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Day 1 The Pilgrim’s Way

Posted in around the UK, cities and towns of the UK, Domesday Villages of England, historical houses of the uk, It's my life, long distance walks - solo, places to eat, The Pilgrim's Way; Winchester to Canterbury, walk 1000 miles 2020, walks around the UK, tagged canpilgrim, countrywalking DomesdayBook, long distance walking, Otford, ThePilgrimsWay, walk1000miles on September 10, 2020| 1 Comment »

From Oxted to Kemsing

Well, you’ll be pleased to know I made it. Day 1 done & dusted. In lots of pain and my feet are very unhappy…not sure how they’re going to feel about doing this all over again tomorrow.😱😱🥺🥺🥺

So I left home at 6am on the dot and got to Ramsgate station with 15 minutes to spare.
I reached Oxted at 09:25 and set about finding breakfast. I nearly slipped up and went to Wetherspoons, but left as soon as I realised my error 😣😣😣
After a coffee and toasted sandwich from Coughlan’s bakery I switched mapmywalk on and set off for St Peter’s church where I got my first Pilgrim’s stamp, then it was a hard slog along a horrible road till I intercepted the Pilgrim’s Way.

First destination was Chevening Park where I had to climb a bloody awful hill and then go back down again. From thereon the terrain was fairly flat. I finally reached Dunton Green where I stopped for supper at The Rose and Crown and had a delicious meal of fish and chips.

At just on 5pm I set off again for Otford, a Domesday Book Village, where I crossed the River Darent. What a delightful place. Picturesque with the remains of a palace where Henry VIII and Katherine if Aragon once stayed. The church and palace have links to Thomas Beckett.

Then I had to force myself to walk the final 4 kms to Kemsing & the Airbnb. I’m aching from head to toe. But I did it 😃😃😃

Walked 26km, 10 hours including stops and saw so many amazing things. Lucky me.

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Here’s to you 2020

Posted in around the UK, Castles of UK and Ireland, cities and towns of the UK, Historical, long distance walks - solo, project 101, The Pilgrim's Way; Winchester to Canterbury, UNESCO Heritage Sites, walk 1000 miles 2020, walks around the UK, tagged Domesday Book villages visited for Project 101, long distance walks uk, The Pilgrim's Way from Winchester to Canterbury, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, walking hadrians wall on September 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »

addendum: I actually started this post yesterday, but got so involved with planning my Pilgrim’s Way walk and Hadrian’s Wall walk that I completely forgot to update and post it. Although theoretically I actually owe you 1000 words, it’s already 22:31 and I really need to get to bed earlier than the last two nights……midnight and after midnight….respectively. So here goes…..

Never one to let a bad year bring me down, despite the downs there have been many ups…my grandson celebrated his 1st birthday, I visited the Isle of Wight for a 2nd time on an assignment; this time I stayed near Cowes, although I didn’t get to do as much travelling as before. We visited the Donkey Sanctuary in March; me, my daughter & grandson to visit his adopted donkey; Ruby…she’s a beauty and a lot bigger than we expected. While there we drove across country to visit Tintagel Castle – which is just phenomenal and a must visit.

7 weeks of lockdown were spent in a beautiful, peaceful village in Somerset where I was lucky enough to be able to walk in the Quantock Hills during our 1 hour of allowable exercise. During said lockdown I reached the grand age of 65 (an age denied to my beloved brother & Mother). I celebrated with my little family via zoom and received some beautiful iced biscuits from my daughter.

During my brief breaks between assignments, I’ve had dozens of happy mornings on the beach with my little beeboo watching him run about picking up stones and feathers and sticks, dipping his feet in the sea and buying him a naughty ice-cream on the way home 😉

I’ve visited a few places new to me on work assignments, some good, some not…currently working in Croydon but I have not been out much since I’ve been planning planning planning & now I’m on the cusp of finishing my #pilgrimage from Winchester to Canterbury along The Pilgrim’s Way. Finally. I started this walk in 2018, and then my grandson came along and all thought of being away for any length of time except for work went out the window LOL

And so, 2 years & 12 days after my 2018 pilgrimage ended in Oxted due to injury, I shall restart my journey in Oxted and coddiwomble to Canterbury while crossing rivers, visiting castles, a few palaces, Roman villas, a Carmelite Monastery, ancient stones & churches, some of England’s most historic & ancient villages, towns & cities, many of which are Domesday Book places, the Black Prince’s well, an abbey and a famous Cathedral while just enjoying the freedom of walking from place to place along ancient pathways, across fields, beneath trees, over too many stiles, & no doubt some tarmac.

I plan to see a few sunrises, definitely many sunsets, listen to birdsong & moos, have no doubt that I will cry from pain, curse my sore bones, swear at Pepe (my backpack), laugh with joy, sing a few songs & post dozens of photos.

The planning is 90% complete (as of yesterday – by this evening it was 100% completed), so yesterday I bought a little diary to keep note of pertinent details of each day… especially where I’m meant to be sleeping each night.. most important aspect of each day.

I’m soooo excited. Finally!! And that will be my 4th long distance walk, but all being well, not my last. My daughter, son-in-law & grandson will meet me in Canterbury in the evening for a celebratory meal. Hoorah!!!

Counting the days. I’d like to give a #shoutout to Tony and Sarah of The Old Alma Inn for their lovely customer service 👍 and👎to Airbnb for making it so difficult to identify a venue in a specific location and some of their hosts for not updating their calendars.

Alongside of planning the final section of the Pilgrim’s Way, I’ve also been planning my trip to Newcastle……yes!!! I’ll be walking Hadrian’s Wall 🙂 🙂 🙂

It’s been a long held dream of mine to walk Hadrian’s Wall and initially when I finally decided to complete the Pilgrim’s Way I thought why not just make it a foursome…..The Pilgrim’s Way, St Cuthbert’s Way, Hadrian’s Wall and the West Highland Way…..bought the books and started investigating costs…..hah! It quickly whittled down from 4 to 2! OMG!! It’s very expensive to go walking in this country. Walking the Camino didn’t cost me nearly as much and the accommodation was wayyyyyy cheaper. Some B&B’s were charging in excess of £100 per night per person. Absolutely mad. My daughter suggested I camp each night, but no thanks LOL I’m far too keen on sleeping in a proper bed. 😉 So I had to just suck in my breath a couple of times and book regardless, but fortunately by using AirBnB I managed to keep the costs down and the most expensive night was £41.

Although I still have a gripe with AirBnB and their daft location suggestions, I did after hours of searching manage to tie down all the nights I needed.

I’m planning on visiting Homesteads Roman fort and of course Vindolanda. There are so many amazing places along the route that I’m not sure I’ll have time to visit them all. And of course I’m planning on seeing as many sunrises and sunsets as I can……depending on the weather!

Also did you know that Hadrian’s Wall doesn’t actually march in a straight line from east to west? I always imagined it was pretty straight with a few dents and nooks here and there, but while researching I have found that it actually zig zags like a caterpillar on ecstacy!! Crikey! I really didn’t imagine and as well as which, a whole heck of a lot of it doesn’t exist anymore and the stones have been repurposed for houses and churches. Hah!! So a lot of it is just now in your imagination LOL

But oh what remains looks absolutely amazing and some of places I’ll be travelling through look fantastic. The countryside looks so beautiful.

Now all I need is good weather……says someone who actually lives in the UK and should know better LOL

Next week I’ll be buying new walking shoes, rain pants, and socks….lots of new socks and sorting out my backpack. I haven’t used Pepe in over 2 years, poor thing probably feels neglected. Oh and talking of backpacks, I’m going to use the baggage forwarding service on 5 of the 12 walking days and 4 days will be spent in Carlisle and I’ll walk 2 separate sections over 2 days and bus back to Carlisle at night. Makes sense, especially since accommodation was so hard to find.

And that m’dears brings me to 1058 words…..so hoorah, I’m up to date, albeit 1 day behind. So before it after midnight once again, I shall bid you goodnight, and hopefully I don’t forget to write tomorrow. 🙂

oh and p.s. did you know that Hadrian’s Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site? How awesome is that! another one for my list on Project 101

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Booking with AirBnB

Posted in around the UK, It's my life, The Pilgrim's Way; Winchester to Canterbury, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2020, tagged booking with airbnb, The Quirky Coach, writing challenge on September 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Not sure if this is relevant to my commitment to write 500 words a day, or if the subject matter is what The Quirky Coach had in mind, but here goes….basically it’s a rant LOL

A letter to AirBnB after another frustrating morning of searching for a specific location and getting ‘there are 271 locations in your area’ – uhmm, no there are not. For instance I did a search for ‘Aylesford’ – I got a list of 20 venues, none of which are in Aylesford, and some are as far away as Rainham, which is on the other side of the River Thames, closer to London that Aylesford and freaking 25 miles away from Aylesford!! What is the point of that.

I have been a member of AirBnB for some years now and have used it quite a lot. One of the aspects that I have found MOST frustrating is locating a place in the specific area I’m searching for.

Like if I type in Maidstone….(which is in England) I get suggestions of places that are absolutely miles away from what I am searching for.
I notice that on most of the venues, the location details are quite obscure….like it will search for Medway or London for instance. But the locations that are suggested by AirBnB are not linked to what I searched for, but ‘possibly’ in the same general county.

It would be really useful if the hosts could be more specific with their settings: like for instance if I search for a place in ‘Maidstone’ all places that are actually in the vicinity should have the word Maidstone in their description and I don’t have to scroll through each one to see where they actually are. The map is all very well, but it’s cumbersome and not always easy to use.

This has been a source of frustration for me every time I use AirBnb but yesterday and today I have been clicking on so many locations that are not anywhere near the actual town/city I want to stay in.
So if the host could say: Maidstone, Medway, England, UK – it would be really helpful.
Or Aylesford, Medway, England, UK and not just ‘Private Room in Medway’ for instance. Where in Medway. Its like saying a place is in ‘London’ Yeah right! London has 32 boroughs!!

And if AirBnB could fix their location settings so that when I search for Aylesford I don’t get venues in Rochester, or Bearsted, or just ‘Medway’ coming up in what is sometimes a long list of venues. It’s quite tiresome and very frustrating. As you can probably see from this communication.
Perhaps include a setting for search wider area for people who have cars or are not bothered about where they stay.

But as a long distance walker, I have to be in a specific location and not having to travel by train to get where I want to sleep over. If there is no venue in the specific name; like Aylesford (for instance), then rather just have a notification pop us that says ‘nothing available in this location, do you want to extend your search?’, with a km scale like up to 5kms or 10 kms, that would be awesome.
Thank you,
regards
Cindy

I’m trying to plan my walk along the Pilgrim’s Way and it has been an exercise in frustration…for some overnights, I’ve just given up searching and will take the train back to my ‘home town’, stay overnight there and train back the next day. It’s a mission, and will cost extra and some journeys are over 2 hours there and 2 hours back, but it’s either that or not at all. urgh LOL

So yeah, a bit of a rant, but hey….its part of my life and we can write anything we like – sorry guys LOL

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Our crazy English language

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, tagged english language on August 24, 2020| 4 Comments »

🤔 Why …do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Why ……do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
EVER WONDER …
Why the sun lightens our hair,
But darkens our skin ?
Why women can’t put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don’t you ever see the headline ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’?
Why is ‘abbreviated’ such a long word?

Why is thesaurus only one word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do ‘practice’?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on planes? Why don’t they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport ‘the terminal’?
Why? Good question.
Now that you’ve smiled at least once, it’s your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (may be even a chuckle)….in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.. 🤔

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In summary

Posted in around the UK, news from around the world, tagged Coronavirus, covid19 on June 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Today is Monday 8th June 2020.
Boris Johnson announced 10 days ago that the lockdown would ease a little from Monday 1st June and we will be able to meet in an open space as a group of up to 6 people 👨‍👩‍👦👨‍👩‍👧 (not from the same household). Social distancing must still be priority and we must still keep 2 metres away ⛔️🧍🏻‍♀️➖🧍🏼‍♂️

Face coverings are now recommended in all enclosed areas 😷 to help protect you and others. They don’t have to be medical masks but just something to lessen any chance of catching or passing on germs. 🦠

The main message is still to keep washing your hands 🤲🏼 It’s recommended you don’t wear 🧤gloves but do use anti bacterial wipes, sanitizers or even better wash your hands 👏🏼

You are now allowed out of your homes to do shopping but also to exercise 🚴🏼‍♂️ as much as you want in an open space and currently with one other person from another household 🎾

Those shielding are still being advised to stay home and stay safe for now 🏠🧓🏻

On Monday Primary schools reopened 🏫 for Nursery, Reception, Yr 1 & Y6 ages only. They will prioritise the key workers children & the vulnerable first. You will not be fined for not sending your child/ren if you chose not to do so. Secondary schools are due to open to year 10 & 12 on the 15th June.

For everyone else parents are home schooling 👩🏼‍🏫 and teachers are doing remote learning using the internet. BBC bitesize is being used to help teach children who don’t have work or who want more help etc.

Some non essential shops will re-open from 15th June but details are yet unclear 💸 Takeaways are now open and some restaurants have adapted to offer takeaway services 🥢🍴

Last Thursday evening was the last 👏🏼👏🏼 for the NHS staff after 10 weeks of doing so. Standing united on our doorsteps, balconies and/or through open windows applauding and cheering for all our amazingly brave NHS staff 👩‍🔬🩺 who so courageously and selflessly battle to try and save as many lives as possible ❤️

The Excel in London (known as the NHS Nightingale hospital) currently hasn’t been used yet and has now been closed and will stay dormant until it is needed 🏥

There is still a shortage of PPE 😠

The new way to chat with friends and families has been by using apps like Zoom & MS Teams 👩🏽‍💻🧑🏾‍💻as well as the usual Whatsapp and FaceTime.
Live experiences are now available to watch anything from a live theatre performance 🎭, a safari 🐘🐅🦒 or an interesting chat in a museum 🦖

Petrol ⛽️ prices are currently £1.04 per litre for unleaded and £1.11 for diesel.

The current statement from the government has changed from Stay at Home, Stay Safe to Stay Alert, Stay Safe ⚠️

We are working towards lowering the “R” number and keeping it below 1. As long as we keep doing that then lock downs will ease 〽️We are currently between 0.7 & 0.9.

Tape on the floors at supermarkets & shops is a normal sight now 🏬 to help distance shoppers 🛒 from each other. Essential service workers & NHS staff are given priority in supermarkets at certain times.

Limited numbers of people are allowed inside shops🧍🏼‍♂️➖🧍🏼therefore queuing outside the store doors is the norm, 2 metres apart ✅

Businesses were told to continue to work from home unless unable to, then as long as the safety measures are in place, you may return to work 🚫

The Government is paying 80% of wages to all employees across the country who were furloughed due to Covid-19 💷 Furlough has been extended to October with employer contributions starting in August which some companies are unable to take advantage of so redundancies loom 😔

Cruise ships 🚢 are at anchor ⚓ while they’ve paused operations. Many airlines are still grounded ✈️ but any travel abroad must now be followed by two weeks quarantine 🔒

Parks are now open for exercise but playgrounds remain closed 🏃🏼‍♀️

You are advised not to use public transport unless necessary and if you do, then you must wear face covering 😷 A maximum of only 20 people are allowed on a bus at any one time.

No masses are allowed as churches ⛪️ 🕌 are still closed 🚫

Weddings 👰🏼🤵🏻 family celebrations 🥳 are cancelled for now.

Funerals ⚰️ are limited to only 10 guests 😪 all socially distanced so lots of funerals are now being shown online.

Entire sports ⚽️ 🏉 🎾 seasons have paused.

Premier League football ⚽️ has just been announced to continue from the 17th June behind closed doors. Golf⛳️ has now restarted in 2 balls. The Olympics have been postponed to 2021🥇🥈🥉

Concerts 🎫 tours 🚌 festivals 🤹🏻 entertainment events 🎭 are all cancelled and all theatres are closed for the foreseeable future.

If you are fortunate to have a neighbour who is a singer or in a band 👩🏼‍🎤 then you might be lucky enough to get some free entertainment live from their driveway or balcony👂🏽

Panic buying 🛒 of toilet paper, flour and pasta happened in the early days but now all are readily available again.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses 🏢 have switched to make visors, masks 😷 hand sanitizer 🧴 and PPE 🧤

Fines have been established for breaking lockdown rules.

You are still not allowed to visit or stay anywhere else other than your own home 🚷 but you are now allowed to drive to an exercise place (like a bigger park area) but preferably within 25 miles of your home 🚐 Public toilets🚽 aren’t open yet so don’t venture too far!

Seeing people wearing masks 😷 and gloves outside 🧤has become “normal”.

Air pollution has improved ☁️ Rivers are running clear💧 City & traffic emissions reduced ♻️ You now hear constant birdsong 🐦🎶 It feels like the Earth 🌎 is healing again…..

Until some people spoil it, forgetting how precious ALL life can be 🚶🧍🏿‍♀️🐴🐟🌳 and leave the area not as it should be, but covered in their rubbish no matter how big or small 🤬

Press conferences are held daily from either the PM 👨‍💼 or other government 🏛 officials. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths ⚰️

Total cases: 6.6 million

Total recovered: 2,729,955

Total deaths: 393 000 – 40,465 in the UK 😢

This is Covid-19, Novel Coronavirus 🦠 declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11th, 2020.

Why do I write this status?

One day it will show up in my memory feed and will be a yearly reminder that life is precious and we should not take life or those and the things we love for granted 💕

In these past 10 weeks, I have learnt that I can do without many ‘things’ but people, experiences and memories are to be treasured 💛

Be thankful and be kind to each other always 🥰

Stay Alert, Stay Safe ❤️

I’m adding this to my status so that every year it will pop up on my memories so I will NEVER forget the way the world changed in 2020 🌍

I cannot take the credit for this post as I copied it from somewhere else but it is so true!

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Lockdown Day 46

Posted in around the UK, gratitude, It's my life, walk 1000 miles 2020, tagged lockdown, Somerset, VE DAY, walk 1000 miles on May 8, 2020| Leave a Comment »

VE DAY 75

What an emotional day. Naturally as soon as I got downstairs this morning I switched over to BBC1. They really do the whole patriotic big commemorative event thing so well, and they didn’t disappoint today.

By 10am I was already in tears. Seriously, I’m almost certain that I’m a reincarnation of someone who lived during the 2nd WW. It never fails to move me – listening to and watching footage from that period.

Whenever I hear Winston Churchill’s voice I literally get goosebumps from head to toe and tears well up in my eyes. I remember my visit to the War Rooms in Whitehall many years ago. I was meandering around the rooms looking at everything when suddenly his voice boomed out over the tannoy with his famous “We shall fight them….” speech. OMG I was rooted to the spot, tears pouring down my face…felt a bit of a twit, but fortunately it’s quite dark down there and no-one noticed.

The Spitfire flypast over the White Cliffs of Dover had me in tears once again, and how magnificent the Rex Arrows over London….oh how much I would have loved to see them for real.

Damn you Covid-19…

During my break I walked around the village capturing images of the decorations and bunting, and one street really got into the whole thing with flags, and bunting, tables and chairs out on the front of houses, tea sets and scones, champagne and the National Anthem…I chanced upon that just as it rang out from a huge speaker on someone’s lawn 🇬🇧👏👏👏👏 God Save the Queen 👸🏻 ❤❤

I got in a decent 3.49km and managed to walk along as many cut through as I could find…..added to my Hadrian’s Wall challenge 👏👏😀

This evening’s programmes were equally as moving with snippets of interviews from around the country…its really impressive to realise just how many 100+ year olds there are in this country.

The Queen’s speech at 9pm was equally as moving and as always she was perfect; her look, her words, her delivery. How lucky we are to have her.

I compiled a short video of all the decorations and hope you enjoy it.

Stay safe, and long live the Queen

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Lockdown Day 45

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, tagged lockdown on May 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »

If I say I’m really tired, that would be an understatement 😜😜

So tonight I shall keep it short.

I’ve spent way too much time reading articles on Facebook and trying to keep up with developments and news, but my brain hurts. It’s all just going round and round, and at every turn the bloody government hack things up. PPE from Turkey- fail. Tracing app – fail. Care homes – fail. And the number of deaths keep going up.

I feel quite sad that we’re unable to celebrate VE Day tomorrow, but I dug around my client’s cupboards and found a flag that I shall hang out the window tomorrow. I saw a few out on other houses

So the current full moon is known as a flower moon and is the last supermoon for 2020. I took a walk up to the mound this evening in the hope of seeing the moon as I did last night but it was nowhere to be seen 😔😔🌕 Instead I got to see a spectacular sunset…bonus.

Late update 😀😀 I was already in bed and noticed how bright it was outside, so gown and slippers on and quietly down the stairs and outdoors to see the moon!! 👏👏🌚🌚 obviously not brilliant photos, but I’m happy I saw it

Apparently my grandson has started counting, but he’s decided that 1-7 are worthy of no more than a giggle, and goes straight 8, 9, 10 🥰🥰🥰👏👏

We had our weekly clap for carers again tonight and it was lovely to see everyone out. I was going to use my client’s bell, its huge and makes a noise, but I chickened out 🤣🤣🤣🐓🐓🐓

I did however go pit for a walk this afternoon but spent so much time on the phone with the agency trying to sort out my next job that I ran out of time to go far. I did see the lovely rainbow in the header photo though…🌈🌈🌈

Take care all…..catch you tomorrow

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Lockdown Day 44

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, me and Peanut, walk 1000 miles 2020, tagged fa, lockdown, walk 1000 miles on May 6, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Don’t miss this!! https://www.meteorwatch.org/iss-international-space-station-times-uk-may-2020/

So enjoyed watching Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs today. Wonderful to listen to calm, reasoned questions with no bluster or sulky undertones. I did enjoy his question on the statistics….he prempted Johnson’s reply and had his rebuttal ready 👏👏👏 in the form of a hard copy of the government’s own figures. Hah!!

I watched the BBC1 Michael Ball tribute to Capt. Tom Moore and cried all the way through. I think that, above all else, has defined the true spirit of people, and how one person can become the hope of a nation…he will go down in history as the little light in the darkness of this time 🕯

It was a fantastic day in Somerset, so I took myself out for a walk, followed my favourite route and along the way I stopped off at the corner of quiet contemplation…..at that point we had a grandparents facetime with the boo. He was meant to be eating his lunch…but that went by the wayside with all the attention 🥰 . I am so grateful to my daughter for these calls, they have kept me sane.

afterwards I walked around the mound, first the ramparts, then the moat, then I climbed to the top of the mound for a stunning view of the countryside. I will miss this very much.

Another 3.5km to add to my Hadrian’s Wall challenge 👏👏😄

The best news today was that Richard Branson’s begging bowl was not filled with money from the public purse – money that is needed for the public. However, my sympathies go to the 3,000 staff he is now effectively kicking out of his company. Let’s bear in mind that these same people have enabled him to continue to live on his private island, in the luxury to which he is ‘entitled’, but of course it’s not convenient for him to now support those same people, despite him falling into the category of ‘billionaire’. He has argued that the billions aren’t lying around in a slush fund, but rather tied up in paper shares….and of course there’s no opportunity in these difficult and trying times to convert some of those into cash in order to support his staff. He offered to put his island up as as collateral for the required loan from the government, so why not do that in order to support his ‘valued’ staff. I used to admire RB, but when a billionaire puts his hands out for a loan from the public purse, is when my respect goes down that stinky drain. I have 2 of his books in storage….when its suitable, I shall have a bonfire…they’ll make good kindling.

And so to bed perchance to dream….

Before locking up tonight I stepped out into the courtyard and saw the moon 🌕 so beautiful

Take care folks….

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Lockdown Day 43

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, me and Peanut, tagged apps, Coronavirus, Covid 19, family, lockdown on May 5, 2020| Leave a Comment »

I really really need to finish working soon…..I woke up this morning straight into a full-blown panic attack. Scary. I struggled to breathe and my heart felt like it was going to jump out my chest. I’m not sure why!! Is it because I’m beginning to feel really closed in (despite being able to get out for walks), or is it my underlying stress of travelling next week? I don’t know. Or is it because the true reality that life post-lockdown is never ever going to be the same again, is starting to sink in.

Frankly, I’m really glad the planet is getting a chance to recover, that pollution levels are down, and the skies, rivers and seas are benefiting from less traffic, and animals are enjoying the freedom of less humans. But it’s the underlying fear of being in contact with ‘other’ people who may or may not have been exposed to the virus, the fear of inadvertently coming into contact with a smidgen of the virus left by someone else on a bus rail, supermarket trolley, underground escalators and so on. My grandson, although he doesn’t know it yet, is going to grow up in a world where hugging and playing with his school mates is going to be fraught with anxiety, a world where he will be wearing a mask….the most sinister aspect of this whole scenario (besides the virus itself), the worry of hugging my daughter and son-in-law when I visit – the inherent possibility of inadvertently passing the virus on, of entering someone else’s house….are they as hygienic as what I am? Do we still hug family when we see them again? Do we allow anyone to kiss us…even on the cheek? Being tactile could be the death of them or me!! Fortunately I’m not a very sociable person anyway and seldom go to places of high-density gatherings anymore, but there are still times when BC-19 we could just freely and easily mingle….especially the many wonderful London events I used to attend. Will all the amazing historical events go by the board? The annual traditional events around the country? Will I ever get on a plane again? All of these thoughts jumble around in my head…day after day. I leave here next week. I know I’ve been absolutely militant about keeping the house as uncontaminated as I possibly can (even upsetting the district nurses as I’ve said before), but I’ve got to work again…a new client, at new premises….has that environment been kept sterile? And then there’s the fortnightly travel from ‘home’ to work. I feel like just decamping to a remote island 😜😜😜

The fact that the UK’s death toll is now the highest in Europe doesn’t help either. And I’m not even sure we can trust that the government is giving us the full picture. They did a sneaky job of not reporting the care home deaths in the first few weeks, leading us to believe its less than it was….I’d rather it was less, much less, but to under report the true situation is just dishonest.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-coronavirus-death-toll-highest-europe-cases-covid-19-italy-spain-a9499181.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1588669521

After all the misinformation and inconsistencies he has made so far in relation to the true number of deaths (under-reported) and the correct number of tests done by 30th April (over-stated), I for one will treat this statement with the suspicion it deserves: “Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there is “high privacy” in the coronavirus contact-tracing app.” So no go app… https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-uk-now-highest-coronavirus-21975258

I won’t be downloading it. I simply do not trust anything they say, anymore.

Anyway……

I didn’t go out today, decided to have a sleep instead….either read or sleep in times of trouble 😜😜 and afterwards I had a marvellous facetime call with my little family again….my grandson, albeit only 15 months old, is very astute. Normally either my daughter or son-in-law will give me a call and the boo will be with them or running around….but today Mummy was in the bath when she called and added Daddy and the boo to the call….he found it absolutely hilarious that he could see her in the bath and on the phone…..he immediately picked up the absurdity of the situation and went into gales of laughter. At one stage he closed the door between himself and the bathroom as if to say “I’m not getting involved in this silliness “. He’s such a divine child. We laughed so much at his reaction.

I’ve been watching the BBC1 programme ‘Life and Birth’ 🥰🥰🥰 its so extraordinary watching those babies being born, I cry each and every time. It truly is a miracle. Each time I see that little life come into the world, I’m reminded of the extraordinary day my grandson was born….being there to watch him make his way into the world, was an experience beyond all others. Truly we are blessed.

And that’s it really…a relatively quiet day…..cooking, cleaning, preparing cups of coffee and….et al. I love routine, but its beginning to wear on me now….5.5 days…

As a matter of interest, if you have the time, I’d be interested to know whether or not you would download this new app they’re talking about?

Take care folks and be safe.

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Lockdown Day 42

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, Health, It's my life, me and Peanut, walk 1000 miles 2020, tagged Coronavirus, Covid 19, knitting, lockdown, walk 1000miles on May 4, 2020|

Never in my wildest imagination did I think that when I started blogging my Lockdown mullings and meanderings, that 6 WEEKS later we’d still be in lockdown! And as yet no definitive date for easing.

My ‘work’ lockdown ends next Monday and once again, despite looking soooo very much forward to my family, I’m approaching the date with trepidation. 🤔🤔🤔😣😣

I finished 2 projects today 👏👏👏 1 small and 1 large.

I walked all the streets, roads and closes on the west side of the village during my break today- hoorah

Which brings me up to 24% of my Hadrian’s Wall challenge completed.

Anddd finally after 38 hours of knitting, spread over 16 months 😜😜, I finished the baby blanket my daughter ordered in 2018…..its been a huge undertaking and I didn’t realise just how much time it would take. I could have finished it months ago, but as it got bigger, so it got more and more heavy and my hands would ache after a few rows. The pattern rows took 8 minutes to knit from one end to the other, and the plain rows 5 minutes. But now its done and I’m so proud of it. It looks amazing… different perhaps to what was expected, but I added my own little twist by using up the oddments of wool I had left over from all the little cardigans I so lovingly knitted for my grandson’s layette. I’m not sure that people who don’t knit can really appreciate just how much goes into a hand-knitted item. It was a labour of love. I’ll post a photo of the full blanket once my daughter has seen it.

And talking of birth and babies….I just love love this story 👏👏👏 https://www.channel4.com/news/wild-stork-chicks-to-hatch-in-uk-for-first-time-in-over-600-years

I chatted to my sister and brother-in-law in Cape Town this afternoon. He’s making steady and good progress recovering from the heart-attack he had last month. Although considered a mild attack, its still knocked them for six and they are both in recovery….

I told my client today that I would be leaving next Monday and she’s quite upset. Bless her, she thought I’d be here till after lockdown is lifted…and at least 5 or 6 times today she’s asked me “what day is it you’re leaving?” and when I remind her, she says the same thing “that’s awful, I’m really sorry you’re leaving I’ve really enjoyed having you here. ” Its really interesting, but she has absolutely no recollection of the first 5 days….I’m still traumatized 😜😜😜 But I’m glad its all worked out well in the end. I try to never leave on a bad note, although that does sometimes happen…mostly cause I don’t tolerate abuse….regardless of the situation, and sometimes it isn’t even the client but the family who are the nightmare. Thankfully not in this instance.

I’ll miss village and the quiet easy days in the countryside, although I suspect that once lockdown is lifted, its not going to be quite as ‘sleepy’ as it has been the last 6 weeks. Already there’s been an increase in traffic and the nights are not as quiet as before. The neighbours have been lovely too, and today one of the ladies dropped off some lovely cupcakes

But on the upside, I’ll be seeing my family, and that overrides everything else 🥰🥰🥰

I saw some beautiful flowers on my walk again today and got to wondering which flower has the smallest petal …..I did some research and found this “The world’s smallest flowering plant, the Wolffia Globosa, has come in to bloom at the Tsukuba botanical garden in Japan. The plant, more commonly known as Asian watermeal, is so small that to the naked eye it is impossible to tell if it has flowered” – not quite the smallest petal, but the blooms weigh the same as 2 grains of salt. Wowww

One thing I am looking forward to as well is breakfast at our favourite cafe; Beaches in Broadstairs….

Meanwhile: Couldn’t agree more!!! Support small local businesses. I refuse to support Amazon as a matter of principle, but I’m going to double my efforts to support local businesses going forward

I’ve been following some really interesting articles about Covid-19 and our not so esteemed government. Hmmm. The fan is beginning to spin and the spin is not working too well…

“The countries that moved fast have curtailed the epidemic. The countries that delayed have not. It’s as simple as that.”

Dr Richard Horton, editor in chief of The Lancet medical journal, is even more damning: “The handling of the COVID-19 crisis in the UK is the most serious science policy failure in a generation.” https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/biggest-failure-in-a-generation-where-did-britain-go-wrong-20200428-p54o2d.html

“In the past 24 hours, ministers said just under 76,500 tests were carried out, a drop of more than a third on the 122,000 tests carried out on 30 April.” – let us consider that Hancock didn’t promise to continue with 100,000 tests a day AFTER 30th April….especially consider that they bumped up the number of tests done, with tests sent out but not yet confirmed…a typical ‘pull the wool over your eyes’ strategy…a one trick pony. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52522936

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/04/rival-sage-group-covid-19-policy-clarified-david-king?CMP=share_btn_fb

https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/coronavirus-government-complains-to-bbc-boss-over-panorama-show-about-ppe

In closing…. point #1 especially