Diary > Thursday 7th January

[Roobarb]

A bright sunny morning, had slept well but late. Didn't do any Pilates yesterday but today I did the short workout for legs. Considering how much walking I do I was surprised how taxing I found some of the exercises, I suppose it's because they target different muscles. I'd been able to feel the effects of doing plank the other day, will see if today's exercises have any effect.

Lunch was a sandwich with leftover salmon from yesterday with cream cheese. Went for my walk, wore my new scarf, I certainly needed it, it was absolutely bone numbingly freezing cold. The big puddle that had formed at the junction of two walkways was frozen, there were bits of ice along the edges of the path and the bits of the field I skirted round were like a choc ice - crunchy on top and sloppy underneath. I walked very gingerly along the small path out of the woods, felt a bit stupid teetering along when a woman came running past me in just trainers, no ridged soles like mine.

Spent the afternoon doing vacuuming, reading the gas and elec meters, some bits of ironing. My friend A phoned, she had taken the dog to the beach at 7.30, she said the sand was frozen. No wonder the dog wasn't too keen.

Spag bol for tea, had a glass of wine. Art class Zoom starts again tomorrow, just a demo which is good as it eases us back into it.

How was your day?

[Gone]

Started as I do every day.
Up at 9.30 and kettle on, unlock the doors and let the dogs out.
Woke the other half up at 10 with tea and toast, meds and nebuliser. fed the dogs.
The carer arrives about 11, which gives me 45 minutes break as she helps C get out of bed and into the shower.
A cappuccino for me and the carer before she gets C dried and back onto the bed, then leaves.
Then my routine continues, cleaning, flushing and dressing C's suprapubic and peg, getting her comfy.
Lunch around one, for me a chicken and dijon sandwich, for C it's porridge with a good squirt of toffee sauce and a cuppa, more pills, another nebuliser.
Then I get a couple of hours for hoovering, washing etc.
Afternoon tea with pancakes around 5.30, more pills and another neb for C, then an hour or so to myself.
Shower time around 7 for me then think about dinner.
Tonight was cheesy chicken wrapped in prosciutto, parmentier potatoes and stuffed garlic mushrooms, very tasty!
C usually sleeps late afternoon into early evening so I wake her up for dinner.
Dogs eat while we have ours too.
Wash the dishes..... Except tonight there was a burst watermain and I had to wait a while.
Another cappuccino, more pills for C, (45 a day atm) followed by another nebuliser.
A couple or so hours to watch TV or a bit of research etc and around 1am put the oxygen cannula on C for the night, let the dogs out for the last time and bed time for me around 2am, sometimes a bit later.
That of course is only a brief outline of my day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.....

[Mowsehowse]

I love your description of the muddy field Roobarb, descriptive writing could be your metier!  Enjoy the art class.
Griff - for those of us who are feeling curtailed, I take the point!! 45 pills each day, at the moment, is a horrendous routine. You are a marvel for making home care possible, and I salute you. I hope your dogs are some comfort.
We were fortunate to have a very still and sunny day yesterday. I was supposed to be leading a group walk around the lakes, but (same as Tuesday's different group,) restrictions caused difficulties there.
My plan was to explain the route as people arrived and ask them to pair off, but only one turned up, which made it simple, pleasant and legal.  The ice on the ponds and puddles remained during the afternoon, and the ground was crunchy with large patches of frost still evident. The water birds were very hopeful for bread, and many small song birds in evidence. 
The solar panel for my fairy lights had excellent re charge time, and the lights twinkled merrily till bed time.

[Caw1]

Roobarb - I love your description of the muddy field as a choc ice! Great that you’re art class is starting up again something to look forward to.

Griff - your description of you day is a sobering thought to all of us who just complain about being tied to the house.... it sounds like a tough job and your dedication is humbling... I take my hat off to you...

MH - a little ray of light in these days of gloom and uncertainty your twinkling fairy lights must bring... how nice to organise a walk for groups of two... perhaps others will come along next time..

There was a thick frost on the ground and it was bitterly cold 🥶 .
After breakfast did some clearing up and finalised my shopping list to make sure nothing was forgotten...not been out since 24th Dec!
Our first visit was to the bakers for more yeast - only one other in the shop, next the butchers and only one in there... Lidl’s was next and that was a lot busier than I’d expected at lunch time.... there were more couples shopping than on previous visits... thought it was one person ... ah well managed to get done pretty quickly .. glad I’d made my thorough list... no shortages of anything and managed to pick up a 1500 jigsaw for a fiver for OH...
Finally to Waitrose for our c n c . We were flabbergasted by how many cars and people were out and about for a lockdown...
Glad to get home and then comes the job of repackaging some goods, and isolating the rest in the garage... it’s as cold as a fridge so should be ok!
A reviving cuppa... got dinner prepared ... a pork tenderloin which I smothered in horseradish then put a breadcrumb, onion, herb crust which I’d put in my little gadget to make into the crumb mix... left ready to go in the oven later..
Watched Boris and head of NHS and Army chap talking about vaccine roll out... just let’s get it all done...
Zoom get together with two sets of friends... had about an hours chat which was nice...
Cooked dinner, pork with new pots, broccoli and carrots with an peppercorn sauce..
Watched some tv..
Busy day today ... made a change...

Keep well everyone and stay safe...

Caroline

[Gone]

Mowsehowse & Caroline, thank you both. The pill routine is a tad tedious but vital.
The lockdown hasn't made a great deal of difference tbh except on my very brief, weekly shopping trips, I have to be extremely careful with hygiene and distancing, not everyone is.
But there are thousands up and down the country in a similar, if not worse situation. Anyway, I was expecting to get up and find snow this morning, not even a light frost!

[Roobarb]

Griff, I agree with Caroline and MH, the details of what is a normal day for you make us stop and think. Your care for C is obviously a full time job regardless of the professional help, as well as keeping a positive attitude. You have my admiration too.

MH, good to hear that you got out with your walking group of two, great to have a sunny day for it, it's rather a case of pot luck at the moment.

Caroline, nice to get the shopping out of the way quickly, well done on the bargain jigsaw, 1500 pieces, that should keep him quiet for a while!

[DianaCanada]

I agree with other posters Griff, you make me realize I have it easy.  All the best to you and C.
I have had a few uneventful days, but shook up by the events in the US.  As our late prime minister Pierre Trudeau once said, being their neighbour is like sleeping next to an elephant. OH was born there, family still there, sad for him in many ways, to see his native country in crisis.
I have been alternating days lately with cold symptoms and sciatica. The latter was pretty miserable yesterday but we did do our grocery pickup (which means I sit in the car while waiting, making what I think are witty remarks to OH).  We then stopped at the library to drop off a book and get another one on hold.  I volunteered and took my cane in case it was slippery.  Can’t actually go in the library, stand in foyer, place library card in tray through barrier, and a nice staffer trots off to retrieve book.  Coming out I couldn’t see due to glasses fogging (mask) and when I got to the steps leading to the parking lot I waved to OH to help me down, it was too packed with icy snow.  Felt like a helpless fool.
Home to sort out groceries and the rest of the day was frittered away. We watched a Lucy Worsley murder documentary on BritBox, very entertaining, if macabre.  It was about a murder I had read a book about, a teenager killed her half brother.
Today leg is better but cold symptoms. Of course I worry about Covid-19, but common sense tells me it is unlikely. Just for interest, Canada’s cases are about 40% of those in England and USA, in proportion to the population.  Ontario has just extended school closures until Jan 25, another two weeks. 
Caroline, if you have read this far 😁, you mentioned a “muntjac” earlier. I had to look it up! Do they run wild there? They do not seem to be native to England.
Weather here much colder this morning, 6:30 (after being awake since 3:30) outing in yard this morning with the four legged one,
he managed to get his leash caught in the cedar shrub (some bad words rang out), then made a move to relieve himself but didn’t but managed to pull me out onto the snow - then he did a sad pathetic sit-down and licked his paw as though it was frozen...am sure he was faking, and wanted me to carry him, but that did not happen!  He did get a treat when We got in, though .

[Gone]

DianaCanada and Roobarb, thank you both. I've been doing it for so long that the lockdown hasn't made a great deal of difference.
And the days like the one I had yesterday are easy, it can get a lot worse, luckily not often.
It's really interesting to read how others are dealing with the lockdown, how you all get through your day.

[Caw1]

Diana - regarding the muntjac, yes we see them all the time round here... the pesky things eat the tops of my tulips just as they’re ready to flower... look forward to seeing them come out and then one morning they’ve all been decapitated! 😢😢.
The eight houses along our road are all open plan front gardens so they can roam where they like... along with foxes, ducks, dogs, cats and anything else that fancies it! Actually it’s lovely to see wildlife in the garden... we have two dog foxes that regularly use our front lawn as their living room! Oh and I forgot hedgehogs ....
Sorry to hear your suffering with either cold symptoms or sciatica.... both a pain in the proverbial!

Caroline