Friday feeling

 

Hurrah!!!

Its Friday and for me there is no Big Als, as I fight the flab. To be honest we are so low on the ground that there was no order to put in, I am sure Al wont be missing us too much.

I'm preparing the shopping list so that I can do my essential shop on the way home and then don't have to venture to the town again.

I have the menu sorted for the food prep for my sister and  this week it is chicken curry and dahl and Corned beef hash, as well as some braised steak out of the freezer. That takes a chunk out of her week food wise. I'll deliver on Sunday morning.

The chair is still to be primed and if the weather forecast is correct, then that will be a job for tomorrow and hopefully getting it painted on Sunday.

There are other jobs to do, but due to Rhys going AWOL it put a halt to some things and still making life difficult for me as I can't move around in the dining room for doors.

I will be doing a spot of candle making now that I have been reading up on how to improve the presentation of the candles.

I am also taking delivery of some special china, after a friend lost both her in laws and had to clear their house. I am going to be the custodian of the tea set.

Wonderful word of the day

Sweven

This is a vision seen in sleep, a dream

I could have done with the chance to have had 40 more winks this morning and a bit more swevening.

Never mind last push to the weekend and then 2 days of  work at home.

Have a great weekend, stay safe.

Weekend Eve, eve

 

Thursday has dawned cold and miserable, but the good news is that I see some daylight when I am nearly at the office and it is not quite as dark as I leave in the evenings.  All of which makes me smile. We all need a little bit of extra light in our lives at the moment.

Talking light, I think that it is time to tackle the weight that has piled on due to lockdown and inactivity ( a lot from my injury back in 2019, which caused major problems). I am still doing physio but need now to really try and up my game on the activity front. I haven't had the bike out as the roads and cycle tracks are not too good and I still have to have lights fitted.

Once they are done there will ( snow and ice excepting) be no stopping me.

I am however missing my friends badly, I really feel that apart from the motley crew at work I don't see anyone. I am nearly on first name terms with the cashier in Aldi, not quite the same though.

Most days I have various 'Whatsapp' messages from my friend Debbie, she is virtually house bound due to health problems so we tend to try to gee each other on.

I have decided that when we can meet up I am going to celebrate my birthday and have a huge tea party. As you can imagine, we aren't even out of lockdown, but I have the menu sorted and am starting on the party bags!  

Wonderful word of the day.

Sluberdegullion

In the 16th century if you did nothing but lie around you would be known as a sluberdegullion.

Thanks to lockdown, I think that this relates to about 99% of us!

Sadly there is no sluberdegullioning going on here at The Wickets today, I'm off down the 167 to work.

Have a fabulous Thursday, we are so close to the weekend ( again)!

Midweek musings

 

Welcome to Wednesday, lets hope that its a good one.

Lockdown  has  been a lot harder  for us all this time round,  I think that this is because we have no idea when it will end. 

When we went into the first one we initially thought it was for 3 weeks, and it just carried on, however it  was spring and summer which made it tolerable. This time round, short days, snow, rain and cold have made it difficult. 

How do we keep our chins ( definitely chins in my case) up and not get too down in the mouth? Easier said than done.

The one thing that I realise I have been doing (unconsciously) is watching things that relate to summer and outdoors, a lot of Escape to the Chateau which is mostly set in the summer when they have their wedding season.

I am subconsciously drawing myself into the warmth of overseas (albeit just La Manche ). I realised I am also reading some books based abroad. 

Is it working, well since I personally wont be heading overseas this year, it is going to have to suffice.

I am busy trying to put together a mood board for the upstairs bathroom, I need some advice on some things, and when I get to see Rhys ( he is on the bad books for a no show) I might get some answers.

I think he is avoiding my terrible drawings   ( I never professed to be Leonardo da Vinci). I just 'draw' things that I want him to make.................... as of yet I have to see one of my creations in the real, this might curb my artistic design.

I'm in need of a chest of drawers to upcycle into a wash stand. After going on Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace  I was dismayed to see that there were very few  'chests of drawers' available  but lots of 'draws' and more ' chester draws' than I cared to think about.

And now you really worry about home schooling don't you!!!!?

Lets move on quickly,

Wonderful word of the day

Kickshaw

This is a fancy but insubstantial meal.

I'm sure I'm not alone thinking straight away about food by Roger Verge and his Nouvelle Cuisine.

I also remember well at evening out at Anton Mosimann's restaurant with Jon and his parents when we had to stop for kebabs at Rayners Lane  on the way home as we were all starving!

No kebab for me today, its fruit and greek yogurt for brekkie.

Have a great day, keep warm and stay safe.

Where is the time going?

 

Its cold and I don't want to get out of bed again, I got up for coffee and  did it in record time so that I could get back under the covers. I know that the stork dropped me off in the wrong place, I know I was meant to be dropped nearer to the equator.

I was in my 'thinking place' last night ( whilst waiting for the bath to fill) and my mind was running in overtime. Outcome, 'crowdfund' to buy a house in France  that I can run as a 'chambre d'hote' , not a bad idea but I think I would need more than £2.53 to buy it and I'm not sure I could crowd fund enough for it. 

I could sell the Wickets, 

I could sell everything that I own to fund it ( which is what most people do)

The one thing that I have realised in my thinking space is that  I am both creative and a dreamer, not bad qualities I think.

So my dream will continue to be a dream, even though it would mean  the chance to be working for myself and benefitting from it, both physically and mentally.

Probably not the best time to think about it, but always there in the back of my mind.

Has anyone else been thinking hard about things for their future?

And now back to the title of the blog, 'where is the time going' as I said yesterday this time next week we will be in February. We are nearly a year into the pandemic here in UK, and time just seems to be speeding up but we don't seem to be getting anywhere. 

I read yesterday that holidays will be given the heave ho this year as the government will make returning travellers quarantine at their own costs in a hotel for 10 days on re-entry/ entry. Not something that is in my holiday entitlement or finances. 

So Wetherby had better up its game as that may be this years destination of choice ( again).

However as I had not set any plans in motion I am not disappointed.

More pennies in the Chambre D'hote fund maybe?

The wonderful word of the day is 

Glomerate.

Whilst conglomerate managed to survive in the English language, glomerate did not stand the test of time,

Both words stem from Latin, with glomerate meaning  to roll or gather into a ball.

Most of us will have been doing some glomerating lately in the snow!

Well time to head out of the door.

Have a great day and if you didn't know England won the 2 test series against Sri Lanka.

Happy Tuesday.

Gone in a flash

 

In the blink of an eye or the opening and closing of the blinds, the weekend is over, it seems like just yesterday that at 1,55pm the HSE knocked on the door at work to do a spot check, obviously having no HSE manager or Richards on site was noted. Also that none had been in attendance since last March. Amazing that at 1.56pm when trying to contact them none were available. Could be the day of excuses today for them.

Saturday consisted of not very much, tiredness and trying repeatedly to make some lunches  for my poorly sister seemed to be the order of the day. After a 6pm soak in the bath ( I've gone very retro with the love of Radox) I managed to  knock up a chilli before falling into bed at 8pm.

And it was Sunday before I knew it, so up and making a fish pie, not what I had originally planned but all done in less than 30 mins. And delivered along with the chilli and some mince and veggies ( out of the freezer)  before 10am.

I dropped off a portion of Fish pie to my friend Chris who is recovering from foot surgery.

I finally got round to stripping the fabric off the chair that I am renovating, I rubbed it down and now need at some point to venture into the shed and find the primer. This week will be about deciding what shade of cream I will be painting it, decisions , decisions.

As I told you a couple of weeks ago, I am reading a book called 'Changing your life one day at a time'.

You read an idea daily which will hopefully help you in some way.

I thought I would share this one with you.

'Find a thinking space'

Create a personal thinking space ( I use the 3 rd bedroom) It can be anywhere really even an area of the garden ( although at the moment not quite warm enough) set time to go to your personal space and focus on what is important in your life at this time, write it down. keep thinking about it and focus on what you have in your life.

I have to admit at the moment my mind tends to wander a lot, I still think that having a little space to retreat to that isn't your bedroom is helpful.

Wonderful word of the day

Snede

this is old English for a morsel and was recorded in English over a 1000 years ago.

Have a great Monday, think about it this time next week we will be in February and Spring is ever closer.

Marching into the weekend

 

Well its Friday and cold is finally showing signs of fizzing out, thank goodness. I have been drinking a lot of homemade ginger tea ( sliced root steeped in boiling water and then drunk),, which is good for congestion associated with colds and flu.

It is wet and sleety here today and I am hoping that we don't have any more snow, I've had enough of it to be honest.

One thing I did notice last night when I left work is that the sky was not quite as dark! Excellent news, brighter are days are coming.

So with this in mind I am going to make the most of the weekend, by getting out in the garden ( weather permitting) and doing a bit of tidying up. I have picked up some white primulas so they will be going into pots and along with the cyclamen, will hopefully last until the other plants spring into life.

I am determined to get out and have an hours fresh air and sunlight. something that I think I am sadly lacking at the moment.

I will be cooking to deliver food to my sister who is still recovering from the effects of covid and pneumonia, and trying to get some rest.

I am also checking out paint samples for the next job on my list, the bathroom.

My wonderful word is 

WEEKEND!

what better word could there be for Friday!

But what is a weekend, well to me it is the fastest 48 hours ever!

Have a great one and try to pack as much into those 48 hours as you can.

see you Monday

mid week

Here we are at Wednesday and the cold has taken full hold of me. I could do with the day in bed, but it is only a cold.

I am up showered and dressed, and still don't feel any better!

I've decided that for the next couple of weeks I will be using the acupressure mat every night for half and hour and see if I can shock my system into feeling better. Its not as if I have anything better to do.

After half an hour on it last night I slept very well, as I said before Christmas, even if this is just in my mind that I feel better it was worth its weight in gold.

I was so lucky over Christmas and New Year to have lots of flowers in the house, I received a fabulous bouquet of roses at the weekend too, a fabulous gift from TLML.

I always seem to smile when I see flowers and as we are still pushing towards spring and some greenery and flowers, having them in the house is a tonic.

I grab a happy feeling where ever I can these days.

Talking Spring, we may  be a couple of months from the official start of spring, but I am on the lookout for signs when I have my lunchtime walk.

I did realise that these are things other years that I have missed, Spring just arrives!, as I am too busy doing other things. 

As our lives seem to have slowed down, maybe it is now time to take a good look around with 'fresh eyes'.

Wonderful word of the day

Ambiloquent.

This word I feel should be revived into present day English, most especially politics. The adjective is formed from the Latin  word 'ambo (both) and loquor ( to speak) and it means 'double tongued'

there you go, I am sure that we have all come across and ambiloquent person in our time.

I know that I haven't touched on any cricket for a few weeks and I know that there has been cricket played, for that I am very sorry.

Stay safe and have a happy hump day

Sneezing a plenty

Welcome Tuesday and no let up in my stinking cold, which is now so bad even my eyeballs hurt!

However I will not be dwelling on it.

I am still using my acupressure mat, not every night, usually about 3-4 times a week. It is an acquired practice I think, but I do think that it has helped me in a lot of ways.

I sleep well on the nights that I use it and then on the other nights  I am restless!!!!

As we had sunshine and blue sky yesterday I managed to get out for a walk at lunchtime, not up to the Brick Train which has become  a regular dog walking spot so tends to be busy.

I walked up to Amazon and back, which gave me a bit of a breather from the office.

I am late posting this today as I have been in the office since 5.30am and to be honest I am ready to head back to bed, but the chances of that happening are nil.

Definitely have to get out at lunchtime!

The wonderful word for today is 

Illecebrous

This means alluring or attractive, from the Latin word meaning to entice.

I would like to think that I look illecebrous this morning, but sadly my nose is redder than Rudolph's!

Sorry this is short, but I have back to back meeting today so I will close now and be back tomorrow.

Happy Monday

 Welcome to the new week, I hope that you had a good weekend.

On Friday in the office we  had a Teams video 'meeting' with Mickey Dripping and Norty Morty, ( we are the  5 Musketeers). We were just really having half an hour of chatter, it was just because we hadn't really  seen Mickey or Morty since Christmas.

We were all chatting about things and how life was. As we were talking I said that I now consider the times now as normal. And in reality I do. I realise this is  my coping mechanism.

I said that I really do just do as I am told, shop once a week and if anything better comes along is a bonus. As you may ( or may not) know I really struggled from September last year with stress, I still went to work as I knew that staying at home would just make me stress about work ( even the Richards don't do that). I also found that as I live alone, being with the skeleton staff made it easier. Yes work was the main cause of the stress, but I have great colleagues who really helped me with that side of it.

I am still not thinking about any possible upcoming cricket,( yes really!) or holidays, or meeting friends, I am just plodding on through the days, I had cancelled holidays last year and do not want to put myself through that disappointment  again.

It may not be how everyone copes but it is working for me. I feel a lot calmer.

The weekend was gone in a flash, Rhys came on Saturday as I was heading out for my flu jab. I had washed my hair, put make up on and my new jean and boots, well I was 'going out' .

I left Rhys my drawings of the deck vision, and also the under stairs door and panelling.......................luckily we were able to talk about my plans, as the drawings were worse than useless!

He's got a lot of work to do.

I cooked a lot on Saturday so that I could take some supplies over to my sister, then left some things for my friend Debbie who is not too well ( not covid related).

Before I knew it, it was last night and I was trying to get organised for another week at work.

Today is deemed to be 'Blue Monday' and to be honest I think that we have had more than enough of them since last March, so I officially declare today 'Sky Blue Monday' a day with a beautiful hue, that should make you smile. Think of a beautiful summer sky.

Don't let this stupid media influenced 'idea' ruin things. 

Time or a wonderful word of the day.

Jargogle

This means to confuse or jumble.

It was used in the 17th century and I for one think we need to bring it back..

Right, time to head off. Snow has all but gone and just some icy patches remaining.

Happy Sky Blue  Monday.

Friday finally

 Well its the end of the week. I cannot tell you how glad I am.

So here are the plans for the weekend ( Fridays version).

Rhys is coming to fit doors.............................I will believe this when they are in situ.

I am going to strip the fabric from the chair to be upcycled and if I feel like it I will also rub down the chair. this will happen that is for sure.

I will re watch numerous  episodes of 'Escape to the Chateau', 'Escape to the Chateau DIY' and  'Escape to the Chateau Make do and mend'.

I will be trawling the internet for wallpaper.

Yes, after kicking up a right royal stink about a specific Laura Ashley wall paper I wanted for my bedroom, getting 5 rolls on ebay and getting the room done, I have now decided that I want a different paper. 

You can sort of see why I am single!!!!!

I am also cooking, nothing foreign this week and nothing flash, I am batch cooking braised steak in the slow cooker so that I can take some portions to my sister for her to put in the freezer. There may also be a chicken casserole.

I might crack open a cheeky bottle of champagne too.

I am also going to try to do 3 thoughtful things for others this weekend.

One will be letter writing

One will be dropping off some craft supplies for a friend who is shielding.

And I have to think about the third one.

It doesn't take a lot to do something thoughtful, even a text or call might make someones day.

Wonderful word of the day.

Embouchure

Which is the mouth of a river or valley.

Say it, it is a positively lovely word to say.

There is no Big Al's today as he is not reopening until we are out of lockdown. 

So I have made my  breakfast danish pastries for the chosen few in the office ( thats the 3 of us that are in the office at the moment)

Have a wonderful weekend, take care, stay safe, be kind to yourself as well as others.

On we go

 Morning and welcome to a very snowy Ladylaineyville.

Cricket is on TMS this morning it started at 4.30am.

I will have the cricket on in the office as I am the only one in the main office for the majority of the day. 

I have been out to try to clear the car, which was pointless as it was covered again before I had moved round it, so I will be out again to head to the office as soon as I finish this.

It will be a slow journey and I will get there when I get there.

As if we haven't got enough going on!

As you probably know I am an avid reader and  constantly have at least 3 books on the go ( throwback to English A' level).

I am currently reading 'The French Intifada' by Andrew Hussey, 

'Waiting for Monsieur Bellivier' by Britta Rostlund

'The Yorkshire Pudding Club' by Barnsley author Milly Johnson

and everyday I dip into  'Change your life  one day at a time  by Drs Patricia Macnair and Ilona Boniwell.

A proper mixed bag there ( and after juggling D.H Lawrence,Seamus Heaney, Keats , Shakespeare etc  back in the 80's this is a breeze)

So today I will give you a suggestion from the  'Change your life book'

Daily inspiration

'Rules for happiness.

Something to do,

Someone to love,

Something to hope for.'

Short and to the point  think.

Now lets have a wonderful word of the day.

Quiddle,

Someone prone to waste time with idle chatter in Medieval England might have been accused of 'quiddling', this was the verb for quiddle which meant 'to discourse in a trifling way.

Sounds a bit like my blog to be honest!!

Well best get my boots on and head out.

Have a good day, stay safe and if you have snow don't be a Lainey! stay at home, in bed!

Midweek verse

 

The world has become a stranger place

You go to the bank with a mask on your face

Washing your hands, is a national pastime

Calling on friends can get you a fine

Remember the days before there were zooms

When you tried on clothes in changing rooms

Sitting in a café with cake and tea,

Chattering with friends so carefreely.

Life has changed so much for us all

Work from home,  video call.

Essential travel is what we should do,

Can you remember the last time you flew?

Keep your distance, give some space

Daily exercise, no need to race.

No gathering with friends at anytime

Who ever thought that would be a crime?

But its not all doom and gloom

For kindness we can all make room,

Compassion, love and friendship are all in fashion,

Even if kisses and hugs are both  on ration.

Its not forever, even if that's how it seems

One day we will drink wine amongst sunbeams

Follow the rules, and stay safe at home.

Have a great day thanks for reading my poem.

Things to be thankful for

 Good morning, Its Tuesday, just in case (like me) you just get up and do your usual routine without any concept of the day.

Another day in Ladylaineyville and although cold , there has been no more snow and for that I am truly thankful. I was not made for digging out cars and scraping windscreens. Mind you I think thats all of us to be honest.

I am feeling a lot more upbeat than I have since well before Christmas, mainly due to the fact that my sister seems to be on the mend from Covid and pneumonia. One less thing to worry about really.

I appreciate fully that I am one of the lucky ones, some people have not had their family members overcome this horrible virus. And that makes me count my blessing.

My friend who lost her father in law on 2nd January lost her mother in law on Saturday both to covid. She said that in said times she was happy that they are back together again, having rarely been apart in 60 years of marriage.

.

Last year I was unable to see any cricket and despite what is being said, I am unsure if we will see any before summer if then, I remain hopeful, but also wondering if I will  be so keen to drive off to a game, stay in a hotel and mix with others albeit socially distanced.

I continue to letter write and also to put together parcels to send out, sometimes a handwritten  letter can be a real tonic, I know that I have enjoyed letters from my 'penpal' ( yes I have one of those) in America.

Friends have been incredibly kind sending me parcels, I received a fabulous 'hamper' on Saturday which was wonderful and to my lovely friends who sent it I am very grateful. 

also  don't forget that a telephone call, text message or video call, can lift some ones spirits, and as we are living ( literally at the moment) in dark days, its good to bring some light and love and laughter into some ones life.

In other news 

I have ordered my upholstery fabric for my  acquired chair!, now I need to strip the old off and wash the frame down do some minor repairs and then paint it, I reckon that I have until about June to get this done.

I will put a lot of love as well as hard work into bringing the chair up to how I want it.

I am always thankful that I inherited my Dad's have a go spirit. He never thought he couldn't do things, he just did them.

Which is a bit like how we live at the moment, we may not be able to do what we want to do but try something else and find some pleasure in it.

And now for Wonderful word for the day

Gwenders.

This is the tingling feeling you get in your fingers when they are cold.

Now make sure you put your gloves on before you head out of the door.

Have a good Tuesday.

New week begins

Another week begins and its been a two cup of coffee morning already here as I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning. After a peep out of the blinds it is good to see that the snow is all but gone. It is however bitterly cold.

However on we go.

The weekend has been nothing at all as  I envisaged.

I had planned French evening for Saturday and after the most amazing starter, which was my my twist on French toast, I couldn't eat the chicken fricassee that I had made or the chocolate mousse with toasted hazelnuts. After two glasses of champagne I was fast asleep in bed at 10pm!

I had set the slow cooker to do its stuff over night, and yesterday I portion up some of the chicken and vegetables from Saturday evening and the beef cooked over night and dropped off at on my sisters doorstep.

The food was prepared so that it was easy for her to chew and swallow, although she still has Covid and pneumonia, her underlying  myasthenia gravis means that her food has to be tiny pieces or mashed/pureed.

She is back in her own home and in isolation. I did see her from a very safe distance and she looks far better than I thought which is a huge relief.

This really is great news and huge steps forward.

I have not done anything that I planned, but does it really matter, not at all, I had a peaceful and restful weekend and that is by far the best thing.

All the jobs will get done, I am not going anywhere in the near future.

Positives from the weekend, sleep,sleep and a bit more sleep.

I was searching for some upholstery fabric and I think that I have found the perfect one, more on that later.

There is still lots to be grateful for and one thing is that plants are starting to slowly show signs of life, I imagine that somewhere snowdrops will be starting to push through. 

The buds are starting to form on my hydrangeas and that always makes me smile, nature truly is amazing.

My pleasure for today is that I am going savour a couple of squares of dark chocolate, I will be having them after dinner with a cup of cardamom coffee ( which will have a splash of evaporated milk in ,try it its delicious even in ordinary coffee).

Enjoy everything!

Wonderful word of the day is Philotimy, from the Greek word 'philotimia'(love and honour). The English derivative is from around the 16th century and was used in the sense of love and honour and also ambition.

Go and fulfil your own philotimy today.

Happy Monday.

Stay safe.

 

Fryup day

 Healthy eating is trying to be adhered to, but it is Friday and so it is greasy fry up sandwiches from Big Al's, that's if he is open and none of us had the sense to ring yesterday to find out, so I might have a wasted journey this morning to take the order in, and there will be some disappointed boys in the office!

Although trying to remain positive, furloughing a draughtsman and an Electrical engineer has not sat well with me. How long before my turn?

Time for a wonderful word of the day

Boondoggle

This is a project  that is considered a waste of time or money ( yes I'm sure we've all been involved in a few of those).

I thought I would give a recipe today for a warming and comforting drink. So here is my recipe for Easy Chai Tea.

Serves 4

• 8 cardamom pods
•         8 cloves        
• 4 black peppercorns
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 bags black tea (such as Darjeeling)
• 8 teaspoons sugar or more, to   taste
• Put the cardamom, peppercorns and cloves  into a bag and crush.
• Put into a pan with ginger and cinnamon, milk and two cups of water, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat, add the tea bags and leave to cool slightly,
• Strain into cups and add sugar to taste.
• If you want an extra kick add a shot of espresso to make a 'dirty chai'.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend, I know that we can't do much but how about an early morning walk to see the sun rise or late afternoon stroll to see the sun set.

Even in these dark times there is beauty all around us we just have to take the time to see it.

stay safe and I will be back on Monday.

• 
  

Time to get busy

So firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to all those of you who responded to yesterdays blog. It was so lovely to hear the comments. I hope that it was helpful in some way to you.

And now is the time to get busy, I personally do not think that there will be any cricket to watch until the summer ( if then) and so I am now preparing to get more things done at home. 

I have some curtains to make for a special project which will be seen when ( and if ) I ever get the joiner back into the house. I also have some cushions to make.

My reading list has got longer as I have just ordered 'The French Intifada' by Andrew Hussey and look forward to starting that.

Cooking will be high up on my priority list, as I try out new recipes and have my special Saturday night meals again ( I loved doing that in the 1st lockdown).

The picture shows my attempt at making candles, I knew those chopsticks would come in handy for something!!!!!

Will I finally get the decorating done in the dining room????..................I don't want to really commit to that as it does depend if I get the joiner back, some of the 'fittings' are in this room and it is difficult to move them around.

Evenings after work, I have put dinner on and gone for  a walk around the 'big' block, its very cold at the moment and horribly dark, so I do it as quickly as possible. 

Yesterday morning when  I got to work , I was so busy looking at the icy puddles along the edge of the car park, that I didn't notice the sheet ice by the side of  the car.  I discovered that Jayne Torvil  I am not, I did however skid to the far end of the car park on my derriere quicker than those speed skaters!

I've got a lovely bruise now!

I will try daily  to add a wonderful word of the day, words that we rarely use now in the English language.

Today's word  is 

Erinaceous

Which means, pertaining to or resembling a hedgehog!

I am looking that our lockdown here in England will probably spread into March if not longer so , instead of going down the moaning route, I want to think positive and  think of what I am grateful for. 

 I am grateful for the lovely family and friends that I have

for the fact that I am healthy and able to go to work

and I am grateful for seeing another day.

I am trying to remain cheerful and cheer others up too.

Life is what you make it.

Make it worthwhile!

Half way through the first week

 

Welcome to Wednesday and here we go.

Unless you are an anti vax, anti virus, anti everything person, the majority of us will now be settling down to how the next few weeks will be.

Its going  to be very hard for small ( and large ) businesses, its going to be hard on peoples mental health. Its just going to be hard, but what is the option?

I was told on Monday night that a school friend, her husband, daughter and son in law are all struggling with Covid ( she is asthmatic and her daughter has underlying problems), as if  that was not bad enough, her husbands father passed away from Covid in hospital on Saturday and his mum is still in there. She was allowed to be with her husband when he passed away. Her chances are very low.

They had not been in contact with each other this was a string of very awful coincidences.

I cried, I cried for my friend,  and I cried with the sheer desperation of the situation.

I'm tired of know it alls who mock authority and decisions made. Just do what they are asking and lets all pull together to try to get through this.

When going to the pub or out for a meal is the most important thing in your life, think about it, is it really?

I for one am not looking forward to being on my own for another 6 weeks, I've been on my own for most of the last 9 months and probably for another 2 at least. I haven't faired too well through it all, but I have made it this far and intend to make it further.

I fully appreciate that we all have our own thoughts and ideas on what is happening, we all have huge weights that we are bearing, and we are sad that we can't do what we want, however I want to live to see another year.

So as we move into a full lockdown, please stay safe, take care of loved ones and just try to abide by the rules laid out for us.

Tuesday musing

 

So yesterday saw the first recipients of the Oxford vaccine, lets get this rolled out as soon as possible.

And then we got lockdown again. Amazingly my email pinged at 8.30pm with my letter declaring that I was needed to work from the office.

Well prepared for some thing those 'tators'

Sadly my sister is still  in hospital having had a negative covid  result and being moved to an other hospital, and then 2 positive covid results, what is that all about? I've no idea. I worry, but I'm not a nurse or a doctor, I can't visit, so I have just have to take each day, which is always best.

One of my colleagues had the added horror of her mum falling downstairs and breaking her pelvis whilst staying with her, luckily ( if there is a lucky) as she lives in the wilds, her Mum is in a local 'cottage hospital' which is apparently very lovely with few patients.

2021 will get better we just have to get through the early storms of the year and on we go.

No point whinging and moaning, there are going to be laws in place, so time to just do as told (again for some of us)

I have not planned anything at all this year, I really don't want to set myself up for the disappointment I felt last year. The only thing that I have planned is the menu at The Wickets for the next week so that I can go and shop in one session.

My physio is carrying on again this year even though it is virtual, I am still using the acupressure mat which I swear by and also have my vibration plate which has done wonders for my hip and knee. If I was to plan one thing for the year it will be  to get fitter ( rather than fatter). However one day at a time.

I have a lot of books on the bedside table which are currently waiting to be read, so that is also a day at a time thing, I am reading a chapter every night before bed. Relaxing.

Cricket wise, South Africa and India were into the 2nd day of their test. Looking interesting.

In Australia due to a spike in  Covid , Sydney has cut the crowds for the test against India. Maybe the really sensible thing would have been to just play behind closed doors. My thoughts only! 

Worrying news that Moeen Ali has tested positive for Covid  on arrival in Sri Lanka and is now in isolation. It looks as if the team will be under close watch in the next few days.

And with that I am off to wend my way to the office. What I will say is that here at The Wickets there is the sound of a lot of traffic on the main road which actually sounds like more than normal!!!!! 

Day 5 page is open and ready to be scribbled on, nothing exciting in it I suspect for the next 6 weeks. One thing I will be doing is getting the sewing machine out of the cupboard, I have plans!!

Have a great Tuesday, stay safe and stay at home.

New Year week 1

 Monday morning 5.30am and back to work today, Having had just over a week off, I should be feeling refreshed and recharged, yes should.

So what is in store this week, well yesterday due to us having furloughed our cleaner back in March last year, I went into the office to give it a clean for going back. I know that there hadn't been anyone in but better to be safe and all that. As for the rest of it, there will be the usually flood of holiday requests as well as the pipeline meetings.

England arrived in Sri Lanka ahead of  the two test tour, they were met by strict checks, the press making quite a lot about men  in protective  suits, I thought it was refreshing to see strict precautions being taken.

In Australia India have run into trouble as five players are in isolation after breaching their bio bubble.

Here in the North East of blighty in Tier 4 we are looking at further restrictions. I will still be working from the office until someone is stuck down with the virus, and I have no doubts that it is going to happen in the near future. Maybe this will wake up the hierarchy.

A busy week at The Wickets as things start to take shape for the next stage of renovations. There have been sketches ( I use that term loosely) emailed over to the joiner for him to get a head start.

I really don't think that I will be seeing any cricket again this season so might as well put the time and the money into something useful.

Well, time to head out the door and get the 4th page of the year scribbled on.

The start of the New Year is  already giving me a positive feeling.

Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year and a huge welcome to 2021.

I don't think that a year has ever been heralded with so much expectation as this one.Lets hope that it lives up to all the hype.

I had a very early night manged to get a couple of hours sleep before the firework started, obviously terrifying ever dog in the street not to mention the little girls next door..

First grump of the New Year, fireworks should be banned.

Usually today I would do a review of the year, but I can sum it up in a paragraph.

January and February dreaming of the cricket season, March got locked down,Didn't do much. July got a bit more freedom, cricket happened but not to go to  watch. Saw some friends!!! August got a holiday, not to Norway as planned but to Wetherby. Notts won T20 trophy. Got locked down again. Friend very  ill and in hospital. Couldn't have birthday in France, had birthday at home. Lost a friend. Sister seriously ill. Christmas came, couldn't go to Malta, stayed at home. Ate my bodyweight in food on New Years eve, went to bed at 9.45pm.

And here we are, 1st January 2021, a new day, a new year and a fresh page.

So what to do this year, what I really want first and foremost is to be able to be vaccinated.

I also would like to see people.

I want a hug, never underestimate the power of a hug.

Covid life is continuing, but a New Year always brings new hope and after the last year we all need to be hopeful.

So I wish you a very happy and healthy 2021, there are 365 pages in the book of this year to fill.

Lets get the first page filled in.

Stay safe.