Diary > Sunday 3rd January

[Roobarb]

The snow and rain had gone when I got up and a little later the sun came out. Once again I decided I'd go for a walk before the heavy rain that was forecast arrived, I wasn't even bothered if I got a bit wet, I was just desperate to get out. Another route mainly around the walkways as the field was like a swamp again but I did manage to walk through the woods. It was so lovely to be out and about in the fresh air and I stayed dry.

After some of the daily small chores I had lunch, some of my homemade red pepper and tomato soup with some lovely seeded bread, full of fibre and goodness. And my daily apple.

Did a bit more to the watercolour painting then some more sorting out in the big drawer. Got caught up in reading some old paperwork so didn't get as far as I might have but I'm getting there. I don't think I did much after that. Chicken curry for tea with wholegrain rice, followed by my usual dessert of berries and plain yogurt.

The heavy rain never did arrive, just a brief shower. Most of the neighbours have taken their Christmas lights down.

Nothing much on TV, I've been thinking for days that it was Sunday and now it actually was. Looked on iPlayer and found the BBC adaptation of  Black Narcissus, a friend had recommended it, I watched the first two episodes, pretty good.

No good news for the country, cases continuing to spike and talk of a total lockdown. The one thing that would have a significant effect would be if everyone used some commonsense and acted responsibly. Why can't the people who don't do so see that it's their own actions that are leading to the restrictions they're rebelling against? I despair.

[DianaCanada]

Roobarb: good to hear you got a good walk in.  We have a huge municipal park at the bottom of our street that I often walk in, although lately the streets are full of frozen slush, so will see how it is tomorrow.  The park is in tiers, the lowest walking area runs along the river.  A wonderful park and am very glad we moved to this neighbourhood when we came here.
It was snowing when I took the dog out at 6:30 this a.m. and continued to snow for a few hours and looked lovely on the trees but as the day warmed up it got wetter and sloppier.  It is warm here for January. We should be going into our deep freeze now, January and February. No flowers peeking through until April.  I don’t mind if we do avoid the deep freeze!
Usual day in COVID times. Some complaints about the vaccine not being rolled out fast enough, and of government ministers leaving the country for vacations  . Hope they don’t get re-elected!
Did some work, some family history, jigsaw, and a bit of reading.  Recorded my last 2020 book - I read 60 books in 2020, five more than 2019.  I thought I would read more, but I think my concentration span is weaker!
Had a nice chat with a friend who lives only minutes away by car - I told her I got trekking poles for Christmas and she said she has some that her physiotherapist recommended, so we will go together, probably not until after the lockdown which ends in three weeks, weather permitting!

[Annette7]

Not a great deal to report - a pretty miserable couple of days weatherwise but binmen did finally empty our bin on Saturday.   However, literally overnight suddenly our blue bin is full to overflowing.   Due to be emptied on Wednesday so will hang on to my stuff for the blue bin until it's been emptied.   On Saturday when I placed my rubbish in the now emptied black bin was talking to a couple of neighbours - lady in flat 2 only moved in a few weeks ago and said that she believes that the shop next door to our property are dumping a lot of their stuff in our bins.   She's often up during the night being a light sleeper and is positive that someone from the shop is the culprit dumping stuff in our bins.   Another of our neighbours has a camera which points to the rear of our property so will have to ask him to have a look for us to see if he can confirm this.

Woke today with a bad head so took some paracetamol and crawled back to bed.   Woke a few hours later with the phone ringing but could hear that whoever it was left a message.   In the end I got up and discovered it was my cousin from Dorset.  Whilst playing her message my mobile which was in another room started ringing.   When I picked up the phone it stopped and my home phone started ringing.   Well, although showing it was my sister calling it was actually my brother in law using her phone.   This went on for over 5 minutes, first one phone then the other.  When I went to answer one the other would ring and if I tried to phone back I got an engaged signal.   Felt like I was going crazy.   Finally got through only to be told by b-in-law it was because they were worried something had happened to me.   Apparently my cousin had phoned my sister immediately after calling me and had assumed because I hadn't answered that I must have been over at my sisters.  Having been told I wasn't there was when my b-in-law had started phoning on both my phones!   If my cousin had phoned me 2/3 times and not been able to get me I could understand why they felt the need to check on me but just one call I hadn't answered caused panic.   When I explained to my b-in-law that I had a bad head he apologised but said it was from good intentions.   I tried to explain that me not answering one call could be due to many reasons i.e. in the bathroom, washing my hair, talking to a neighbour outside. taking rubbish to bin, or, as in this instance, in bed with a bad head - one call not being answered by me shouldn't have necessitated such a panic literally just a few minutes later. 

Stayed up after then although still had the headache.   

Babies doing well - Macy off all monitors and is feeding orally, Darcy still on slight oxygen and has been having full feeds, just needs to feed orally full time now.  Whilst slower than her sister she is getting there.   

I honestly thought today that Boris was going to say children shouldn't return to school tomorrow (we in tier 4) but he said the opposite.   However, my niece is not sending back 10 year old Esmae - she can't afford the risk as her school had COVID in December.   If Esmae brought it home would mean that the whole family would have to isolate for 10 days, during which they couldn't see the babies.  My nephew and wife are not sending back their 4 girls tomorrow either - I certainly don't blame them.   When you are in tier 4 why are some schools closed and not others?   It makes no sense - with further lockdown restrictions about to be announced (probably tomorrow from what I've heard on the news) it makes no sense at all.

So not exactly a good day for me - at least my headache is lifting now (now that I'm off to bed).

Annette   

[Caw1]

Roobarb - glad you were able to get out for a walk, it certainly lifts the spirits..
You’ve not mentioned the subject of your water colour I don’t think... is your vase finished now after your acrylic pouring?
No, it’s not good news regarding the behaviour of some people and if only they could see that’s it’s affecting everyone and stop being selfish!

Diana - glad you’ve been able to get out too, useful to have a park nearby... snow is lovely when it’s fresh , pity it turns slushy...
Always interesting to hear how things are in other countries and it turns out people are people where ever they live! Sounds like your ministers are not dissimilar to some of ours!

Annette- I hope your headaches gone now... all those phones ringing made it sound like one of those old Ealing comedies! Although I’m sure you didn’t think that at the time!
Good news the twins are getting on well... hopefully to come home soon...I can fully understand why your niece is reluctant to send her other children to school... it’s a difficult time and I think we’ll be having further measures soon...
What a cheek the people in the shop have got filling your bins.... hope you’re able to get some cctv footage of them... what’s wrong with their own bins!

My day
It was still chilly but no snow or rain and a mixed sky with some blue in it!
Read the papers for a while... bit thin on the ground though, given up reading the main paper to distressing...
Had a tidy up around and then read for a while..
After lunch we went out for a walk, I did have a good few layers on and felt just right... we decided to do one of the walks we used to do in early lockdown... over the road and through three villages a nice circular route of about 6 miles... by the time we got back the sun was dipping and it was getting darker!
Had a restorative cuppa once home then cooked dinner... we had steak and kidney pie,,, meat in the oven for couple of hours...
Watched Antiques Roadshow - little odd not seeing lots of people just selected ones who were invited to come along.
New David Attenborough programme- he’s incredible how he just keeps going! The boys love all his series so sent a message to my daughter so she’s recorded it for them...
felt very tired so had an early night... went out like a light.
No school for the boys as theirs is shut... don’t like the look of how things are going... could all be back to a more restrictive life again.... just wish the government would come out and say that people not behaving as they should are a large part of the cause....fine them more...

Caroline

[Mowsehowse]

Thank you Caroline, you have summed up everything so neatly.
I will not do it again, except to agree that life is frustrating enough without insensitive people adding to problems, be it virus, bins or phones!! Great news the babies are making progress....
Headaches are miserable, but sometimes a glass of water helps alleviate the pain.
Diana, I seem to have read an average of 46 books per year recently.... gosh! (Generally I will read for an hour or so in bed at night.)

Yesterday H and I went over to Babbacombe for a walk along the Downs and in the little park, which we discovered to be all locked up. It was very overcast and unpleasant with a fierce North wind blowing, but the advantage was not too many other people around.
Was surprised to note that was only around 5,000 steps, so we took another walk after during the afternoon to make the quota.

[Roobarb]

Your park sounds lovely Diana, great to have it so close at hand. My regular walking area is a very large field and a strip of woodland that's just at the end of my road, a few yards away. I can't imagine how cold it gets there in Canada, brrr! Hope the weather is good enough for you to get out with your friend when the time comes.

Hope you're feeling better today Annette. Lovely that people care about you enough to worry, even if it does drive you mad! Good to hear that the twins are doing well.

Caroline, the subject for my watercolour is winter in the countryside, it's one of the homework pieces that my art teacher sets, they're not obligatory and I don't often do them but this is the one she talked me into doing during the last class. It's been a good exercise in refreshing my watercolour techniques but I won't be posting it here or hanging it on the wall! The painting on my vase is finished but it needs varnishing, I suspected that the varnish I'd sent for has a brown tinge despite it being sold as clear. I've tested it by painting a white area on a piece of hardboard then varnishing and it is indeed brown. I've had ones previously that appear white but dry clear, I'm not at all happy with this one, it's misselling in my opinion. I won't be sending it back, too risky when it's been opened.
When you go for a walk you certainly do go for a walk, six miles! The time soon goes when you have company, hope you enjoyed it.

MH, what a shame the park was closed, I hope the weather is better for you today although I suspect it's pretty chilly right across the country. I saw the weekly forecast some time over the weekend, they said that we were getting blasts of arctic air, it's coming straight from the North Pole. It's certainly felt like it here too!