Diary > Tuesday 5th January

[Roobarb]

Just another day........

Did another short Pilates session, abs this time. Haven't done plank for months, will wait and see how that has gone. Out for a walk before lunch, really cold again, getting muddier every day and even the path in the woods is muddy now. Several people walking dogs through there, keeping off the field. Back home just before it rained, then there was rain on and off all day. Egg on toast for lunch and an apple.

Made changes to Tesco order for tomorrow, took a while as I kept going to check stock levels. More drawer and cupboard sorting, some ironing and cleaning. Made evening meal from roast turkey leftover from the Christmas dinner my neighbour sent me, added new potatoes, carrots, cauli, peas and Yorkshire puds. Usual berries and yogurt for dessert. Found a piece of rhubarb pie in the freezer, treated myself to that later in the evening. Need some small pleasures these days.

Watched the last episode of Black Narcissus, can't remember what else. Can't even remember what day it is half the time.

[Caw1]

I’m impressed you’re continuing with your exercise regime... pity your walking area is getting much muddier with all the rain!
Have to say that rhubarb is one if my favourites....
Know what you mean about the days... and the dates come to that... fortunately it’s in the top left corner if my iPad so I can aways check!


I woke with a start at 4.50am... I thought I’d just check Waitrose web site to see if there were any c  n c slots as having read that Ocado had over 5,000 in their virtual queue I was horrified! All good managed to book slots up to beg of Feb...
Finally went back to sleep and woke later than I’d wanted...
Messaged my friend Sue to say I was happy to go for a walk so we settled on 10.45....
Son messaged to see how we were bearing up with new lockdown... sweet of him to worry about us... I asked him if they were ok as I’d read that Qld was having a cyclone ... was worried about his new pool house build... all ok for them it’s about three hour flight away...
Met Sue and it was such a nice morning we decided to do a longer walk and not venture down the village just in case the dogs were around..
We ended up doing the six mile walk OH and I had done the other day...
It was good to have other conversation and company other than our OH’s!
This time last year they were getting ready to drive to France for a months skiing and we would be joining the next week.... seems a million miles away now...
Lunchtime when I got home... was quite pleased to sit down for a cuppa too!
We had a game of scrabble and I lost... now one down 😢...
Decided to amend my shopping for Thursday... surprising how long it takes... up and down checking everything!
Had a call from our other village friend re the dogs to say she’d had long conversation with the dog warden who is now going to step up the action and could we also contact her with dates etc and anyone else we know too whose had issues...
OH offered to cook dinner.... never going to refuse so he cooked batch of mince for shepherds pie with mash pots and swede ontop and cabbage... it was very tasty... he’s good at it... was one of the few meals along with poached eggs I could eat when I came out of hospital... enough made to freeze for another meal for two and left over pie for one portion...
Decided to take down all Christmas cards and cut backs off and keep fronts to reuse..checked who we’d not heard from and do hope they are ok... it’s a worry..
Watched tv... found another series on Netflix friends mentioned called Godless... western theme... quite good...
Can’t believe the numbers of cases today and deaths... hope that folk are going to be sensible this time round so they come down...
Had a good read of Ken Follett book prequel to Pillars of the Earth... got it in hardback... it’s heavy and 800+ pages!

A busy day today which makes it feel a bit more normal!
Keep strong everyone...
Caroline

[Annette7]

Woke to a wet day and didn't feel as cold as it had been (or so I initially thought).

Aside from the usual household chores spent some time on a jigsaw.   Thought the last one was hard but this one even worse.   Mid afternoon I drove to the pharmacy (next to our surgery) since it was still pouring with rain - collection of my 3 monthly prescription.  Roads were really quiet - drove home and then popped to the little shop next door to get some milk.   Like yourselves, Roobarb and Caroline, also did my ASDA order (for Friday).   Pleased I'm now back on priority bookings so my dates for 15th and 22nd secured.   As soon as I receive my order Friday they will have earmarked the 29th.  So nice not to have to worry about getting dates myself.

Just after I got home had a video call from my nephews wife Amy - nice to have a chat with her and also to the 2 youngest girls who were in the room with her.   One feature on my new (ish) phone does not seem to be working.   When I get a video call it states to accept to swipe upwards but when I do nothing happens however many times I do it.  Call eventually ends and I always end up having to ring them back.   So frustrating.

Our cousins quiz tomorrow evening so at least one diversion to what will no doubt be another boring day.   The thought of this lockdown going on until March is really depressing.   Whilst I like my flat I literally feel like I'm chained to it.

When I returned from the jaunt to the pharmacy it suddenly got much colder and has been like that ever since.

Cumberland Pie for dinner followed my a chocolate/caramel dessert (pot of joy it's called).   Prepared a peach schnapps and then forgot to drink it.

Annette

 

[Mowsehowse]

Well done Roobarb, another constructive day, you are marvellous to keep occupied as you do.
Nice to get out for a walk with a friend Caroline, and thank goodness the dog wardden is going to get involved with the local dog problem before there is a serious accident... I hope you have been writing things down as I suggested months ago??
I hope the quiz is enjoyable Annette.
I was supposed to be leading a group walk round the lakes twice this week, but of course that can't happen now. A couple of the Ladies from yesterday's group were so disappointed we had a zoom chat instead, which was the first time I have used it, and was a pleasant interlude, then I spent some time preparing stewing beef to put in the slow cooker for our evening meal.
Lunch was somewhat disappointing as the Morrison's BEST bread which H picked up is no where near as good as what I buy from the traditional bakery.  It is half the price of course, but almost the worst choice he could have made given there is an in-store bakery. Ah well... shan't be buying that again!!
Wrapped up warm to make the usual cliff descent to the prom walk and returned via the park. Nothing much to see or report.
While we were out a neighbour took in a delivery for us, which turned out to be a gift of artisan cheeses sent by one of the on-line students H has been tutoring. The cheeses, all made from unpasteurised milk have hand written labels including the makers name.
I have already taken down the Christmas cards and turned them into gift tags with my fancy serration scissors. They are now with the pile I made to sell for charity at last year's bazaar, which didn't happen of course.
Quite late in the evening I had a bizarre message from a close young relative who has ignored my overtures for about 6 years... Most odd.

ADDED: I really enjoyed Ken Follett's prequel to "Pillars of the Earth"... I bought it in March as birthday gift for H, but he is so slow I finished it before he was half way through.

[louisa maud]

I normally give a lot of my cards to recycling but I  haven't seen any notices to that effect, I wonder if this year it won't happen

LM

[rosie99]

Our council collect the christmas cards with paper/cardboard recycling but they must not have glitter or foil on them.

[louisa maud]

Thank you Rosie, will see into that

LM

[Viktoria]

I remember the first” Black Narcissus “.
Ooooh David Farrar, he was a heartthrob!
I saw him in person when Mary Webb’s book Gone to Earth was filmed in Shropshire when I had gone back for a holiday.
Squire Jack Reddin, on a big hunter .
It was partly  filmed at the Baptist Chapel where part of my family worshipped and my great grandparents are buried ,also the girl and her baby killed in the shooting” accident”.
The outdoor total immersion baptism scene was in the graveyard ,I was there the day that was filmed .
A pool had been dug as the chapel,officials did not think it correct to use the big sunken lead lined tank under the chapel floor, used for adult baptisms as is the custom with Baptists.
A strange story ,Black Narcissus, and I for some reason did not want to see an updated version.
 Well  off for  a walk in brilliant sunshine then home for a hot bath .
Tesco delivery between 5 and 9.

Phoned my friend yesterday ,the one I (used to live with and stayed with on the above holiday,) was so worried about ,still has some lucid moments and knew who I was but the carers are so pushed they often don’t arrive so her lovely son who devoted himself to his Dad and now his Mum has it all to do sometimes.
What a pickle we are in , and still people are in denial.
What is wrong with them ?
Too many( by their standards) restrictions and they don’t obey ,too few and they are idiotic.
Still not heard re vaccination, but if it is at our local Health Centre all the better.
So quiet, no traffic, no children’s voices on their way to and from school and today  no birdsong either.
Hope everyone is alright , keep smiling , and think how quickly the weeks go by, well they seem to do to me .
Thank goodness for Roots Chat  the diaries .
I usually recycle my old cards but did not think it would be done this year ,gone with the recycling recycling bins today.
So thanks everyone .
Viktoria.

[Roobarb]

Caroline, thank goodness your son's area hasn't been hit by the cyclone, different things to worry about at the other side of the world. Another six mile walk, wow! Good news that the dog warden is on the case, it sounds to me that as well as the dogs terrifying half the village the dogs themselves are not being treated properly by the owners either. I haven't read the prequel to Pillars of the Earth, it's currently at £9.99 on Kindle so that will have to wait!

It's many years since I read Pillars of the Earth, my mother had been given the book by a friend of hers and thought from the description that it would be boring but it became her favourite book of all time. She passed it on to me and I loved it too, I passed it to a friend at work and she didn't want to get to the end as she was enjoying it so much. A real doorstop as I remember. Other Ken Follett books I enjoyed are Whiteout, The Third Twin and Night Over Water.

Annette, good to hear that your online grocery shopping will be okay. Hope you get the problem with your phone sorted, sounds a really strange one, can't even guess why that's happening. Perhaps if you put a question on the Technical Board someone will be able to help.

MH, what a disappointment that you won't be able to take the walks but great that you're now part of the growing number of Zoom users. The cheeses sound gorgeous!

LM, my council is the same as Rosie's, they take the cards with the paper and cardboard recycling. I'm never entirely sure whether they should be classed as cardboard or paper!

Viktoria, yes I agree that Black Narcissus was a strange story but it was very well done by the BBC. And you're so right about people not obeying regulations, I think the word 'obey' is not in a lot of people's vocabulary these days. But thank goodness it's no longer used in the marriage ceremony!