivery of our Christmas shop from Waitrose this morning, topped up by another little bit of shopping from Tesco. I am pretty sure we have everything but the turkey now for our Christmas celebrations. In fact, we are blessed with a bit more than we need, as I had done the order anticipating a large family gathering. No matter, I will give some away, and we have started on the festive fare already today. Those little pork pies with cranberries and the little hamburgers and hotdogs were delicious.

John spent a fair bit of time sorting out the shower cubicle in the ensuite again today – and he’s fairly confident that he’s cracked it. Even if he hasn’t, I think he’s going to leave it as it is and we’ll try it out for a while.

I spent the best part of the day wrapping presents again. I am so slow…… Mind you, it’s not surprising. I caught myself being just like Mum today, pouring over which particular ribbon and which specific label to attach to each parcel. In the past, I have lost patience with Mum as she painstakingly selected just the right thing to go on a present, and today, I found myself doing something very similar…..eeeek. And I even know that the recipients don’t take a lot of notice of how the parcels are wrapped when they receive them, yet I still did it! Note to self: Must get a grip.

We haven’t watched the news avidly today, and I certainly haven’t for a few days, to give myself a mental rest from all the shenanigans. However, we watched a bit of the briefing this afternoon and our hearts go out to everyone who is affected by the effects of the virus – especially those who are acutely affected by the ban on travel out of the country. What a nightmare for those stuck in the queues on the way to Dover – not knowing whether they will be home for Christmas; whether their perishable stock will last; whether they should turn round and go home or carry on into the continent; or whether, as they make the return journey to the continent, they will make it back home to loved ones.

It is very hard for many, many of the population in all four corners of the country with the rise in cases and the new variant thrown into the mix. I am frequently wryly amused, however, by some of those I see on Twitter claiming that there shouldn’t be any lockdowns. They are all living in areas where there is less impact of the virus and have no clear understanding of the horror of it. We are beginning to see NHS staff showing their worn-out, mask-imprinted, flushed faces again on the social media, so you know its impact when that starts. NHS staff are exhausted already. And all the scientists are saying the same thing: don’t mix. don’t get close.

• 33,364 people have tested positive for the virus today, including people we know
• 215 people have died from it in the community today.
• 107 people died in hospitals over the weekend

I am not sure there is much we can do to help the general population, given our circumstances, but we will not go into shops unless it is absolutely necessary nor will we socialise (with one exception) in an attempt to keep the spread rate low and prevent hospital visits. Our only exception will be on Christmas Day when we intend to wave at the family in their gardens, masked up and at least two metres apart from each other. We’d like to stop counting the days of our Tier 3 status soon, please, which stands at Day 5, since the announcement that nothing had changed for our area, and Day 20, since the beginning of our Tier 3. And it’s now Day 278 since kick-off in March.

Take care everyone. God bless.

Well, whatever is there to say about today? I am referring, of course, to the situation on the border. No-one to leave the country – we’re banned. Which, of course, means that there’ll be trouble with getting goods in. No-one is going to want to come in if they can’t get back out, are they? Ostensibly, the ban is for 48 hours. And the fallout will last….oooh, well into weeks I should think. It’s beginning to feel like…..well, not Christmas anyway…..

The ban, of course, is because of a variant strain of the COVID virus that no-one quite knows whether it will respond to the vaccine we’ve set our store by. I do hope it does or we’re in for a lot of welly.

Not only that, but 35,928 people were confirmed as infected with the virus today. That’s a whacking great score whichever way you look at it. 326 people have died from the virus today in the community and we’ve breached the 2k mark on hospital admissions with 2,034 people going in – in one day; and 161 people died in hospitals in the last couple of days. ‘In the bleak midwinter…our people made moan…‘

Anyway, enough doom and gloom for now. We had a relatively good day. I spent all day wrapping parcels, thriftily using up bits of paper I had in the cupboard. I have got to the stage now, though, of coveting the three large rolls of paper I saw at my Mum’s the other day. I mean, she’s not going to be wrapping presents, is she? It’ll be me doing her wrapping, so I can have them, can’t I?

John spent all day with his head in and around the new dishwasher. He has managed to fit it into the space designated for it and he’s had it going. The only worrying thing is that there are lots of bits of the machine left on the work surface….. screws and widgets and such like. Fingers crossed the machine doesn’t need them.

Having said I wasn’t going to go into Solihull again, I did. I had an emergency purchase to make. We calculated when it would be the least busy and plumped on late afternoon, just before the shops shut. And right enough, it wasn’t rammed and I was able to keep 2 metres apart from everyone. The only problem was that I found myself at the wrong branch of the shop I’d ordered goods from. “Sorry, this isn’t here. It’s Sears Retail Park.” smiled the young lady behind the counter. Oh. Darn it. We had to get a dash on then to get to the Retail Park in Shirley before it shut. We did, but I had to wait in a queue which did my nerves no good at all. However, the shop was very large and airy and the doors were open, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed no bugs got past either my mask or my visor.

We had an unexpected visit from Paul today. The doorbell rang and there he was smiling at us on the doorstep. I can’t tell you how my heart flips whenever I see the kids at our door these days. Anyway, he’d been along to Costco to do the shopping and happened to see a ‘paleo’ product and thought of us. How thoughtful, eh? So, we had a bit of a chinwag on the doorstep before he had to go, but it was lovely.

It being a Sunday and the week before Christmas, I had made up my mind to go to the socially-distanced Service of Carols and Lessons this evening. John thought he might come along, too. This year, the plan was to have five carols and five lessons instead of the standard nine. And, of course, no singing. Although, to be fair, the intention was to have a few of the choir singing. However, with the ‘new’ bug and all, I wasn’t sure whether I was comfortable with the singing bit. Maybe we’d be alright if we sat at the back? Or in the hall? Then, two of my friends, who are in the choir, said they were not going to sing after all. So, in the end, we ducked out. I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t feel brave, but there we are. Better safe than sorry, I think.

So, that was us today. Take care. God bless us all and give us strength to face all the challenges coming our way – today and every day.

Carnage… absolute carnage. And I’m not talking about the latest news which locks everyone in the south-east in their homes over Christmas. I’m talking about taking Mum to have her COVID vaccination today.

The doctor’s surgery was being run like a military operation and very efficiently, I might add. The only problem, of course, was the car parking. Nightmare. I mean, they had plenty of marshals and everything, directing the traffic and letting people in and out, but there were just too many cars to park in a small area. Many people were parking on the road outside and walking in, but that wasn’t an option with Mum. We sat outside in the roadway for a good eight minutes or so, which meant that, inevitably, we were going to be late for the appointment. Not that it mattered – lots of people were late due to the stationary nature of the traffic.

We eventually nosed our way to the entrance of the car park where a marshal spoke to us. I explained that I needed to get right up to the doorway, as Mum couldn’t manage the walk. As luck would have it, one of the nurses was coming down with a wheelchair, so I commandeered it and the nurse took Mum up to the queue while I popped the car into a wide car parking spot.

However, when I got up to the queue, which was outside, Mum was juddering with cold and the nurse was telling me she couldn’t go in and have her vaccination after all. Whaaat? Well, it transpires that Mum had said she hadn’t been very well this morning and had been hot. Naturally, the nurse heard alarm bells and consulted the doctor who said, ‘No. No vaccination.’

Ha! Fight me? I carefully explained that Mum was perfectly well and she liked to make people think she wasn’t, just for the sympathy vote. I also explained that the hot flush she’d had was when I’d told her she was going for an injection. Panic had set in. She kept looking at me balefully, saying, “Well, I don’t much fancy that.” As if I was going to change my mind. No, I don’t think so, Mum. Even the chivvying that the very first person in the world to have the vaccine was a lady in her nineties from Coventry, hadn’t encouraged Mum to be brave.

Anyway, the doctor said, ‘OK, then’ and we made our way inside. By now, I’d taken my coat off and wrapped Mum up in it to stop her shivering. “Aren’t you cold, Anne, without your coat?” she asked. Actually, I wasn’t. It was a balmy 11 degrees, very little wind, with the sun shining, so it was quite pleasant.

In the end, Mum had the vaccination without too much fuss and we waited the requisite 15 minutes afterwards in case she had a reaction before we trundled our way back to the car. All good. That is, until I tried to get out of the car park. Some idiot had parked randomly and far too close at forty-five degrees behind me. One of the young marshals apologised, saying, “I didn’t tell her to park there. She just did. It’s not a designated parking space.” Ah…..I realised that. And no amount of shifting my car backwards and forwards was going to change the angle of dangle. I was stuck there until the errant driver came back. Which she did. Fifteen minutes later.

Once we got back to Mum’s I did my best to make sure she was relaxed and over her ordeal. But, in the end, I gave her paracetamol and a cup of tea and just hoped for the best. She couldn’t eat her lunch – by now she’d got indigestion. Oh dear. How horrible it is to suffer with your nerves. But it’s funny too, in a weird way, and we laughed about it a bit. In Mum’s case, her nerves make her a hypochondriac. But there is also another manifestation. Her anxiety makes her nose run. This is why she has hankies galore dotted about the place. Honestly, there are hundreds of them. I think they spawn when I’m not looking. And she’d had tried to blow her nose through the visor when we were at the surgery, making everyone laugh, because, of course, she couldn’t actually get at her nose.

Other than all of that, we’ve had a day of working hard – not always with the best results. I was alright, Jack. I was wrapping parcels and got a good few done. John wasn’t alright, Jack. He was trying to fit the dishwasher. It’s been in, out, up, down and all over the place. It’s not playing ball. So he’ll have to have another go at it tomorrow.

And in better news, Bill Bailey won Strictly. Gosh, I was thrilled. Doing it for the oldies. Good on him. John wondered who’d danced the best, but I scornfully told him that it wasn’t about the best dancing now. Now, it was a popularity contest. And I don’t think Bill danced the best this evening, but still glad he won.

So, COVID and the handling of the pandemic is all over the news (not that I am watching it, mind you) as ‘Christmas is cancelled’. Ahem. Excuse me? Apologetic cough. Christmas is not cancelled. The family get togethers are, and the drinks in the pubs and the parties in the nightclubs. But the symbolic remembrance of the Christ-child being born isn’t cancelled. We can all still do that, wherever we are and whoever we’re with. So I hope we all will.

In the meantime, the COVID figures remain high and, as of Saturday 19 December, they are thus:

• 27,052 people were confirmed as infected with the virus today
• 534 people died from it today
• Nearly 2 thousand people were admitted to hospital today (1,907)
• 235 people died from COVID in hospitals over the last couple of days
• Today is Day 3 of our second go at Tier 3, which makes it Day 18 since we were told not to visit family
• And we are on Day 276 since the beginning of cabin fever in March

Do take care. I am sending love to everyone, but especially to those who have just had to cancel their plans for a family Christmas. It’s heartbreaking. But I am still consoling myself that being cautious now will offer us time together in the future.

God bless.

Friday! Yippee! That means it’s the weekend. Although, having said that, I am not sure that Saturday and Sunday are a lot different to any other day of the week, but it’s the psychological thing of the weekend equalling freedom, isn’t it?

We weren’t at all sure of what our plans were this morning, other than a trip up to church for a prayer group meeting this afternoon for me, and the dishwasher being delivered for John. Anyway, we faffed about this morning, this way and that. I made lots of lists and John pampered his eyes and his lungs.

One great piece of news is that the eye drop people phoned and confirmed that they are planning a delivery of the eye serum tomorrow. Well, that’s very good news. Poor John has been struggling so much over the last couple of weeks. I do hope the drops help and he feels better soon.

In the post yesterday, an electrical switch-type thing had arrived. John announced that it was for the main bathroom shower. Wow. We might get that shower fixed…. which we did, but not until we’d done a lot of fiddling. It was one of those things which was too little, and it was too dark to see, and there wasn’t a lot of room to get your fingers in. Eventually, we did the job between us. Yay! My first electrical repair! Well, sort of. I had no idea what I was doing, I just followed John’s instructions.

During the morning, Michael texted to tell us that they were planning to visit Santa today at Warwick Play Village, and would call in on the way back to collect some bits and pieces we’d got for them. I always get excited at the prospect of seeing the grandchildren so the morning was fever-filled with anticipation.

The Sutton Sleaths arrived at lunchtime, having called in at the deli on the way back for a sandwich. So, with door open, they sat in the porch and ate while I cooed at Thomas. For a little while, William was fast asleep in the car, bless him, exhausted from his exertions with Santa.

But, for once, Thomas was on top form and didn’t seem to mind Grandma holding him. Unlike the last couple of times when he’s been hankering after Mummy, he sat on my lap and we played and played for ages. He particularly chuckled at the rhyme, ‘This is the way the ladies ride…’ and properly chuckled hard at the physical jiggling about. It was delightful.

William was funny, though. We had got the Monopoly out for them to take home with them, so naturally, he was curious as to what was in the boxes. We took a look and spent a few minutes sorting through the pieces. Next, he could see the train in the hall, all lit up and sparkling. “Oh, look at the train. The wheels are going round. How do they do that?” he wondered. And stepped a bit closer to the hallway. Then he was interested in something a little further in. And took another step into the hallway, just next to Thomas who was lying on his changing mat. William so wanted to come into the house. And I so wanted to have him in the house. Anyway, his attention was diverted, fortunately, by the reminder that he still had the gift from Santa to open. Otherwise I think we’d have been inside rummaging through the toybox in no time at all.

This afternoon, I left John to his own devices, waiting in for the dishwasher to turn up, while I went up to the church hall. I had a very pleasant afternoon with everyone who had brought advent/Christmas poetry, or music, or prose pieces to share. I had taken a quiz with me which was fun but tricky. Thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s choices and found some of them very amusing, and others very thought-provoking.

When I got back home, I was pleased to see the that the dishwasher had arrived and it was sitting near where it would live, waiting to be installed. But, do you know? I was tired and sat watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for the umpteenth time, instead of getting on with ‘jobs on the list’. I am not sure how much I had watched, but I became aware of a disturbing vibe coming from the kitchen. John was having difficulty fitting the new machine. In fact, the instructions looked gobbledegook to both of us. They were gobbledegook, because there was a piece missing which we’ve got to chase up. Grrr. Ah, well, keeps us on our toes.

We ate our evening meal and sat watching stupid TV this evening, laughing our heads off at ‘Johnny English Reborn’. Crazy, eh? Well, you’ve gotta do something to take your mind off the doom and gloom, haven’t you? (see below)…..

• 28,507 people were confirmed with the virus today
• 489 people died of the virus today
• 1,726 people were admitted into hospital today with it
• 157 people died in hospitals of the virus over the last couple of days.
• It’s now Day 2 of our Tier 3; Day 17 since Tier 3 started
• And we’re on Day 275 since the onset of our stay home mindset in March

Take care everyone. God bless.

Ooh, thank the Lord for good friends! Firstly, dear Jaime, who sent me a YouTube link to a yoga session for this morning, as I couldn’t join in her Christmas Special – because I’d double-booked myself. Then, secondly, dear Dave and Chris whom we met at Abbey Fields in Kenilworth, for a walk around the lake. How glorious a morning is that?

Felt marvellously upbeat after the gentle yoga that Jaime had sent through to me, which really set me up for the day. Then, after a rather delicious breakfast of banana pancakes, smothered in pecan nuts, tropical fruits and maple syrup, we set off to meet the Halls for an exchange of Christmas gifts and a walk. I was thrilled to see the sun shining this morning, too – I knew it was going to be a good ‘un!

When we arrived at the car park, however, we found it was rammed. Not a spot to be had anywhere. “What about that black car there?” John wondered, “Do you think that one’s leaving? Or arriving?” It turned out to be arriving. It was Dave and Chris in front of us trawling the car park too. I dropped John off and Dave dropped Chris off as we offered to find parking elsewhere. However, we were lucky. Two spots right next to each other were to be had eventually.

And so we wandered along the path around the lake. It was fabulous. The boys walked slowly behind as Chris and I nattered away and strode off. After a while, we turned to look and see where the boys were. They’d stopped. “Now then, is that John stopping because he’s tired? Or is that Dave stopping because he’s tired?” We didn’t know. But, as we neared a bench, we paused to wait for them to catch up. I looked longingly at the bench. It was in full sunshine, overlooking the lake. The only trouble was, there were three young guys sitting there, with their dogs, having a good old chinwag. We waited a bit, then I thought I’d be bold and see if they were planning to stay long. Well, I think they would probably have stayed a good while longer but, being gentlemen, they said they’d vacate the bench in our favour and allow the two old men, who were bringing up the rear, to take a rest there. Tee-hee!

We sat on the bench, intending to stay for a few minutes but, honestly, we were like lizards warming themselves up in the blazing sun. We lounged there for absolutely ages. It was fantastic. We were relaxed. We caught up on all the news. We caught the rays and drank in some Vitamin D. Such an unexpected treat.

Finally, we reluctantly left the cosiness of the bench and moved on, ready to make our way back. Coffee was on our minds though. And we kept seeing people with paper cups full of the stuff. “I wonder where they are getting it from? Perhaps the café is open by the swimming pool.” But it wasn’t. Eventually, I asked someone who was nursing a large cup of the steaming liquid, and we were directed to a café on the High Street, where we ordered a couple of coffees and a couple of hot chocolates. Another unexpected and delicious treat.

Back at our cars, I glanced at the time. Crikey! It was nearly two o’clock. I don’t know about Dave and Chris, but I hadn’t been expecting to be that long. We’d been there nearly three hours. Not that we minded. We were having such a good time. That’s when you know you’ve got good friends, isn’t it? When time flies, and you don’t realise it. We are very blessed.

Once we were home, John lay out on the sofa to rest his weary legs, while I prepared some lunch. Then I settled down the sofa for a while too, and watched a bit of TV. Phew! All that fresh air was exhausting!

Once we’d had our rest, we pottered about doing a few bits and pieces. Notably, John put together Freddie’s Christmas present from his Mum and Dad that we’d had delivered to our house – a nice, shiny bike. It looks wonderful and we both thought what a lucky boy he is.

I did an update to the Christmas grocery shopping list and kept my fingers crossed that I haven’t forgotten anything, But, as John says – as there’s only going to be the two of us, why will it matter if I have? I don’t know – I only know that I’d like it to be perfect on Christmas Day for just the two of us.

We enjoyed our day, and hope for continued decent weather. Goodness knows we are going to need it if we are to see people ever! We are still in Tier 3 after today’s announcement, so the best we can do is a socially-distanced walk with our masks on for the foreseeable. Oh… groan.

However, it is the right thing to do I suppose, because the picture regarding the COVID infection rate is still very gloomy. I mean, did you see today’s figures? Shocking aren’t they?

• 35,383 people have been confirmed as infected today. Thirty-five thousand.…. that’s up over 40% in the last week.
• 532 people died in the community from the virus today
• 1,725 people were admitted into hospital with the virus today – that’s up by nearly 20%
• 194 people died in hospitals in the last couple of days

Heavens above, this isn’t what we want to hear just before everyone gets together at Christmas, is it? I am hoping that people will heed the message about not gathering, but I am not all hopeful.

In the meantime, we are now into Day 1 of our new Tier 3, which makes it Day 16 since we went into Tier 3…… and it’s Day 274 since our decision to isolate as much as we can. I think I might be burbling now…..

Take care everyone. God bless.

The chatter on the news about what we should do for Christmas, either on the radio, TV or social media, is beginning to feel like White Noise now. Last week, when we nipped into Solihull, I was wondering why people were just seemingly ignoring the rules. But I am beginning to understand now. Whatever the government says, within a short space of time there is argument and counter-argument, which begins to grow ever louder and more complicated to the point that we just want to use the ‘off’ button. Or is it just me?

So, I decided today to tune out for a day or two in the hope that I will come back to it all a bit refreshed. Instead of taking keen notice of what is being said, I am simply going to look inwards and wrap my Christmas presents. Yep. It’s ostrich time. Can’t be doing with it any more. For now, anyway.

In line with ‘tuning out’, I toddled off to the hairdressers this morning. What a treat. I have been hairdresser phobic for most of my adult life, but I have found a hairdresser who doesn’t have any airs and graces, and seems to get me. This means that, when I arrive, she kindly asks what she is doing with my hair, and I answer something along the lines of, “Just take about an inch off and create a bit of shape please.” So she gets on with it and I always come out looking sleek.

After I’d been to the hairdressers, I called in on Paul and Harriet to take a parcel that the hairdresser had given me for Harriet. So lovely to see them and chat on the doorstep for a minute or two. I was making a delivery don’t you know, so I am sure it was OK to call. I didn’t stay long because I was conscious that John was walking in the rain and, if I could get back in time, I could collect him and save him getting too wet. He’d been down to the surgery for some treatment – but I’d got the car, so he had an enforced walk. It transpired that he’d made it back home before I had chance to catch him half-way up the hill. He’d done well – made it there and back in one piece.

We both sat on the sofa for a while drinking tea before John went to do some more poker playing on the computer before lunch. Then he was up for another walk. This time to hand-deliver some cards locally, for which I was very grateful. Meanwhile, I had announced that I planned to ensconce myself upstairs to wade my way through the pile of papers I’d accumulated; pay some bills; make some phone calls to sort out some of Mum’s affairs; and generally do some filing of John’s medical notes. So far, so good. I’ve managed to clear the desk area – just the bed area to go.

Being a poor judge of time, I had thought I might whizz through the papers today and get onto the present-wrapping. Another hahahahaha moment, as I find myself only half-way through the first job of paper shuffling. Ah, well, maybe tomorrow?

John cooked our evening meal while I finalised a few more decisions on the papers, and we sat at the breakfast bar to eat for a change. John’s eyes are really giving him jip and making him feel exceptionally miserable. Not only that, but he was worn out from having shifted (all on his own) the old dishwasher onto the pavement, because the new one is to be delivered on Friday. Oh, whooopee-doop! John is particularly fed up of handwashing the dishes so we can’t wait…… it’s a hard life, eh?

This evening was Quiz Night. Another cracking evening with some great questions and great company. Thoroughly enjoyed it. We even got a few of the answers right. Poor Nigel was torn though. It was the Liverpool/Tottenham match on Amazon and he really wanted to watch it. He’d half thought about sending in a sick note for the quiz, but changed his mind at the last minute and joined in. Not sure we’d have accepted a sick note though, to be honest.

So what’s new on the COVID front then, folks? Nothing new. Lots of people sick, dying and being admitted to hospital.

• 25,161 people confirmed as infected with the virus today
• 612 people have died today in the community
• 1,770 people have been admitted to hospital today with the virus
• 186 people have died in hospitals from the virus
• And today is the *last* day of our Tier 3 -Day 15 – before we hear whether we stay or change a tier
• 273 days have elapsed since March when we locked ourselves in

Goodness me. What a lot of water has passed under the bridge this year, and we are no better at managing the contagion. The vaccine will help for sure, so I’m looking forward to that. How about you?

Take care everyone. God bless.