Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

I fitted in a run before the church service, and have felt the benefit for the rest of the day. Perhaps I need to give the Joe W!cks workouts another try as a good bit of cardio is undoubtedly helpful. I can feel I'm quite a bit fitter than I was, not only in the legs, heart and lungs but I'm more toned up and my mental health is more resilient when I've been running - but running every day doesn't give me recovery time.

The midday service was only about 15 minutes and was largely from people's lounges instead of the usual Good Friday Market Cross. This, however, was set as the background to one scene but must have been filmed the other day. Either that or the weather was a lot sunnier half a mile down the road!

I've spent the afternoon between the garden and the computer but I haven't touched my course today. I can see I'm going to run out of time on this one, too. However three hours in the garden has paid off: there is quite a bit less ivy and some more dead stuff is pulled out. Some of it went to light the fire this evening. It was a workout in itself though not at speed, just plenty of bending and pulling.

I was starting to get anxious about DS2 until he sent some texts and I realised he must be on a day off today. He asked me why his rosemary plant is dying! It doesn't look as though it's been watered so I've told him to soak it and let it drain fully. I hope that's all it is, but it does look dehydrated.

This evening I'm thankful for contact with all the children, for the opportunity to work in the fresh air and for my kind neighbour who got us tins of fruit in her grocery order.

Cherryfudge

A birthday gift bought today (£39), online like so much will be for a while. Also repaid my neighbour for the groceries she got for us (housekeeping = £4.20).

I've done a little more in the garden but we lent it to J and L again for the afternoon and they stayed in the sun as long as possible, moving to keep ahead of the shadow as the sun started to go down! We had a bag of goodies for them: J's birthday present (two days late), a piece of post addressed to her that came to us, an Easter card and a largish Easter egg to share.

We mostly managed not to go to the shops but DH needed diesel so he picked up some milk for me at the garage. That means we don't have to shop for a few more days.

I worked quite hard on my course but I'm not even half way through and it finishes tomorrow! When I took it before, people were saying there was too much information for the time allotted, but they've added a significant amount of quite heavy new material since then, without lengthening the course, and there is mention that they are working on more material to add for the next time it's released. It's really interesting so I hope to have yet another attempt one day!

I nearly chickened out of exercise altogether today. If I can't run, I don't want to do anything. However I dragged myself out for a walk this evening and ended up staying out over an hour. Everything was tranquil and there were very few people. I explored a new track leading into fields and found the imprint of deer hooves in the dry mud, sent a recording of birdsong to my sister who seems to miss English birds, and then had a walk round some of the streets near us while no one was about. I haven't been there for a couple of weeks. I'm glad I went as I got some lovely photos and feel better for stretching my legs.

Tonight I'm thankful for being able to share our garden, for  a tiny drop of rain overnight but a warm, sunny day today, for seeing deer tracks so close to home, for being able to walk without having to go near people. I'm very closeted as long as I'm not in work or reading the news: it must be so hard for so many people and I wish I could share some of my freedoms with someone.

Cherryfudge

Happy Easter all! Even in these dire times it's a season of hope.

Online church was disrupted by some technical glitches this morning but they got it back together and we caught up on YouTube later. Perhaps YouTube was a bit overwhelmed by all the hundreds or thousands of Easter morning services?

I've managed a bit more in the garden, but am currently wrestling a dense net of ivy hidden behind some thorny gooseberry bushes, so progress has been slow. DH has taken some raspberry canes, muscari and a tiny variegated bush that I think is called a spindle, to H and A's, as part of his walk. I haven't managed any exercise or study, just plenty of baking: a sundried tomato and parmesan loaf, carrot muffins and date and walnut scones.

So I suppose I have decluttered two containers of flour, one of sundried tomatoes and three plants.

Nothing spent though.

Onebrokelady

Sounds like a lovely day Cherry,I'm not a church goer but I must say I'm impressed how they have managed to carry on and use technology to make sure the services can go ahead, it must be reassuring to be able to have that constant at the moment 

Cherryfudge

Onebrokelady said:

Sounds like a lovely day Cherry,I'm not a church goer but I must say I'm impressed how they have managed to carry on and use technology to make sure the services can go ahead, it must be reassuring to be able to have that constant at the moment 

It's lovely to see familiar faces and hear from them too OBL, and be reminded of the things that help hold us steady. I think many faith communities are doing similar - though I wonder how many are turning up to services in their pyjamas!

Onebrokelady

I watched part of the Click report on the BBC news this morning and they had a piece on there about how churches are using technology to live stream their services, they were talking to the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and he has done a service too,I think pjs would be ok but they would have to be your Sunday best pjs 😀

Cherryfudge

Onebrokelady said:

I watched part of the Click report on the BBC news this morning and they had a piece on there about how churches are using technology to live stream their services, they were talking to the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and he has done a service too,I think pjs would be ok but they would have to be your Sunday best pjs 😀

Ooh, an excuse to treat myself to some new ones: 'These are my church PJs, that is my ordinary church PJs. My Easter church PJs are daffodil yellow!'

Work this morning was quiet again... one patient only, but not the same one as the other day. I went for my run as soon as I got back (definitely needed a sweatshirt, it's been so cold today!) then put the washer on but have lounged around since then. We had a Z00m call with all the family before tea, which was nice. Later A gave DH a tutorial in Z00m which I will benefit from tomorrow when I have to do another video meeting with friends.

It's nice to have another couple of days off though work has been fine. This huge run of extra days off comes to an end now as my leave carried over from the last financial year is used up.

DH has been thinking about his future: because he's at medium risk he shouldn't be out to work, but in the longer term he intends to go back to work. However as things are neither his previous job nor the one he was due to start in April is an option. That means he would have to work from home in the short term - possibly in the medium term. He has skills but is the economy going to have the disposable income for them to be in demand? He is going to start job hunting tomorrow, though I've suggested that he look into whether his previous employer would furlough him. He had enquired about staying on before he left but all was in upheaval and he never heard back.

Nothing spent today, no gardening done, no decluttering. Life is simple! Dinner was curry from the freezer supplemented with chicken and an assortment of veg, but I think DH will have to go shopping again tomorrow, unless I do.

For now I'm going to get a good night's sleep. (We swapped to a lighter-weight duvet and both slept better for it - but now the weather is cold again!)

Today's thanks: Seeing all the family, all in good spirits and well. Having face masks for work. Cracking the 20 minute barrier on my run (very slowly ). Being able to put the central heating on and be snug this evening. A warmer weather forecast over the next few days.

Seasidegal58

I've caught up with you Cherry and glad all is going well.  I always find your diary a very peaceful read and enjoy it very much. 

The church across my road rang out the bells on Easter Sunday.  It was lovely to hear them. 

Cherryfudge

Seasidegal58 said:

I've caught up with you Cherry and glad all is going well.  I always find your diary a very peaceful read and enjoy it very much. 

The church across my road rang out the bells on Easter Sunday.  It was lovely to hear them. 

Oh thank you Seasidegal58, what a nice thing to say.

I love church bells too, though I'd never be co-ordinated enough to ring. From what I've seen of it, it's quite an athletic pastime, and quite competitive!

It's been a stay-at-home day today with rather a lot of messing about on the computer and reading school stories (:D) but in the afternoon DH went out for a walk and to the supermarket and I sorted some kitchen cupboards. I've also been trying (and sadly throwing out) pots of out of date yeast, but DH has managed to buy me some more! No flour available today but I still have some in. A colleague explained that it's not a shortage of flour but of flour bags. She says the companies have to make the huge industrial bags as well as small ones and if it's their week for the industrial ones then the shops get low on domestic ones. Someone commented that she'd run out of flour and would be quite happy with a bakery-sized bag!

DD sent a message this morning to say one of her best friends has tested positive for the virus. She's a student nurse and I've known her since she was about seven. She has had the temperature and sore throat so she must be a few days into it.

DH spent £41.11 on the shopping which included some Easter eggs as they are now being sold off. He also bought a couple of sponge puddings as a change from our usual tinned fruit, but I think I might have spoilt his good idea a bit by telling him I make them often at work. He was a bit disappointed with the ones he'd bought so perhaps I need to make some here too. They must only cost pence (and it's been nice feeding patients with them as a bit of home cooking seems popular).

The garden is making a little progress: some more ivy has been added to the Ivy Mountain (which is now more than knee height) and the rest of the first batch of onions is sown, with that border made slightly wider to accommodate them. I'm inordinately please with the look of that neat rectangle, which has neither potatoes nor onions to show yet but looks the part. I'm wondering whether to put some colourful flowers along the front of it to add colour.

I managed to get Z00m working with DH as my technical advisor, so I met up online with a couple of friends this evening. Nice to see familiar faces, even if I can't offer advice on home hair cuts! One of my friends has the sort of cut that takes maintenance and she's sent a 'missing you' text to her hairdresser!

Spending
It's been a spendy day.
Household (I finally got a replacement shaver adaptor since DS2 went off with ours three weeks ago and I can't charge my toothbrush up any more!) £2.49
Housekeeping £41.11
Paid off CC for A and J's birthday presents - accounted earlier but £75.53.
Another e-book £0.99. 

Nothing much money-saving: I queried a random 22p from my account but it turns out I had had 77p left on an A mazon gift card last week which went towards a book I bought and the 22p was the balance which had taken a while to show up due to the Easter weekend. So nothing lost or gained really. I'm hoping all the onions will be MS but as I'm planting them far later than it says on the packet I think they may well be mini onions.

Tonight I'm thankful for the internet to keep up with friends, for the progress in the garden which is finally clearly visible and for a warmer day than yesterday.

Honeysucklelou2

Ah, so that explains why no flour is available. Shame they don’t sell larger bags in the supermarkets.