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Lockdown Day 26

Posted in around the UK, gratitude, Health, It's my life, me and Peanut, tagged Camino, Coronavirus, Covid 19, lockdown on April 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

And another day down, another day bites the dust – will this ever end? Not for a while apparently…its so bizarre.

The numbers are just escalating and the number of people who are infected is frightening….somewhere, somehow, we are all going to come into contact with this thing…and no-one has any ideas….

Our politicians; not just the UK, are all just marking time and making noise….because no-one has a clue.

So lockdown till mid-May 😱😱😱 I simply cannot imagine how people are coping. I really do consider myself to be one of the very lucky ones…I’m working, getting paid, in a safe (for now) environment, I have food to eat (paid for by the client) and I don’t have to venture out unless I choose to. I have books to read, a window into the world (my phone) and my family are safe. I am totally blessed.

I spoke to my daughter today via facetime and watched my grandson playing in the garden 100s of kms away, heard him say Granny for the first time 🥰🥰🥰 and chatted briefly to my son-in-law about his job. He was wearing a pair of wellies I bought him some months ago and apparently he was walking sideways at first trying to get used to them. 💙💙💙 He’s such a funny little boy, so intent and so focused….when he sets his sights on something it’s like a laser….and he will not be diverted. He sometimes walks with head down, his hands behind his back and absolutely focused on getting to wherever he decides to go…looks like a little old man 😁😁 They’re safe and healthy.

Finally my walking poles arrived….but not to where they were addressed….no, instead they arrived at the ‘return’ address 🤣🤣🤣🤪 which fortunately I thought to have added as it’s my daughter’s address. So I shall soon be reunited with my trusty walking buddies. Gemini, I have missed you…wish you were here.

I finished reading the 8th book since I arrived here just 2 days short of 4 weeks ago…it was a different world then. This has been a rare luxury and I haven’t read this many books in such a short period of time for decades. Literally decades. I used to read vociferously in SA, and although I’ve read plenty of books in the last 18.5 years, I’ve not read 8 in 4 weeks 😁😁 a bit of a record.

Just before I hopped into bed I leaned my head on the windowsill to listen….to the sounds of silence. No cars, no bikes, no barking dogs, no TV, no music, no people talking….just pure palpable silence. Bliss.

I’ve been on Facebook for much of the day 😝😝😝🤔🤔 bloody hate it, but it’s so addictive. I follow a few Camino pages and every day I’m astounded at the number of people who seem to think that they can still walk the Camino this year. A common question is: “my airline has cancelled my flight for June, should I book for September?” Seriously, these people are living in lala land. If they could pull their heads out their proverbial….they might just realise that Spain is not going to be remotely able to deal with a bunch of tourists…pretend pilgrims. Ignorant…!!! So many people who are involved with the Camino have posted on the pages about the devastating effects of Covid-19 and how the infrastructure is struggling and yet these ‘pumpkins’ just don’t get it. Gahhh.

Talking of pilgrimage….I bought the April edition of Countryfile a few weeks ago and am just about to delve into an article about Holy Island and St Cuthbert’s Way. On my list of walks to do….I’m guessing that the Camino I planned for 2021 is going to be on hold…instead I’ll look at walking a few of the long list of UK walks I want to do, 3 of which are pilgrimages following in the footsteps of Saints.

Nothing much else to add really. I didn’t go out again today, had a snooze instead which is a treat. But I think I will make an effort tomorrow. I only have another 8 days here so want to make the most of it while I can. I’m booked to return in July for 3 weeks, and hopefully by then the lockdown will be lifted and I can venture further afield.

I’m looking forward to the return of blue skies….

Stay safe folks……

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Lockdown Day 20

Posted in around the UK, gratitude, Health, me and Peanut, tagged Covid 19, lockdown, NHS on April 13, 2020| Leave a Comment »

So I jumped from 18 to 20 and 19 didn’t get a look in 😂😂😂😂 actually I did pretty much nothing at all yesterday besides my usual on duty duties of cooking, cleaning, making the bed, washing, a bit of ironing, hoovering, dusting, tracking down a specific sponge and shouting at the tv….especially the bits where they report that Johnson is “so thankful to the NHS for saving his life” 🤮🤮🤮 Seriously. He’s going to get well, back in the saddle, and when this is over, he’ll go back to vetoing any pay rises for nurses et al and proceed to sell off the NHS….without batting an eyelid.

I also managed to get in some reading yesterday during my break and between chores…..and finished the 6th book I’ve read since lockdown…3 per week is not too bad. This morning I finished the 6th book after reading till after midnight….a real page turner: ‘Monday Mourning’ by Kathy Reich….

I tried reading one of her earlier books, Fatal Voyage, but there was just too much detail and wayyyy too many acronyms that I gave up after the first chapter and whizzed to the last 10 pages and boom…done…I got the gist of it without the gristle. This book, thankfully, was a lot less on the overload and a big improvement in enjoyability.

Reading is one of my favourite things to do and has been since I was about 4 years old. If my mother couldn’t find me, a look behind the curtains and there I’d be, lost to the world. I’ve often worked in houses where the only books are, mostly unused, recipe books, so 8ts been a real treat to find a house not only filled with 100s of books, but mostly books that I enjoy..

Some of my favourite authors live in this house.

So, since I’m here for another 2 weeks, I plan to read as many as possible.

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since I arrived at this booking, and although the first 5 days were hell, the last 2 weeks have been lovely. It’s not often I agree to stay longer than 2 weeks, which is the normal length of our bookings, but of course Covid-19 made its appearance and lockdown occurred…so here I am. I’ve pretty much walked every route within reach of an hour or 1.6km and back…so now I’m staying in, albeit going a bit carazzzyyy….and reading. I have however, on a few evenings, popped out at 7.30pm while no-one was about

The weather has been amazing and really beautiful, but too hot for my liking, so staying in hasn’t been too difficult. Its given me a perfect excuse to sleep and read 🤔🤔😉

Pretty much where I’ve spent my 2 hour breaks

Actually the weather has brought to mind my Camino in 2017 (gosh nearly 3 years ago 😱😱) I remember the heat in Portugal and how it used to absolutely drain me. Although I’m not a ‘morning person’, on the Camino I used to leave before sunrise so I could escape the midday heat….worked most days.

On the Covid-19 front, I’m guessing the lockdown is going to be extended. God, the statistics are terrifying and my heart aches for the families who have lost their loved ones. I can’t even imagine how heartbreaking its been for them, and especially for the families of the NHS staff who’ve succumbed to this horrible virus. I do hope this thing is under control ASAP.

Although it doesn’t quite seem appropriate with the current situation, Happy Easter folks.

My daughter is trying to discourage a sweet tooth do the bub doesn’t get much by way if sweets and chocolate but she conceded for Easter and got his this teeny tiny little bunny…he loved it. I’m still chatting to my grandson on a daily basis and it’s an absolute delight to see him running about the garden and the little play area his parents have made for him…he’s just loving the water play and sand pit. Hes getting to the age now where he latches onto a favourite book and insists he gets read to a dozen times a day. My daughter had to read We’re going on a Bear Hunt 30 times the other day 😜😜😂😂😂 I can’t wait to see him.

Other than that, life here has been quiet, I see and greet the locals that I see thanked the postman and the trash collectors for keeping us up to date. Lord, imagine if the trash wasn’t being collected!!! We’re very very very lucky and privileged in this country. Although we love to complain about all manner of little inconveniences, our infrastructure and services are par excellence and we really do not have much to complain about.

Oh, did you happen to see Charlie Steyt interviewing Bill Gates? Theres a lot of controversy surrounding Gates lately that has shocked me to the core….what do you think? I have to investigate further because I had no idea…..

Anyway folks, take care, stay home and please be safe….not a statistic

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Lockdown Day 17 & 18

Posted in around the UK, Health, It's my life, me and Peanut, tagged #clapforourcarers #coronavirus #covid-19, lockdown on April 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Whoops…when I logged on tonight I realised I’d forgotten to post last night…no loss really since I didn’t really have much to say. Of course by now we all know we’re on an extra 2 weeks of lockdown, and that’s no bad thing as far as the virus goes. Not so good for small businesses and self-employed and people struggling to make ends meet. Brilliant for nature though.

Its also really encouraging to note how many people are now being respectful and observing the travel restrictions and staying at home. Of course there are still plenty of numbskulls about….

Talking of numbskulls, ut seems our esteemed PM is on the mend and moved off of ICU….frankly I’m totally angry with him. He’s shown a total lack of responsibility by shaking the hands of the Covid-19 patients back in March. Not only did he contract the virus, pass it on to others, but he got that ill that he ends up in hospital taking up a bed that could have been used for someone who accidentally contracted the virus. He deserves a bloody good slap.

As for people who need a good slap….I saw this post on the BBC Facebook page yesterday, and frankly it bloody annoyed me…

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157648038407217&id=228735667216

How dare they now offer ‘advice ‘ – I hope that people in Wuhan can learn to NOT eat wild animals and to stop treating animals in such an appalling way in those shocking wet markets. Stop and ban the dreadful trade in wild animals….then you can offer advice to the rest of the world.

Lockdown Day 16

Posted in around the UK, book reviews, gratitude, me and Peanut, news from around the world, tagged Covid 19, Easter bunny, grandson, lockdown on April 8, 2020| Leave a Comment »

At the start of this lockdown, we were told it would be 3 weeks; 21 days, and therefore we would have been 5 days from the end…but with the number of deaths mounting and the daily number of infections increasing day on day, I very much doubt we’ll see the end of this before end April.

Personally, I’d be quite okay with another week or two of lockdown…it’s giving nature a chance to flourish and the planet to repair itself. However, the impact of this is going to be horrendous for small businesses. So many sad stories emerging…and its only going to get worse. Frankly I think it’s going to be a long uphill struggle for years to come and many are going to fall through the cracks.

Meanwhile, trying to distract myself from the TV and the news and bloody Facebook 🤨🤨🤨I’ve been reading a lot….did I say ‘a lot’!! Bit of an understatement really 😂😂😂 I finished the 5th book today. I thought I’d read 4, but no….its 5 in just over2 weeks….hmmm. Although this job started off really badly, things have settled down and now I have more free time, so I’ve been reading…a lot

Talking of the job, I’m halfway through and from tomorrow its countdown and I’m on the downward slope.

Andddd talking of slopes 🙄🙄🙄 I didn’t go out today during my break; too many people about, so instead I had a lovely long snooze and went out for half an hour this evening at sunset. I walked up the hill and onto the ramparts of the castle where I saw a stunning sunset. Not many people about thankfully, just a few dog walkers.

I did another quick video for my grandson so he could see the sunset where I am. The Bristol Channel looked a fabulous shade of blue on the horizon and of course I could see the coastline of Wales in the distance.

I had the best delivery from the mailman today….a postcard with a photo of the cutest little Easter bunny you ever did see ☺️☺️👶🏻💙🥰

We also had a very brief hello via facetime earlier this evening and it’s such a joy to see that gorgeous little smile. He’s such a little busy bee and doesn’t sit still for long before he’s off…here and there. Apparently they had a bit of a drama in the garden this morning…he was walking about with barefeet in the grass because he’s outgrown his shoes, and poor wee poppet stood on a thorn 😪😪😪 ouch. Too painful for words. Children give you grey hair 😉…..worth every one.

I was delighted this evening to get a reply from the albergue in Arcade where I stayed one night on my Camino. I’ve been really concerned for Miguel and his family but thankfully they’re all well, although really struggling with the terrible situation in Spain. I’m looking forward to seeing them again when my younger sister and I walk the route again next year.

So other than that, nothing much happening….I’ve got the grandparents WhatsApp facetime tomorrow to look forward to, which is always fun….4 adults all talking over each other due to time lags and the grandson looking bemused 😂😂😂

Its so quiet outside and just before I got into bed I stood at the bedroom window and just enjoyed the pure stillness….all I could hear were the faint sounds of the farm animals and the rushing water in the nearby brook. But what amazed me was that I could smell the very strong perfume of honeysuckle….not sure where its growing but the perfume was so strong. The benefits of no traffic….

Folks, I hope you’re all well and keeping safe. It was lovely to get a message from America on my Instagram today 😃😃😃

Take care everyone…wherever you may be and remember – April’s distance is May’s existence. Be safe

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School projects

Posted in family and relationships, Fun Stuff, Granny and Jamie's adventures, tagged family and relationships, fun stuff, school projects on April 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The village where I’m currently working is located in a very rural area surrounded by lots of small farms.

On the top of the hill, known as the mound, are the ruins of the Norman motte and bailey and a flock of sheep graze the fenced in area. On my daily walks I usually take a spin around the perimeter and collect tufts of wool from the gorse and brambles that the animals have brushed against.

I’m collecting the wool for any future projects my grandson will likely have to do at school….or maybe even at home. 💙👶🏻

I’ve cleaned, washed, bleached, softened, dried and baked the wool and now it’s ready to be packed away for future use 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

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Lockdown Day 8

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, Health, It's my life, me and Peanut, walk 1000 miles 2020, tagged Coronavirus, Covid 19, lockdown, quantocks, walk 1000 miles on March 31, 2020| Leave a Comment »

As we enter the 2nd week of lockdown it seems that finally the message is getting through to the last of the laggards. People are staying home 👏👏👏👏👏

Thankfully I love reading and although I was only expecting to be here for 2 weeks, I brought 3 new books with me. I can’t tell you how often in the past I’ve worked in homes bereft of books!! How do people not have books to read??

As it turns out, I’m going to be here for 5 weeks!!! And bonus…unusually for me there are hundreds of books in this house, and most are by authors that I enjoy…so I have a huge selection and choice to keep me going.

I finished the 1st book a couple of days ago and started reading another of my favourite authors…Lee Child. The Midnight Line features Jack Reacher and as with others in the series it doesn’t disappoint. I read until 11.30pm last night and until I couldn’t see anymore 🤪🤪🤪 it’s a page turner.

I had the joy of a facetime call with my grandson this morning 💙👶🏻💙 He’s ever so cute and developing so quickly. Apparently he’s started calling me nan nan 🥰🥰…still finding it difficult to say Granny 👵🏻 Its an absolute joy to watch his development and I’m in awe of how much he has grown and changed in the last 14.5 months. From a tiny, helpless baby dependent on us for his every need, to an adorable toddler with a very determined mind of his own….and if he’s deterred…he has a bit of a meltdown…a real drama llama 😂😂😂😍 It’s so cute.

I had a fabulous walk today. I retraced my steps from yesterday and went a wee bit further. The weather was perfect for walking. What a beautiful area of the country….although my time is limited, the Quantocks are right on my doorstep and I am so lucky. I only passed about 8 people today, we all waved, said hello and asked if we’re doing good…all in very good spirits. The path I followed runs right next to a bubbling stream and at one stage I was inspected by a very energetic little dog who had no clue about social distancing 😂😂😂

Countrywide the news is not good. This horrible thing is spreading so fast now and as fast as its spreading so our government is lagging behind. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. If nothing else, being in lockdown gives us a better chance to scrutinise what our government is doing and they’re not doing too fantastically. The medical profession are begging for PPE and other supplies, and the current spokesman stands there and talks 🐂💩. The current crisis is fully in their hands.

So here we are, at the end of another day and I am thinking more about how much I have to be grateful for….others feel the same way too

Take care folks, stay safe

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Lockdown Day 6

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, Health, news from around the world, tagged Covid 19, lockdown, online diary on March 29, 2020| 4 Comments »

So not only was today a ‘stone’ day but I also have no network.

Being a fresh air fanatic sometimes has its downside…if the temperature drops during the night you wake up freezing. Okay maybe a slight exaggeration, but yeah, damn cold. It was 3 degrees this morning!!!

I saw on Facebook a couple of my friends mentioned snow in their neck of the woods!!! Really?? Although it was cloudy here we still had intermittent sunshine. But evidently things were a bit different elsewhere.

I didn’t go out during my break for my usual walk today; just too tired so I slept instead. The clocks went forward today and required an earlier start to the day and besides that I’d had a bit of an upset in the morning that just tipped me over the edge and into a depressed mood.

Thankfully my client has been very pleasant the last 2 days and that has relieved some of the stress, but the news is so depressing and apparently we’re going to have even tighter restrictions…so tomorrow I’m out for my walk regardless.

I had a lovely chat with my sister in Cape Town this afternoon which was lovely and they’re bearing up okay… their lockdown is even more severe than ours and people are not even allowed to walk their dogs. Although it has affected everyone in the country, in a weird way the white South Africans are now getting a taste of what life was like for black and coloured South Africans during the apartheid era. Being restricted to their homes, freedoms curtailed, arrests for breaking the restrictions…I’m waiting with bated breath for what will be an inevitable blow up.

I’ve started a new book; The Midnight Line by Lee Child featuring Jack Reacher. I enjoy these types of books and of course reading takes your mind off everything. This is also one of those times that I wish I had access to Netflix, but no such thing here and the programmes on TV are terrible.

Perhaps I should get back to my book…

Anyway, another day has passed and life goes on…for some of us anyway. The rise in the number of Covid-19 deaths is quite terrifying. Its Its really hard trying to comprehend all of what is happening and it all feels like a very bad dream.

In case you were wondering the reference to the ‘stone’ day its from the John Denver song “Some days are diamonds, some days are stone.”

So take care and stay safe

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Lockdown Day 5

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, Health, It's my life, news from around the world, tagged ASDA, Covid 19, family, grandparents, grandson, lockdown on March 28, 2020| 2 Comments »

Lovely sunrise this morning. Twas a beautiful day in Somerset although as the morning has gone on, so more clouds are building up. That rain they were talking about perhaps…

“With the new day comes new strength and thoughts”. Eleanor Roosevelt

I popped out to the store as usual just to get more milk and bread. My client goes through lots of milk each day and I’m concerned we’re going to run out. Especially after seeing this posted in the walk 1000 miles group this morning:

Not sure how accurate it is, but considering the pattern of infection in other countries it makes sense. So far we haven’t had any cases (that I’ve heard of) in our neck of the woods, the closest being Taunton. But this thing travels fast, so…

This is a text from an NHS worker

“As of tomorrow, do not leave home for bread for anything! Because the worst begins tomorrow as the incubation date is met and many people that are positive with the virus start to peak!! It’s at this time other people are most vulnerable! so it is very important to stay home and not to be in contact with anybody, even members of your family if possible!! Being very careful is very important and very crucial at this time!!

As from tomorrow we are going to see the start of the peak of those that are positive, then there will be two weeks of calm and then two weeks where it decreases.

What happened in Italy is that they neglected the contagion period and that is why all the cases turned out together and so badly, plus they didn’t know what they were dealing with *.
And finally, please do not receive visits from anyone, not even from the same family. This is all for the good of all. * WE WILL BE IN THE MAXIMUM STAGE OF INFECTION.
DO NOT HOLD ON TO THIS MESSAGE, PASS IT ON TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS *

So forewarned is forewarned/ and better safe than sorry…

Isn’t it ironic that the very people who are meant to be leading the country during this time have tested positive and have clearly NOT been following their own advice.

To avoid watching any further depressing news I’ve been watching Call the Midwife….so much more palatable.

My daughter has given me permission to share the WhatsApp image she captured yesterday during our grandparents call. The wonders of technology

I had a spot of luck this morning…on my way back from the store I happened to notice a box of stuff on the bench near the clock tower. Looking closer I saw a note from a local farm; Inwood Farm, saying to please help ourselves to the items..free in order to not waste. I took a few boxes of chocolates and 2 boxes of biscuits and one packet of tortilla wraps. How lucky is that. There were quite a lot of items so I hope other people also got to share in the windfall.

All I wanted to do was sleep this afternoon after a bout of wakefulness in the early hours, but I forced myself to go out for a walk since if indeed the virus infections are going to peak next week, we may go into total lockdown and be unable to get out. So making the most of it. I managed 2.4 kms… This area is so gorgeous

Nether Stowey Castle from across the road

I followed part of my usual route and then crossed the road and climbed to the top of the next hill. This is reminding me more and more of the Camino 🤪🤪 It was very cloudy, windy and cold up there but oh, the views…with a fantastic view of the castle. From that elevation, 140.3 metres I could see Steep Holme Island in the Bridtol Channel. Stunning.

The steps leading up to the field reminded me of Box Hill and the fall I had that put an end to my pilgrimage in 2018.

I’ve just finished reading a brilliant book: The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid, one of my favourite authors. It’s the first book where she introduces Tony Hill and Carol Jordan of Wire in the Blood TV series. Now I’ll have to follow the editions and reread some of the later books I’ve already read.

Altogether a good day.

Hope you all had a fab day and are taking steps to remain safe. I suspect things are going to ramp up quite a lot over the next couple of weeks so please observe the protocol for keeping safe and try to not get the virus.

The very best to you all

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Lockdown Day 4

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, Health, idiot category, tagged Coronavirus, Covid 19, lockdown on March 27, 2020| Leave a Comment »

How absolutely wonderful it is to wake up to the sound of birdsong in the morning. Although I wrote a separate post earlier today, it has really stuck with me the whole day. Its such a privilege.

Pretty much a quiet day. Got all emotional watching the footage from last nights 8pm #clapforourcarers initiative on the news this morning. So amazing. Our NHS staff seriously are heroes in all this…them and all the other support staff: police, ambulance, garbage disposal services, street cleaners, postmen/women, and all the other people who provide the services that keep a country running. The UNDERPAID people/workers who keep the country running.

And of course ‘Breaking News’ – Bozo…I mean BoJo the clown has got a ‘mild’ case of the virus. Seriously. And did you notice that coward, Dominic Cummings literally RUNNING away from #10? So much for his ‘herd immunity ‘ theory. Coward. The skittles are falling….sadly we are now forced to watch that despicable dishonest creepy Gove delivering updates. Seriously. I can’t watch him. I switched off the TV. Even if he was announcing the arrival of the undead and giving us advice on how to escape I’d still switch off the TV. I’d rather slit my wrists. BoJo get well soon…all is not forgiven but I seriously cannot watch that horror….

As for Richard Branson. Krist!! What a greedy capitalist he is!!! Last week he tells his staff to take 8 weeks unpaid leave and now he’s asking for a bailout package for Virgin Airlines. I swear to God, if our government bails him out with money from the public purse I will never pay another blue bloody penny in tax. They can put me in jail, but will refuse to pay. The government is providing funding to small businesses and employees who lost their jobs and self-employed, but the money is on loan, its not a gift…so if they bail that greedy bastard out it would be immoral. 🤬🤬🤬🤬 But then again…it us the government after all. Urgh- moving on before I burst a blood vessel 🥴🥴🥴😂😂😂😂

The weather is really stunning at the moment although today it turned quite chilly with a stiff breeze.

I took a different route to the castle during my break; along Butcher’s Lane and then through the fields uphill and eventually into the castle grounds. I encountered 2 stiles enroute – my nemesis when walking The Pilgrim’s Way in 2018.

The countryside out here is really beautiful and again I have to remark on how peaceful it is without constant traffic.

It was very windy on top of the mound today, so I just walked the lower perimeter and collected some more tufts of wool for crafting with my grandson in years to come. Them nosy sheep came trotting over to see ‘who goes there?’ when I clanked the gate shut. Or maybe they want their wool back 🐑🐑🐑

Talking of my grandson….a total highlight today was a WhatsApp group call with all the grandparents of the wee cherub and his parents. He’s ever so cute and blew kisses to all of us. I do miss him so much and can’t wait to see him again after this is all over. My daughter and her husband are struggling a bit. She’s self-employed but only recently having converted from a PLC to self-employed due to changes in her company and future direction. Previously a social media training company she’s started focusing more on her photography business which was starting to expand and she lost a lot of commissions with this sudden coronavirus development. So lots of stress there. And of course she doesn’t qualify for the government offer due to the timing. On top of that, Baby fell yesterday and scraped his finger and despite careful cleaning, by this morning it was red and inflamed and required a trip to the pharmacy…in these times, a stressful excursion

I’ve been reading a lot more, trying to not watch the news. I did some scrolling through the channels…seriously is anyone else pretty much sick of game shows and Flog It et al? There’s absolutely nothing to watch. Krist I sound like a grumpy old lady today 😂😂😂👵🏻😠😠

Hope you’re all well and keeping safe. I’m glad I don’t live in South Africa….you’re not even allowed to walk your dog there. Not that I have a dog, but still. And no alcohol!!! That is not going to end well. My niece and her family live in Qatar and they’re not even able to get out for walks due to restrictions there. I think we in the UK are pretty lucky.

Folks keep well, keep strong and be safe …..and if you see folks like this lot, remind them they’re meant to be practicing social distancing 😉🥴🥴

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Lockdown Day 3

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, Health, me and Peanut, news from around the world, walk 1000 miles 2020, tagged clapforourcarers, coronavirus covid-19, NHS, sunshine, walk 1000 miles on March 26, 2020| 2 Comments »

Okay so today has been both bad and good. My client has been in a bloody strop the whole day and made life absolutely miserable. Urgh. 🙄🙄🙄

But it was a beautiful day so I went out for my daily shop and topped up a few items. Saw a few people about – we all observed social distancing but managed to have a brief chat anyway.
As usual I listened to the news, but it’s all so depressing and repetitive that eventually I switched the TV off and spent some time between duties to cut snippets of interest out the newspapers.
I’ve started a time capsule for my grandson; a record of interesting things: big and small that is happening around the world. I plan do do a capsule for each year of his life till he’s 10 years old…or more. Then one day I’ll give him the box/boxes and he can amuse himself looking back at history that happened during his life.

My break couldn’t come soon enough today and at exactly 2pm I stepped out the door and into the sunshine. A few people strolled by and again we were all very British and very correct about keeping our distance. It is rather nice actually, people behave differently during a crisis and whereas they might normally not give you the time of day, now we all say hello, comment on the weather (wouldn’t be in Britain if we didn’t) and wish each other a lovely day and stay safe. It’s all rather cosy tinged with a dose of fear.
I walked to the top of the hill and onto the castle where I saw that the baaaaabarians had breached the castle walls…

Baaaabarians have breached the castle walls

My plan was to settle into the nook I’d seen a couple of days ago and just soak up the sun, the peace and the birdsong…
Which I duly did. Not a soul bothered me.

My daughter called and we facetimed via WhatsApp ….it was lovely to hear her voice and see her face and my grandson is just adorable. So cute and so funny.
He races back and forth, grins at me and then dashes off again. What an absolute joy that child is.

After our call I lay in the sun looked at the sky and watched the clouds go by and snoozed till it was time to get back to work.

On the way down I stopped to collect tufts of wool scattered around and leaning down to pick up one such tuft I very sensibly put my hand right on top of some stinging nettles. That was 6 hours ago and its still stinging. Fortunately I had a tube of aloe vera in my pocket so rubbed some onto the area. It would have been much worse if I hadn’t. The reason I collected the wool is so that my grandson can use real wool to make a craft sheep….if he ever has to make one…

Back at the house, time dragged till dinner time and of course I watched the chancellor’s speech. Krist, hasn’t he learned how to be a politician pretty damn quick!!! Incredible. He’s slotted into the role as if he’d been doing this for years. Do they have a course we don’t know about? ‘How to be slick in 10 easy steps ‘.
Mind you has he ever been dumped in the deep end….I wonder what Sadiq Khan thinks of this…lucky escape or lost opportunity to be a hero??
To be honest, I know this is a terrible time and I worry about my family, but truthfully, I’m exhausted with hearing about this damn virus. The news is like Brexit on steroids.

My stress levels increased exponentially at about 6.30pm when I lost network. I couldn’t send or receive messages and I nearly lost it. My phone is my lifeline when I’m working and I cannot bear to be without reception. Especially at a time like this. It righted itself about an hour later, but my life expectancy has shortened.🤪🤪🤪🤪👵🏻

The 2nd bright spot of the day came at 8pm…ohhh my gosh. Thats one thing I love so much about this country…when it really counts, people come together.
I stepped out the door into the street half expecting to be standing on my own clapping for the NHS and our wonderful NHS staff, but no….the street was lined with residents and we clapped and cheered loud and strong for our carers. As soon as the clapping started I started crying and couldn’t stop for well over an hour. So amazing to see people out and participating.
And now the day is drawing to a close, I’m in bed and just about to put the light out.

I only managed a collective 1mile today but for sure climbing that hill to the castle must be equal to at least another 2 miles….its that steep; a good cardiovascular workout 😉 my excuse anyway.
3 days done 18 to go. Let’s hope this initiative works and we see a drop in new cases.
Goodnight all. Stay safe and wish you all well.