Diary > Friday 7th August

[louisa maud]

I am going  be very brave and start a new diary

Very very hot here and not even midday

Went shopping at 8am and took my neighbour as I  always did before Lockdown,  my bill seemed very high but I paid it,  walked away and double checked it, I had been charged for 22 Cravendale milk,  I  had bought 2, so  I had to queue up for  a £38 refund, that was a bit of a worry as I had freezer things in my freezer bag  going into a hot car

2 lots of washing out under a large duvet,  I  have noticed white clothes come in streaked with yellow if left out  the sun to roast,  so under cover in this heat they dry nicely

Hope everyone feels  better today and can avoid their nasty neighbours like  I am  going to do, keep cool and take care, this weather is exhausting

Louisa Maud

[River Tyne Lass]

Good on you Louisa Maud for being the first today!  Thank goodness you thought to check your high bill.  That would have been awful to have paid for all that milk which you did not have.  I hope your other items didn't get completely defrosted during the time that you had to queue.

My diary:

I wake up feeling still tired but happy.  Today I am free - this being a day off.  I enjoy a cup of  tea with my breakfast and think this could now become a regularity as I found out yesterday that M&S toilets have reopened and the cemetery toilets have reopened as well so I think this augurs well that all public toilets will be reopening!
I go on the internet and go on RC and also check my emails.  I had told my sister in law about M&S toilets reopening and she had emailed back saying she knew that and had thought she had first heard about this from me last week.  It must have been someone else as I could not tell her what I hadn't known about myself.  Son also rings to chat.  I then went out shopping as I wanted to get something else to add to what I bought last week for my sister in law's upcoming birthday.
When I got to where I was going I went to library to query a problem with my card.  I had tried to order some books online but this hadn't worked.  I explain the problem and hold out my card to be checked.  The lady behind the desk says that they cannot handle cards but that if I write down my number and pin they will check things out.  She comes back and says that things are sorted and that the problem had been that I had a message that had to be read and it was this that was blocking me.  I was told that the message had now been removed.  What was the message? I asked.  Oh just something about you changing your pin.  But I haven't changed my pin I said.  Perhaps it was just a blip, she said.  I can now order books online though? I ask.  Yes, she confirms.  Before I leave I decide to ask - hope against hope - if they know when the local studies might reopen.  I feel I can't resist asking even though I feel I know pretty well what the answer will be.  As anticipated, the dreaded response comes - she says no they have no idea.  Then just as I am about to leave she says something totally unexpected!
She says that from Monday the library will reopen and up to thirty people at a time will be permitted in to choose books.  Whoa!!  Now this is extremely good news!!  I feel my spirits soar at the thought of being able to go to the library and browse for books.  Things are going so well!  Day off, beautiful weather, open toilets and now the library is reopening!  It suddenly feels like life is starting to go in the right direction again!
After this I go shopping  for gifts for sister in law and quickly find some things I think she will like.  I then go into a shop which sells books to have a little browse.  I feel like a treat for myself.  I am drawn to one book titled 'Wally Funk's Race for Space' by Sue Nelson.  It is a non fiction book about a female aviation pioneer who might have been the first woman in space if prejudice of the time had not prevented this.  From the blurb it seems that Wally, in her eighties, is going to get another chance to go into space.  I can't really identify with this type of thing as you wouldn't catch me wanting to be blasted into space.  However, I think I will enjoy this story about a woman attempting to break through the boundaries of her time.
In the afternoon I do a little catch up with housework then have tea and I am now on RC again.

[Gibel]

As not many have posted thought I would. I hope Louisa Maud your frozen shopping was OK and glad that you got your huge overcharge sorted.

The very hot weather hasn’t yet arrived to the north west and it was very cloudy still this morning. I coughed and wheezed most of the night until 5am when I dropped off! I was a bit tired this morning after 3 hours sleep. I did some Roots chat trying to help someone in an area not far from where I used to live.

The main event was I was having my hair cut, the first cut since the middle of March. I had to wash it at home and then enter the hairdressers via the back entrance and wear a mask. Three inches was cut off my hair and I look like me again. I came home had a drink and was so tired I slept all afternoon and could n’t remember what day it was when I came to. It was sunny by them. I wasn’t hungry and had a sort of picnic tea and have now gone back to bed with a book. Fingers crossed that I don’t start coughing!

[River Tyne Lass]

I hope you will feel a lot better tomorrow Gibel.  Hopefully, it might just be a cold/over tiredness but you might want to seek advice?   Even if what you have is corona related in a mild form they will likely have to track and trace via the hairdresser, I think?  That is good that you feel more like yourself now after your haircut.  Take care and get well soon.

[Caw1]

My goodness you have started early today LM! Mind you with this heat it's not surprising.... always good to check your bill... I usually use self check out so know what I'm scanning! Hope your freezer goods survived ok...

RTL - great to hear you've had a good day... if you're a library user it must be a great comfort to know you can get inside the doors! I usually download mine or use Amazon as last resort.... got a book to return but ours isn't open... don't think there'll be a rush for it as had to request it in the first place... enjoy your time off and the weather...

Gibel - hope you're feeling better and as RTL advises seek help if needed... always makes you feel better to get your hair cut...

My day

Not very eventful today... too hot to do anything outside reached nearly 32C by the afternoon...
Had intended to do some Yogalates but far too hot...
Retreated to my work room at the front of the house where it's a great deal cooler... carried on with pressing face coverings whilst still not too hot in there...
OH was busy with his jigsaw in the dinning room at the front of the house in between bread making...
Lunch was 2pm today so better than usual for bread making day! So hot surprised dough didn't rise instantly... but what do I know about bread making...
As always very tasty had couple of slices with lovely home cooked ham and pickle...
Continued sewing... got so carried away I sewed some of the rectangular ones incorrectly and had to undo them... drat...
Zoom time with the boys to do story reading... not sure they were very enthused as they were hot too ... but lovely to see them both and have chat with daughter too who seemed somewhat stressed!
Had a shower to cool down as with iron on, sun round front of the house and had fan on too was getting quite hot..
OH sorting out his golf for tomorrow and they decided it was going to be too hot... also some chap they don't know had signed up with them... actually had done once before but is a cigar smoker and not very thoughtful so none of them were happy but hard to say anything so decided they weren't going to play...
By this time it's gone 8pm and we'd not eaten.... pork chops on the BBQ with home grown veg...
Sat outside till dark as it was cooler than inside specially after OH had watered... watched the bats flying round... so still not a breath of air...
Finally inside and now O.H watching snooker whilst I'm on RC...
That's it really for my day... same as usual...
Bit of a worry to hear that three of our local towns are ' cause of concern' regarding cases per 100,00 .... good job we don't go near any of them and just seeing those in the village.... hope it's not going to become an issue as daughter and boys coming up week after next....
 Hope everyone else had managed to survive the heat with more expected tomorrow....
Stay away from the seaside as countless people there.....

Caroline

[Roobarb]

Louisa Maud, I hope you've managed to stay cool, it is quite exhausting.

RTL, lovely for you to be able to access your library again, I know you really enjoy your books. The one you have bought sounds really interesting. Great for you to have an enjoyable day off, you've certainly earned it.

Gibel, your coughing and wheezing does sound concerning, I agree with RTL that it would be best to seek advice.

Caroline, well done carrying on sewing in this heat, having the iron on makes me hot just thinking about it! As a seaside dweller I endorse your comment about staying away!  Apparently the photos of the beaches that our local newspaper had published last weekend had been deliberately angled to make it look as if people weren't social distancing when aerial shots showed that they were actually doing so. Disgraceful behaviour by the press but not really surprising.

[Roobarb]

My diary :

I think I'd been having a strange dream before I woke up this morning, I also felt a bit nervous about my upcoming lunch out. Each little step back to some kind of normality has made me feel that way beforehand but I've been fine when it actually happens.

Got ready to go out for my walk when I saw NN's daughter's car there, I really didn't want to come across the two of them. At that I saw them coming in on foot with the daughter's dog so waited a minute then went out, avoided going past her house. It was already hot, mostly cloudy, there were three cutters on the field so everyone who was out was skirting round the edges. The grass wasn't that long but the clover was really thick so a cut makes walking easier. Cooler through the woods but still pretty hot. Home by the same route.

Had a shower and washed my hair, painted my toenails and did full eye makeup for the first time since March, all preparation for going out for lunch. Then I got a text from my friend, very apologetic that she had to cancel, it was related to something very important that had to be sorted out. Very sympathetic to her but of course I was very disappointed too at at our lunch being cancelled. 

What else to do but the garden. Started work again on widening the border, the sun showed its face a little, too hot to work when it was out so got the chair and parasol out. Had a sandwich outside, kept returning to the work on the border. NN went along the path to the bin three times in the space of about ten minutes, one time banging around a lot, then doing something next to the fence where I was working. Again. Made up my mind to ignore her. Took me all afternoon but I finally completed the work and moved some plants into the new area, am very pleased with it.

Quiche and salad for tea with new potatoes. Have been experimenting with high lactose foods and using my lactase tablets, had tried a piece of this quiche previously and it was okay. I'd chosen the one with single cream, the other brands are all made with double cream. I can tolerate milk in tea regularly but cream doesn't go down well at all without the help of the tablets. I like coleslaw sometimes with salad but all of the ones on sale at Tesco contain cream, wish I could get the M&S one as it doesn't. No wonder so many people are overweight when there are such unnecessary ingredients in some foods. Please don't tell me to make my own!

Cooler forecast for tomorrow.

[Caw1]

Opps.... was just about to say what I use to make a quiche when I read your very last comment..... they are ver easy though... pre rolled pastry, bake blind for 15 mins with either baking beans on grease proof paper or another dish that fits inside... remove further 10 mins with nothing... for filling what ever takes your fancy then I mix half fat creme fraiche with eggs, herbs pour in grate cheese over top sometimes pop cherry toms on the top in oven for 45 mins and bobs your uncle.... plenty left over for snacks, lunches or another meal...

How you managed to work in the heat today in your garden beats me.... and there's me thinking pressing stuff was hot work! I'm sure it all looks great and you can stand back with pride...
As I said on other post sooo sorry to hear lunch was cancelled... hope you can have another go another day...

Caroline

[Mowsehowse]

What a shame your lunch was cancelled Roobarb, but the question is, did the application of full make up leave you feeling EPIC and ready for a photo shoot?  I do hope so.
Gibel I hope  you are feeling better soon.
Good news about the local amenities RTL, and an accolade for taking photos in the church yard... really helpful of you you to do that.
Diary such as it is...After the mist cleared it looked like being a pleasing day so we drove over to Torquay for a stroll along Babbacombe Downs.  Strictly that stretch of water is not Torbay, (might be Lyme Bay perhaps?) and was surprised to see 2 huge P+O cruise ships at anchor there.  The Azura and Ventura, sailing under the flag of Bermuda.  I wonder why as it is a British company surely?Wandered through to St Marychurch, and enjoyed a coffee in the precinct sitting in the sun, after which we had to take shelter from a sudden heavy shower of rain.  Then round a lovely little secluded park before returning to the car.  The water lilies are looking fabulous in the pond there and the squirrels were quite friendly in the hope of nuts, but we didn't have any with us.
Home for lunch and had a nice video chat with my friend in Cumbria, before sitting on the balcony to read for a while. It wasn't endless sunshine, but warm and pleasant as there wasn't a breath of breeze.  Evening walk along the front. A whole flock of house martins wheeling around despite lots of people, and then they  landed to peck at something on the tarmac. Never seen that before. There seemed to be remnants of grass seed when I checked the ground.
Have a good day all.