I guess we all knew it was coming….. So what about preparations?
Bought some wool to knit a scarf that won’t clash with my coat and on the day before lockdown got another ball to make a matching hat, having discovered that I did have a pattern.
Had two unread books from the library and thought about looking for more, but didn’t…. My hairdresser phoned, but as she is going on maternity leave (twins!) at the end of January, I won’t see her again, but she put me on the list with another woman so I will get an appointment when they re-open.
Have done the usual Sainsbury shopping, but on Saturday I combined my walk with a trip to the market to get some garlic flakes and some mixed seeds, from the wholefood stall. On the way to Elizabeth Gardens, for the walk part, I passed WHSmith’s and discovered this is an “essential shop”! I managed to get the codeword book that contains cryptograms, which I have been looking for and also got the Journal, which contains notice of a friend’s mother’s death.
The first day of lockdown I took a friend and her 20 year old cat to the vet to have its claws clipped as they had curled over and were digging into its paws. The friend is not my bubble partner so she and the cat were in the back, wearing a mask – friend, not cat! I wore a face shield as a mask makes my glasses steam up – not good when driving – and we had the windows open. The cat, as usual, disgraced itself, so the open windows helped disperse the smell. It was very cold though! The cat had to be handed over as we sat in the car and waited. The vet came out to talk to my friend, saying the cat had arthritis, had lost a lot of weight and bad teeth (she knew that) but also a heart murmur and kidney failure and was probably in pain but hiding it. Time to say goodbye? The claws were clipped and the cat taken home. And the next day there was another trip to the vet to say goodbye! My friend was allowed in for the actual moment. Meanwhile I sat outside and got absolutely frozen – had failed to wear my thermals or even my thickest jumper – a big mistake! I won’t make that mistake again when we go to pick up the ashes.
It was the same friend’s birthday on the Sunday, so I took her present round in the morning. It was really cold and foggy so I didn’t stand outside talking for long! I also took a couple of fairy cakes to her “bubble partner” with a candle to put on one of them. They were not the best cakes I have made (bit over cooked?) but it was a token for a birthday cake.
I spent some time raking and sweeping up and collecting more leaves and twigs, but it is so cold I can only do about 20 minutes outside before my hands get too cold, even with gloves. I used the leaf vacuum on another day to collect more.
What else have I done? All the Christmas decorations were taken down and put away and most of the presents have been found homes. I have also done walks which have also been a bit on the cold side – again it is my hands that suffer as thermals and jumpers keep the rest warm enough, if I walk briskly. I went down to the Avon one day and it was misty, too.
So….? Anyone got any ideas about how to blow one’s nose – running because of the cold weather – without touching one’s face mask, which is a bad thing to do? And don’t say wipe it on the face mask, which is disgusting….