Cherry takes the reins

Onebrokelady

I do love a newly dug garden bed even if you can't see what in it 😀

Cherryfudge

No gardening achieved today but we had a long walk on a new route that J and L had told us about, which took us near H and A's house so we dropped off A's birthday present. They spotted us and called us into the garden so we sat on opposite sides and had quite a conversation. So nice to see them for real for the first time in weeks - it's only 29 years since I gave birth to him so it's good that we were able to mark the anniversary in person! Once we were safely out of the way they retrieved the present and card from behind the bin.

The rest of the walk followed a newly-marked right of way which disappeared on us and we ended up skirting fields and a small woodland. Along the edges of a field we saw lots of bits of glass and pottery, as if there had been a tip that had been ploughed over. DH made the most interesting find: a Bovril jar dating between 1930 and 1970. I found a chip of a cup with the NAAFI insignia nearly intact and a piece of what looks like old 'bottle' glass of the sort found in very old windows (or bottles). I'm quite curious as to how they all got there as it's not near where the town was centred mid-20th century.

We had a birthday Z00m call with everyone except DS2, who is working. Quite funny as J and L were in our garden on our wi-fi, while we were indoors. Tea was pizza (the first for ages, I had sort of forgotten it) and socially-distanced birthday cake.

I've just seen the news that US oil has gone into negative prices for the first time ever due to collapse in demand. A strange world, while UK Covid deaths are suddenly below 500 on the day, and the RAF is going to fly in PPE. DD's friend and friend's colleagues are all recovered (surely it's only about five days since we heard they had the virus?) and are already back at work at the hospital. My work has enough PPE for current levels of use though the situation fluctuates: the other day we found spare aprons to send to a local care home who were running short.

Spending
Housekeeping £7.30
Utilities £74.49 (first payment to new energy provider - about half what we were paying!)
MS/money wasting
(Note change of title ) DH has chopped up some wood from the garden for the log burner.
I accidentally put far too much milk on the shopping list so I'm going to make more yogurt.

Tonight I'm thankful for A's birthday and being able to see them, for a new walk and interesting 'finds', for my neighbour with whom I now have nice texted chats and for a sunny day.

Cherryfudge

Cherryfudge said:

the RAF is going to fly in PPE.

Well, they might, I suppose, but a hyphen might work better: 'The RAF are going to fly-in PPE'.

It's been bright and not-quite-warm-enough today. Week after week of beautiful days and clear, starry nights. It's exciting that they are going to start testing a vaccine so soon, though I know there are many vaccines being worked on so it could be this isn't 'it'. I'm also trying to adjust to the idea that we might need to wear face masks to go shopping. I hadn't realised the home made ones actually do have some virtue: an early conversation had led me to think otherwise.

J and L borrowed the lawn again today and I watered the garden at the other side of the house but I couldn't get my act together to go for a run. Laundry is done and dried: I've even done the skirt that's been in the linen basket since DFiL's funeral, waiting for a separate wash. Other than that I made a 'chickenand' pie for tea. Today it was chicken and gammon and gravy and leek and tomato and peas and carrot and broccoli (with broccoli and cabbage on the side too, and home made potato wedges). I got my five a day in one go!  

DH went to the greengrocer and spent £5.02.

This evening I had my online meet-up with three friends: we are getting into a good routine and did agree that this could become a new norm. On a cold wet evening in November when we would far rather stay at home in pyjamas and slippers than wrap up and go to someone's house, we can still get together. We probably save a few calories in chocolate biscuits, too. One friend is adamant that she's really getting to like being at home: she works in a café at a popular tourist spot so she can't go out to work at all at present.

Two more days off to go. I need to find something creative to get stuck into, not just computer games.

Tonight I'm thankful for time with friends, DH benefitting from lots of exercise and being able to see J and L in real life.

Seasidegal58

I'm so pleased to read you've managed some real life meetings with family Cherry.   The 'chickenand' pies are a really good idea to use up food stuffs!😀

Cherryfudge

Yesterday we had a message from DS2 to ask if we could put some of his things out on the lawn so he could collect. We couldn't find his plates so he looked in the loft (I've never had to disinfect a ladder before) but no luck. The rest of the things have gone back with him though. He did sit out in the garden getting some sun while we talked from a distance, which was nice. He seems very healthy, but later that evening I developed swollen glands and earache: far too soon to have got anything from him but it meant I had difficulty getting to sleep. It was a lot better this morning but as the day goes on the glands are a bit worse again. I took a hay fever tablet as the pollen count is high and that's cleared the occasional sneeze but not the throat. The people I know who have described Covid have had a bad throat not swollen glands and I've no temperature so I don't know what's going on. Apart from work four days ago I haven't been anywhere I could catch anything unless some very stray germ got me from a distance.

Sadly, we heard a former neighbour died in a nursing home at the end of last week. I remember her as a pleasant lady with a little Westie that my daughter loved. She was ill with dementia which seems to be a leading cause of Covid-related deaths among women. Apparently that home has lost 17 residents to Covid.

Before DS2 got here yesterday, I searched the loft for various things and found most, including my summer clothes, so I now have plenty of choice again. This will be a help when it comes to work as well as being a bit brighter than my winter plumage. I'm washing them as they smelled of storage, which never usually happens to loft items: hopefully there's no damp getting in.

I have run out of SPF15 moisturiser but DH wasn't able to find any at the chemist when he went to pick his prescription up so if he can't find something at the supermarket tomorrow, I'll order online. Prices creep up pretty fast when you can't shop around locally and have to pay postage and packing.

DH has made some savings, though. He normally has to get about three prescriptions a month so he's bought a prepayment certificate which is around £27 a month, over £300 a year. I think it's £105 for a year's prepayment.

I was being tempted by a £4.99 book but have found it in a compendium for 99p so now I have half a dozen books and £4.   It's Elizabeth von Arnim's 'The Enchanted April', if you're interested, in a von Arnim compendium.

I have some cooking to do, not to mention a mountain of ironing, so I shall disappear for now.

Cherryfudge

The cooking wasn't too successful: sadly my home made yogurt has gone off so I can't use it as a starter for a new batch. I did make a batch of banana muffins that I'm very pleased with (and which decluttered two bananas and some mixed dried fruit). I should have said we managed to get DS2 to take some food from his cupboard space yesterday and he donated his freezer items to us so there is marginally more food storage for us. We had some of the donated chicken items today: they smelled nice but were disappointing. No complaints though as we hadn't bought them.

I still have marmalade to make some time, and sweet potato and butternut squash soup.

I felt a bit off colour though so I went for a sit down and developed a visual migraine. I usually only get them when I'm tired so perhaps I got less sleep than my tracker shows. It certainly felt like poor sleep at the time. Anyway these visual migraines only last about twenty minutes and it seemed to help as the swollen glands are less noticeable now and I feel okay otherwise. I haven't taken any painkillers yet I felt up to doing a load of ironing while watching daily kitchen. I cried off an evening walk as there were a load of midges, but I think I need to build in a bit of exercise on non-running days.

A friend of DH's turned up this evening with a book for him so we had a chat: it feels unsociable keeping people standing outside, doesn't it? I am sufficiently wary that I didn't even bring in the washing that was on the line next to him. By tomorrow it will have had over eight hours with no one breathing nearby so I'll get it in the morning. It's actually been a day with quite a few conversations: DH of course, the couple next door as they had their lunch break in their pretty garden, L when he came to borrow the lawn, the neighbour from the other side who told me about the old lady dying, J when she arrived for her share of lawn as she remembers the old lady, and DH's friend. A regular social whirl.

I'm a bit concerned about a colleague who is off with flu-type symptoms and hasn't replied to a text, but she may not have seen it. I've heard that the paramedic down the road who had Covid is now back at work. I filmed tonight's clap for the NHS and key workers and sent it to DS2 who commented that while you can hear the clap, you can't exactly see anyone! What you can also hear is a lively rendition of 'Scarborough Fair' by a talented musician, and I missed recording what sounded like an Elvis-singalong in the other direction. Will Thursday night mini street parties become a feature, I wonder?

Tonight I'm thankful for the NHS ( ), for seeing people in real life, for yet more sunny weather and for the toothbrush charger being delivered at long last.

Cherryfudge

Today is warm and sunny so guess who didn't get out for a run till the middle of the day? No lunchtime crowds though, so very enjoyable. I'm going a little further and the mid-point is now up a very steep bank so distant observers would probably have thought I walked that bit.  

DH has fetched the shopping: £41.85. We are saving over £20 a week compared to pre-lockdown, though he's still got to get potatoes. I can only assume this is what happens when I keep away from the supermarket.

DH couldn't find a moisturiser for me so I'll order one... it wasn't very fair asking him to look for it really when he's never had to buy it before.

The swollen glands are all-but gone today, so I don't know why I had them. Any other time and it wouldn't have been worth worrying about. I've started to check my blood sats (I have a pulse oximeter from a couple of years ago) as I heard that a fall in sats is an early sign of Covid reaching a problem stage - mine are fine. Combined with DH having to take his blood pressure twice a day, we are a right pair of obsessives.  

Hey ho, hey ho, it's off to work I go.

greenbee

Hope work goes well.
Obviously as you're out and about you need to be cautious. I found that I have to ignore some messages and posts from friends, as otherwise I'm in danger of developing hypochondria! I had chest pains the other day and was worried until I realised I'd done press-ups in Pilates for 3 days in a row and a chest session in yoga!

Cherryfudge

Crumbs, greenbee - no wonder you hurt! At least it was in a good cause.

The shift went okay: we have a couple of new residents but just the two and probably won't get anyone else over he weekend. I haven't heard anything from the colleague who went sick a few days ago and am also concerned about someone who went on leave and hasn't returned. However I feel I'm starting to get the hang of things. I was unexpectedly shift lead today but had a good team and we got there. Am rather pleased with myself for remembering the procedure for controlled drugs, as it's been a few years since I've had to use it. Am even more pleased with myself for keeping my mask on all the time when near others! People forget, at least in my work environment.

I think I deserve indigestion tonight as I was hungry when I got in and had half a fruit teacake, a slice of toast with margarine and chocolate spread, a banana muffin, a hot chocolate and a beetroot! Got to eat more veg...

Tonight I'm thankful for being able to 'keep to the rules' with my mask, having access to nice food even if at the wrong time of day and for yet another sunny day. I've just read that 2020 was the wettest February since 1903, and yet it's not rained here in weeks.

Cherryfudge

This morning was grey and quiet cool and for some reason I woke early and couldn't get back to sleep. Having wasted a lot of the morning I managed to pull myself together, put on a warm jacket and went out to repot some plants. My favourite geranium, two succulents and a couple of potatoes now have accommodation. I had been looking at buying potato bags (the sort you plant potato plants in) but ended up repurposing the bag that the cactus compost came in, and a flower pot which probably isn't big enough but will do for now.

Then the sun came out and I had a chat with my neighbour (the one with the lovely garden) and DH cooked lunch (salmon with some very nice sauce I bought on the market a couple of months ago).

Work was okay: I'm getting sort of used to the new regime. There's a shift going on Tuesday and I'm wondering whether to take it, or stay home and be safe? I may wait to see how busy things are at the beginning of the week as they may not need much cover if it's all quiet, or it might be full-on. I think our payslips will be in and I know my manager has agreed my increment so I should have some money coming but I've not looked yet.

Apart from repurposing the compost bag and finally planting a couple of sprouted potatoes, my only decluttering has been half a bag of brie and cranberry flavour crisps that we must have put away for going to visit someone at Christmas and forgotten. They are still remarkably crunchy but a strange flavour!

This evening I'm thankful for work going okay and the sun coming out again, for a really yummy dinner and lots of nice reading to look forward to.