OI!!! YOU MUCKY LOT!

 Another job that Peter and Nic did when they came over was to give my car a thorough clean.  Power-washed it all over, then added shampoo & conditioner plus the soft brush to the hose and went all over it again, rinsed with clear water and giving a final polish to the windows and a final flourish to the wheel trims.  Oh my word, it looked a real treat afterwards. Straight out of the showroom! 

The very next morning, it had been dive-bombed by the local seagulls, all over the roof, down one side on the windows and door and all over the bonnet.  GRRRRRRR!!!! Is it that the shiny vehicle upsets them?  Do they call all their mates to come and join in?  

So it was out with the bucket & sponge for me; so far it has stayed unmarked. 

A Few Tentative Outings

Covid has a lot to answer for; I can hardly believe how nervous I feel about emerging from my long 'hibernation' to mix with actual, real people. But after receiving 2 doses of vaccine, the time had come to venture out and my first destination was to the home of my son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren - still no hugs allowed but it was so good to see them and spend time chatting and catching up with them. Those children had grown & changed so much (I'm actually wondering if they will consider themselves too big and grown up to do hugs and kisses with Grandma, but I hope not!) We enjoyed a fantastic barbecue, sitting in the sunshine in their garden - so much food, but big, tall grandson was a willing volunteer to keep eating so that there would be no wasted food! I hear that he lit the barbecue on the following day as there was more food that had been taken out of the freezer and needed eating. Good lad! Sorry I didn't take photos of the spread, but we were too hungry and eager to eat to even think about cameras!

Since then, I've met up with son and DIL at a local popular cafe/restaurant for lunch at the outside tables; lots of people, a long queue for orders, but as it was a lovely, sunny day we didn't mind at all, it was very well organised and safely distanced. And the food was very good!

So were the views - 

There were more photos but for some reason, Blogger is not playing ball when I try to upload them to my blog.  Grrrr! I will try to sort the problem and post more when I can.

A-Splishing and A-Sploshing!

What to do on a lovely, sunny day? Spend time in the garden, of course, complete with coffee and a book. Or forget the book and enjoy the antics of these sparrows in the bird bath. 

 

Aren't they a delight to watch? 

Golden Sunshine arriving by Post

 A double dose of sunshine today, inside and out: blue skies and fluffy white clouds with a whole day of gorgeous sunshine plus a box of sweet-smelling narcissi from the Isles of Scilly, carefully wrapped in green tissue and a sturdy cardboard box.  These were ordered by my son, David, for my birthday back in early February, but at that time, the narcissi were still growing.  So Fentongollan Farm sent me David's personal greeting card and a gift token which I could exchange when the flowers were ready for cutting. So here they are - plus the blue sky!

My Pfizer Vaccination

 Well that's not the best start to a New Year, is it? It's already the 5th of January and I haven't written a post about my exciting New Year celebrations . . . . 

I almost posted on the 5th of January, but once again, I drew a blank.  I had done nothing, been nowhere and had b****r-all to write about.

But - on Friday last, I had an eagerly anticipated text inviting me to make a booking for a vaccination and was absolutely thrilled to bits.  I made the booking, rang all 3 sons to tell them and duly went along on that same evening at 6.20pm.  I tell you, it was the social highlight of my year - being among lots of people, chatting to lovely helpers, all masked, all distanced, all extremely pleasant and friendly volunteers and feeling utterly safe, not having to be on alert for anyone being too close or ignoring safety precautions. 

They all did a sterling job, guiding me with torches from the car park, along the paths to the front door, having my temperature checked, identified and booked in then shown to a freshly cleaned chair and within a minute being given my vaccination by a doctor.  Finally I was guided through to the large hall where single seats were set out at a safe distance from each other where we were asked to sit for 15 minutes before leaving. 

I humbly suggest that when the New Year's honours are being handed out, ordinary people like those I encountered, doing unpaid work in all weathers and conditions should be right at the top of the List!

Now, 48 hours later, I have no side effects and with a new positivity about the future. At last, there's light at the end of this dark tunnel and the hope that we can get back to some sort of 'normal' again, especially when everyone has been vaccinated. 

Oh no! What have I done?

I've bought some new bedding, that's what!  Two white fitted sheets and two Oxford pillowcases in a high count Egyptian cotton.  Oh my! They are so nice and comfortable and I swear I'm sleeping better since I started to use them. Really loving them!   😊

So today they were washed and tumble-dried - and they need IRONING!!!!  Ironing - the job I've rarely done since I had cotton shirts to iron.  I wash, dry and fold everything, no matter what the item.  I never buy linen clothing or anything that needs dry-cleaning; if it doesn't survive in the washing machine, then that's tough luck.  My cashmere jumper can testify to that; a pity because it was beautifully warm to wear.  But it got itself caught up in the laundry basket with tougher clothes one day . . . . oops!

Therefore the search is on; I thought I'd put the iron in the bottom of the wardrobe somewhere, but it wasn't there. I checked several possible hiding places with no luck - or maybe it is lucky, 'cos I can't do the hated job then, can I?

I made myself a cappuccino at that point and hoped for inspiration as I sipped - and it worked.  In my mind's eye I could visualise the blue and white object, standing on the low shelf in the hall cupboard, below where the outdoor coats are hung.  I can see it every time I open that cupboard door, in plain sight but totally ignored. It just doesn't register. 

Anyway, I have now renewed my acquaintance with my iron, remembering that it is a steam iron, which is very handy when you've overcooked your posh sheets (I wonder if it would have worked on the shrivelled pigs in blankets on Christmas Day?) They are now on the airer in front of a radiator in the spare bedroom and will be back on my bed later this evening.     (sigh) 

So how was it for you?

 Christmas, I mean. Good, bad or indifferent? The last minute restrictions didn't make any difference to me; I had planned for a quiet day at home with plenty of food and a few treats.  My youngest son and his family live about 6 miles away and they invited me to join them for Christmas dinner. Although I appreciated the lovely offer, I had decided it was safer to stay at home. I have missed the hugs and kisses but it would have been almost impossible to be in the midst of the family without hugging, especially the children.  I explained that I'm perfectly used to living on my own and was well stocked up with everything I could possibly want or need, so I would have to decline until it was safe to do such a thing. I have been self-isolating since March so with vaccines becoming available I'm looking forward to the day when we can lead a more normal way of life, with interactions and the chance to enjoy the outdoors once again.

So I enjoyed a leisurely day with some surprise gifts to open, plenty of good food (too much, if truth be told!) and a couple of glasses of red wine. There wasn't room for the Christmas Pudding and cream, so that was eaten much later in the evening. Benji thoroughly enjoyed HIS Christmas dinner and when I gave him a couple of the 'pigs in blankets', having removed the bacon, they lasted him as long as his dental chews!  (They don't take long to cook, do they?  Ooops!!!)   I received several phone calls and emails from family and friends. Incidentally, it has turned into a 'Booky' Christmas; I ended up with a total of 12 books!!!  Oh what a decadent life I shall be leading - no time for housework and the like, eh?

Boxing Day was a VERY quiet day and I may have nodded off in front of the TV.  In between, I made phone calls to a few friends - it was good to catch up with them too.  When the world was a normal place, I would have been out on Boxing Day, taking my dog to Seaton beach to join the crowds there for a mass walk, followed by a warming mug of hot chocolate in the Beach Cafe; it's been a tradition to do just that for many years. Hopefully, we'll make it next year. Even more hopefully, next year will be a huge improvement on 2020.  We can do without any more disasters, thank you.