Cherry takes the reins

Cherryfudge

Things that I forgot to say in the above post: the broadcast on easing the lockdown wasn't really any help, was it? 'Be alert'? What does he think we're being? Send five year olds back to school - how are they supposed to observe social distancing, and prevent the virus travelling home with them to their families? Go back to work if you can't work from home, but try to avoid public transport (and you won't have any childcare). Nice one.

All it's doing is filling further beds in Covid wards, because people will die through accidental contact with the virus. It's just adjusting the stream so that relatively few fall ill at once. So stay at home and social distance as much as you can, people.

On a happier note, I mended a laptray that somehow got scorched. I got it when I broke my arm and had difficulty balancing things on my knee, but DH has adopted it now and it had begun to leak polystyrene balls so I've done surgery on it and there is now a nice ornamental felt leaf covering a hole that wouldn't pull together. Finding my felt stash has shown me how many UFOs I have but I need to work on one at a time.

Meals-wise, yesterday was 'chickenand' pie. The 'ands' were gammon, bratensauce, peas, sweetcorn, tomato, onions, spinach and carrots. Very veg orientated - can you tell I was having a sort out of the fridge? Especially as we had carrot, leek and broccoli with it. Today was much posher - salmon with pasta and sauce. Loverly. I really must lose some weight.

Cherryfudge

For the second morning on the run, I woke early so now I'm yawning but at least I'm up and dressed and making plans for the day.

It's a little warmer than yesterday so a run is in order, but not sure when to fit it in, how far to go etc. I have to do the prep for tonight's group study, catch up a bit on my course and contact work about the skills audit idea. I also got my guitar out yesterday. It was a gift a few years ago and has a lovely tone but I've hardly touched it. Oddly, I've not touched the piano much during lockdown either. I'm missing the sound of DS2's guitar, though, so I downloaded a guitar teaching app and did a couple of lessons of that. It's frustrating as the phone isn't picking up all the notes so I get marked down though I can hear I've played it.

Right, off I go.

Sun_Addict

I agree the latest guidance isn’t overly clear and very open to misinterpretation by idiots. I’m just staying home as much as I can. Fortunately my work can easily be done from home for that I’m very grateful.

Cherryfudge

Today didn't go to plan, but it got better eventually.

I remembered I was due on a webinar training session and a colleague had told me which video programme to use but when I went to find my login details, I couldn't find any record of my registering for the course. I did this while at work the other day but somehow it's no longer there. However there were loads of places left so I just booked again, only to find they must already have done a final check of participants earlier in the day and I wasn't sent login details at all. I tried ringing them but their phone seems not to be working (just silence, not even a tone) and there was no reply to my message to online help. I waited over 15 minutes in case anything came through but as it was only an hour's course there seemed no point waiting longer. I've booked for another session tomorrow so hopefully they will pick up on that. If they don't there's only one more run through of the course to try.

I've sent my email about the skills audit, with some help from DH who is far more diplomatic than I am, and later in the day had a supportive email from a colleague who had been copied in because of her role. We then had a long chat in which I discovered things may have moved along further than I'd thought and if we have nobody in our place of work (we still have one client that I know of) we will be redeployed and wherever we are sent then becomes our base. No decision has been finalised about closing our base down and the Unions are involved but it's a very unsettling feeling especially for those who have had bad experiences elsewhere or whose health isn't so good.

After all this I was pretty tired and headachey so I took my first painkiller in weeks which has helped. I'm getting sharp pains in my ear which happens when I clench my teeth so I hope that abates.

Anyway we wound down with some TV and a pizza then I had another wrestle with the computer as my friends couldn't get into my Z00m room and after about half an hour we gave it up and had a more successful Whats@pp call - apart from one friend keeping losing her connection it went okay. Might invest in a carrier pigeon if I get many more days like this!

My lovely neighbour has delivered the groceries - only cherry pie filling and pastry this time, but it will be a treat! I don't know what I owe her yet. I have also cooked some rhubarb so there will be wonderful crumble to cheer us another day.

So all in all not one of my better days but could have been worse. I'm thankful for friends who held on for our video chat, for DH's support and help, for my supportive colleague and a kind neighbour and for my prescription being ready to collect for free when I need it. I'm also thankful that so many people seem to be wary of venturing out and the weather staying chilly will help there too, though we've had the heating on again this evening.

Cherryfudge

I got into today's webinar without any problems and it was actually a very useful course. It was a refresher on administering medication so afterwards I showed DH a handful of screen shots highlighting how he should have been taking a particular medication (as opposed to what he has been doing and struggling with lack of results). He reported back that the new method feels quite different, so I'm hoping for progress!

It's not quite as cold as the last couple of days and I've been indoors too long so I went out and watered the garden. The pots are wilting despite a bit of rain. There are 40+ onions and all nine potato plants showing now, which I'm very happy with. I could do with much more ground dug over as I have lots of seeds (my family give me them) but it's a big job and I don't want to disturb any nesting birds.

I'm still a bit headachey from yesterday but my ears have settled down so no painkillers today. I really ought to go for a run, especially as there are less likely to be people about while it's colder. I've had a text to say my prescription is at the chemist but I'm reluctant to make a separate trip to town and I know from what the doctor said that missing a day of my main medication once in a while won't hurt as the body stores it. We will have to do an extra trip tomorrow anyway as we are nearly out of milk and will be able to get groceries for the weekend at the same time. Also DH's prescription may be ready by then.

It's a nice feeling to know I still have days off with nothing hanging over me! However I've not heard back from the person who unwittingly upset me yesterday and I'm not sure why. Is she waiting for me, and if so what can I say? I was genuinely shaken as the material was a trigger, but I did post an explanation to that effect. Ah well.

DH is back from his exercise and asked me how my run was, but as I haven't been, there's not much to say to that. 

Cherryfudge

The run is done, and was marvellous! It was the first of the C210K ones (confusingly, it's numbered as week 9, run 1, because it follows directly from week 8 run 3 of C25K). It's quite a bit longer but the jogging is broken up by short walks. I started on my usual route up the hill along the field edges but worked out I wasn't going to be able to do the very steep bit so I turned off and ran on the road towards a neighbouring village. There was a welcome coldish wind but the air itself wasn't too chill so I didn't suffer from extremes. The road had a gentle gradient, mostly slightly up on the way out which meant down on the way back - suits me fine. The whole thing, including walks, turned out to be just over 6K which wasn't as hard as it sounds. I've had previous experience of slightly longer runs leaving me feeling healthy and refreshed when shorter ones (like last weekend's) can be tiring. Apparently it's my age. As we get older, we get better at longer distances. So I'm told.  

DH was making corned beef hash when I got home so I roasted some random vegetables to go with it. Sadly I threw some mushrooms, a pepper and a carrot in the compost as they had been neglected too long, but it's nice to be almost caught up with vegetable cooking so I can put fresh ones on the shopping list tomorrow.

I had another go at playing my guitar after tea as DH had a Z oom meeting. Half the difficulties are due to having to get used to the guitar, the other half are making the app pick up what I'm playing. I have to turn the volume on the app right down or the phone can't hear the guitar.

We watched the programme on life drawing this evening. Having seen a previous edition at the beginning of the year we are very impressed at anything the artists come up with! I did A level art years ago and often think I should start again but it's so time consuming (and I have a lot to catch up on).

I'm just going to pay my neighbour for the groceries she got me (£2.84). Nothing else spent.

Tonight I'm thankful for the webinar working properly and being useful, for such a lovely run (and a few photos) and for the mature trees starting to come into leaf. They are always the most cautious. Now there are speedwell, pink campion and Queen Anne's Lace to enjoy along the road edges - beautiful.

Cherryfudge

The night before last I had little sleep and ended up coming down to the couch to play on my phone and try, unsuccessfully, to doze. In the end I did the ironing till DH got up (glad that's done) then went back to bed and slept till lunch. Later I had some long texted conversations with colleagues as our latest work resident has gone home and we are left with no one and we'd all been invited to an Important Meeting at work.

DH got the shopping (£29.15) so we have plenty of milk but missed getting the bread. We have enough for a couple of days though. I see quite an increase in shopping bills this week. We did get everything out of the freezer and made an inventory so we shouldn't be getting duplicates. We got laundry liquid even though I'm due a delivery of it this coming week: the extra washes for uniform have increased our washer use.

Last night I slept much better and DH and I went for a run this morning using the route I'd tried the other day. Another good run though it didn't kick the serotonin into play as much as the previous one. Then I had to go into work a bit early for the Important Meeting (mostly on Sky pe to allow for social distancing) - it appears we are getting so few referrals that they are redeploying us. First they have to do further risk assessments as we will probably be based 'wherever' for at least a few weeks and they need to avoid moving staff between bases as much as possible. I'm fairly low risk but some of my poor colleagues are having kittens over it because they have health conditions that raise the risk to them.

I'm in work tomorrow but not my normal late shift as we are officially closed overnight. By putting all on-duty staff on the day shift they are hoping to get some risk assessments done and we can get on with online training (and I can do the garden). Given that the 'R' figure is rising nationally and that this is attributed to care home infections, I can see why people are worried. On Sunday we are officially not open so I have the day off, then I'm back in on Monday to see if we have any new referrals.

Anyway today I had the meeting then got some garden jobs done while we waited for a manager to finish, and we all went home after the equivalent of half a shift. Nice to have the evening at home. Admittedly I'm wondering if it's too late to join the Union... several of my colleagues have done so recently but I don't think Union help is available when a situation has already started.

I had the chance to ask about access to the Skills Audit that has been given to those employees whose jobs just aren't happening during lockdown, but was told it will only be available in exceptional circumstances as they need us all to ensure enough staff in care homes.

On a lighter note, DH decided to audit the shed. We found DS1's first pedal car (an erstwhile bright red tractor or motorbike, I've never known which - now faded to dark pink) and a selection of nerf guns from about eight years later! DS1 says they had better go in the bin... he doesn't think he'll need them in the near future.  

Tonight I'm thankful for DS1 buying me a sack of compost as a lockdown gift, and some traces of communication from all my offspring, though DS2 hasn't replied to my questions about when he's working. What he doesn't know is that there's a wonderful café near his present accommodation and I was planning to get them to deliver to him as they do Saturday deliveries. Not if he is at work, of course - and if he doesn't tell me, I don't know.

Honeysucklelou2

What a thoughtful gift, to get you a bag of compost! Well done on week 9 of C210k - DD2 asked me to download the app after I learnt from your diary that such a thing existed. She is keen for us to keep going after C25K! I’m still plodding with week 3 but am pleasantly surprised by how well the plan builds in small incremental steps.

in_need_of_direction

Sometimes just getting up and getting something done is the only way to deal with poor sleep.  Unfortunately it’s not an option for me as it would disturb the furry one.

Cherryfudge

Another rubbish sleep last night - it was gone three when I finally fell asleep on the sofa! I can't work out what kept me awake this time but I still managed to get to work for 8.

Work was pleasant but the strangest day: four colleagues were catching up on online training wherever they could get computer space and in between this some of them went to see a manager to for risk assessments to do with potential future placements. My turn hasn't yet come: two or three took all day. Instead I spent five or six hours in the garden, joined couple of times by people who wanted a break from screen time. I hasten to add I wasn't in a deckchair: I've trimmed the shrubbery so it looks slightly more intentional, cleared some areas of path (moss, weeds, general grubbiness), mown the lawn, assisted someone to empty the dead plant tubs into the compost (and layered the spent compost with some dead grass which I then watered in the hope of something to top dress the soil later in the summer) and saved a few snapdragon seedlings into a tub so at least we might have a few flowers. There's still plenty to do but at the end of the day I'd done over 10,000 steps and I could see a general improvement. I did the laundry at work too, but there were only a couple of loads.

DH has been shopping for food and cleaning products which came to £28.90. I'm rather shocked at how much we are spending this week and last. DH says he hasn't been looking too closely at prices so we've decided that's the way forward. Normally I know which shops to go to for cheaper cleaning stuff but while DH is doing the shopping, I'll need to induct him!

Too tired to get much done this evening. DD turned up at the gate to borrow some flour: our family is enjoying sending each other food photos as I expect plenty of others are too.

I'm grateful for: all that time in the fresh air, visible progress and a safe environment.