Diary > Tuesday 2nd February

[Roobarb]

Was last with Monday's diary so first today.

The weather forecast today told me that the Midlands and South could expect fine weather and temperatures of eleven or twelve degrees. No such weather here, there was some sleet this morning and since then it's never stopped raining, sometimes heavier than others. Really cold too, a feeling of snow in the air. One of the few days I didn't get out for a walk and didn't even want to.

Was up late, probably because it didn't seem properly light. Washed my hair, put some bedding in the washer. Put ingredients for spag bol in the slow cooker and left it to get on with it.

Played the recording of Friday's art class to make sure I'm on the right lines, did a little bit to my painting. I'll be glad when it's completely finished. Yesterday I finally started varnishing my Christmas card painting, put the final coat on today.

Phoned a friend, had quite a long chat. Took some fish out of the freezer for tea, didn't want to eat the spag bol tonight, I'll freeze most of it. Made changes to Tesco order for Thursday.
Didn't get to have a walk with my friend J tonight, hopefully we'll be able to go later in the week.

Hope those further south enjoyed the decent weather, send some here please.

[Caw1]

Well done for being first up today!
Sorry your weather was so awful.... at least you got on with your painting and got to varnish your lovely Christmas card one.... presume it’s going to hang in your house somewhere...
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for tomorrow’s weather for you 🤞🤞please don’t send us yours... although I think sines coming our way later in the week 😢!

It had rained most of the night as I heard it beating on the window but awoke to a reasonable day and pretty mild...
After breakfast I put some washing on and then thought I should do some yogalates as the teacher is back to doing online classes.... I could have joined her zoom one at 9.30... too early for me... so caught up with it a bit later but put some money in her account all the same... it’s been a while since I’ve done any and I found it quite hard reaffirming that I need to get back to it on a regular basis!
I felt quite energises afterwards so I decided to get on with some house cleaning... ending up going right through the whole house except for the kitchen!
Daughter called to thank us for flowers and bottle of wine we’d sent them ... she was quite overcome! Bless her...
After lunch I finished cleaning and then had shower and hair wash...
It was quite sunny out and mild 11C so decided to deliver the village lottery to the winner who lives down the bottom end of the village... popped a coat on just to make sure and set off... my goodness there’s a water leak coming from somewhere  further along as it was pouring down the road... had to leap out the way several times when cars came along or else I’d have had another shower and not with clean warm water...part of  the road had been closed last week by Anglia Water so they must know about this leak...
Delivered the lottery money into the letter box and walked home...
One recently bought house having lots of work done to it... new roof... damp proof course and now new windows...
On my way back I walked through the churchyard and put some pine cones on a friends grave... his wife now lives in Cumbria... so I always clear the debris off and put new cones on it.... sad to see the graves there of quite a few friends... on my way out I saw another friend walking her dog so we had a distanced chat as we walked back up the village... her daughters in 2nd year of university and of course not spent much time there over this last year... still having to pay all fees and accommodation though!
Once home had a cuppa and we had a game of scrabble... I lost so just three games up now!
So nice to be closing curtains later now almost 5pm... look forward to dryer, brighter, longer days...
I cooked thick lamb chops for dinner... browned in a pan first then oven cooked for 14mins with mushrooms, tomatoes and onions, had mash and broad beans and tender broccoli stems with gravy... beautifully succulent meat and just a little pink how lamb should be eaten keeping it tender....
watched tv whilst amending my shopping yet again!
Ordered some bits from Lakeland....
Had messages from two friends who’d been vaccinated today ... one got a sticker to say ‘ I’ve had my covid vaccination’... OH upset he didn’t get one nor did our other friend!....
That’s it for today.... can’t believe we’re into February already... how the days are just wizzing by... scary really as to how quickly this last year has gone not doing much or going anywhere!

Stay well and safe, take care

Caroline

[Gone]

Roobarb, you didn't miss much as far as the weather goes here in the south, a bit of a non event.
Not warm, not cold, dryish but the ground is wet, it got very windy around mid day. 

So, my day started out as it normally does, quietly out of bed so I don't wake the OH. Dressed, in the bathroom while the kettle is on, fuss golden lab (he's got the waggiest tail you've ever seen) unlock the doors and let him out while I get them both their breakfast, it's too early for black lab yet, she's like her mum, sleeps till lunchtime if I let her. Put food out for the birds (including Frisbees) and take in that view.
Then wake OH up with her tea, toast, pills, nebuliser and TV turned on, Channel 20, Holby City.
That's the end of my peace and quiet!
The normal routine continued with getting her out of bed and onto the mobile commode/shower chair, the easiest way to get her from one room to another. Made the bed and hoovered the room while she was in the shower, then back into the bedroom, suprapubic catheter flush, cleaned and redressed it, clean nightie and made her comfy.
The community matron was due today to clean and dress the wound left by the peg removal... Still not healed.
All that done and I'm ready to go food shopping by 1pm, my escape for an hour, once a week.
Off to M&S food Hall, expensive but you have to treat yourself, don't you?
Straight back home with 4 bulging bags of goodies, I always spend too much 
Unloaded the car and into the kitchen, first job is get dinner for OH, then put the shopping away, finally, get myself something to eat, it was about 3pm by then.
An hour or so of TV with a nice hot, strong cup of yorkshire gold.
Then that sad news we were all hoping we wouldn't hear, Captain Sir Tom Moore succombing to this dreadful virus. Strange isn't it how someone you don't know except for just under a year he's made so many people proud of him and what he's done, and I was getting a little moist around the eyes.
I've watched a few programmes about him this evening, he certainly deserved all the accolades awarded to him.
So, it's been a bit of a downer this evening, sort of reminding me of my maternal grandfather who I'd been extremely close to.
The evening meal came and went, time to take the dogs out for a torchlight stroll round the village, not a single street light, only the odd glimmer of dim light escaping the curtained windows of a house and the couple of chirps from a bird roosting in a hedge I stumbled into.
I took a little detour into church Lane, although the church is way outside the village and there's a steep hill half way, and a scary looking, very rundown house at the bottom of the hill. I swear I heard duelling banjos one time I passed it 🤔
So I cut the detour short and headed back home, put the OH in bed, settled the dogs and that's it for today. Another one gone.

I've added my favourite daily visitor. Taken a couple of days ago.
He's been singing his mating song and it looks like it's working 😁

[Viktoria]

Well I am killing time until my next eye drops ,forgot the evening ones so have just done those and now must wait at least an hour before the final,ones,so have iPad here in bed !
British Legion had their flag at half mast for Sir Tom, and I think Downing St
also.
A lovely gesture ,and there will be many more I feel sure.
So well deserved.

Decided to send off for heated hair rollers, my hair is such a mess ,brittle and falling out ,would you believe it - a side effect of the eye drops!

Got some minced beef from the freezer to do either Spaghetti Bolognaise  or Cottage pie.
I have to watch things like peppers, tomatoes , bananas, as the potassium starts off the flipping gout!

Lovely Robin pictures we are being treated to,many thanks .

What busy people you all are!
Glad you are pleased with your work Roobarb.
Those chops sound delicious ,Caw,  I like lamb but seldom get a joint as don’t like it cold but in Shepherds pie ,yes!
And lamb shanks in red wine,but aren’t they dear now!

Is it my eyes or all tins getting smaller whilst the prices have  rocketed!
Just as Roobarb said  re ink jets.

I want some fountain pens sorting out.
My OH loved a good pen,was bought ever so many but the accidents he had with them!
Including having a Schaefer in his jacket too pocket ,putting the jacket in the back seat of the car yet some his trapping the jacket in the door, crushing the pen so ink all over his jacket and we were off to a wedding!
I nearly killed him!
There are  , Parkers, Schaefer’s, a Mont Blanc my OH bought me,and my Conway Stewart from College.His are useless for me as he was left handed , but if there is a pen repair shop still in existence  the nibs can be changed.
My Conway Stewart needs a new ink sac, the original has perished ,but then it was 1954- 56 when I was at college. Conway Stewarts were not dear ,just shillings ,not now though.I used to buy them at Woolworth’s.
My writing is dreadful with a ball point.

Sorted out the bird feeders today,I have yet to find one  that  keeps the seeds,meal worms etc dry!
I am forever throwing away wet food which can be harmful I imagine.
But the levels do go down every day so it is being eaten.

Well no real news folks ,but very sad Sir Tom  has died ,what a marvellous character.
Goodnight .Viktoria.

[Roobarb]

Caroline - Wow, what a busy day,  yogalates and all that house cleaning! I'm afraid the sunshine has the opposite effect on me, just want to get outside and leave the housework. I'm sure your friend will appreciate your tending her husband's grave. Good to bump into a friend and have a chat on your return.

Griff - Ooh,  M&S food, you're making me jealous, haven't had any since before the start of all this. As you say, nice to have a treat. Love your robin!

Viktoria, oh heck, you can do without your hair falling out! Maybe you could treat yourself to some nice hair products to help with the brittleness. Plantur 39 is advertised as good for thickening hair.
Yes, such sad news about Sir Tom, can't believe he caught the virus. He wasn't in intensive care so that's a small comfort.

[Gone]

Good morning Roobarb.
I was in the food industry before I became the OH's full time carer, I was the one making up all the flavours, colours, sweeteners and preservatives etc that went into certain products, so I know what the ingredients are 👍

The Robin is a real poser.

[Viktoria]

I got some Plantur shampoo last Tesco delivery , used it about four times, better texture I think but still brittle.
As I have an underactive Thyroid too it is a double whammy.
It would not seem so bad if it was short but getting to shoulder length now.
Ah well in the grand scheme of things of little importance.
I used to have my hand with thumb and fore finger just touching when I held my hair ,a good few years back, now the bunch is about as thick as a medium stick of rhubarb, oh SORRY Roobarb ,read celery!
Oh nowt to do about it, not important in the grand scheme of things .

A bright but not exactly sunny day,every vestige of snow gone.
So a walk is possible.
What a nice idea to put pine cones on a grave, they are “ something” and she is not forgotten.

There is one tiny headstone in the cemetery just near me, bearing a name and  dates etc then “ This stone erected by his workmates at——“ then the name of a nearby factory ,now long since closed.
No family ,how sad.
Our cemetery is absolutely waterlogged,on a steep slope the graves at the bottom ,well often a few under inches of water .
The grounds men pumping out up to the moment the hearse and cars arrive.
And that even when not actually raining .
Mind you there are grids but never cleaned out!Soo, makes you wonder if some basic maintenance would help ,the cemetery is the council depot too!!!

Oh I could put things to rights if they would let me  interfere.

Right,off to do something useful like colour coding the paper clips.
Cheerio.Viktoria.

[Gone]

Victoria I'm fascinated by older headstones and there a few in our local churchyard that had me interested.
It started with an old letter I bought on line, bearing the postmark of the village, post office long since gone.
The letter was addressed to a "major Clarke in India. Turned out it was written by the vicar here 1850's to his son in law. So, I investigated, the vicar's family were fascinating, connected in a big way to East Indies trading etc.
When the old vicar died, his son took over.
Not only are they both buried there, but so are a few others from the family, there's an amazing story to be told.
Griff

[Gillg]

There's a feeling of spring in the air today!  The sun is shining, the wind has dropped and the temperature is mild, so off for my daily walk before the forecast rain arrives later in the day.  Before I set off I stripped the bed and left the bedding to wash while I walked.  Why do modern washing machines take so long?  The programme I use most takes 1 hour and 50 minutes! 

On my walk I met a couple of friends and stopped to chat at a safe distance.  One friend tells me that when she walks she always looks out for a lovely sound (usually birdsong), a lovely sight (there are plenty of those round here in the Devon countryside) and a lovely or sometimes an interesting smell (it could be a flower, a tasty dinner being cooked or even just that frequent country smell of muck spreading).  I'm trying to follow her example and find it very rewarding.

On my return I put out the washing and was amazed to find that it dried ready for ironing within a couple of hours, so of course I had to iron it then, feeling very pleased with myself.  Lunch was the usual salad (I'm slimming!) with a selection of cheese and a piece of fruit.  Lost a stone and a half so far.  

Spent far too much time on the computer, as usual, though i was distracted by the team of roofers busy re-roofing a neighbour's large house.  They work in a team of four on the roof and one down below for safety reasons, I suppose.  He makes sure that they stop chucking down the old slates when people walk by and drives the vehicles.  When he's away one of the other men comes down to take over, but literally runs up the ladder again as soon as he returns.  I've never seen such a slick operation - these are no cowboy builders!

Husband is busy with his research on a German artist, but many of his reference books are in German, so I am called upon to translate into English.  I don't mind a bit, as it keeps me up to date on my translation skills.  Today there were some particularly tricky bits to tackle.  He does try to use Google Translate, but is often not satisfied with the results.  German is quite tricky for Google, because the word order is often quite different from English.  If translated literally retaining the German word order it can sound quite nonsensical. 

Fish and chips tonight from our village Chinese/chip shop.  They are always tasty and make for a very light washing up. so it's cook's night off for me.  TV not brilliant for me on Tuesday nights.  Holby City used to be so good, but is running out of ideas fast.  And now Jac Naylor is leaving!  It is quite fascinating that the doctors and nurses seem to be able to just walk out without giving any notice.

Husband's jab last Saturday is still giving him trouble and he can only sleep on one side.  Mine didn't bother me at all.