Month: February 2021

Feeling a bit stale and unfit I decided to go for a daily walk to hopefully improve on my fitness. Starting on Monday 15^th I started out and walked briskly for 30mins and 8394 steps. I managed to increase the time spent walking through the week and today notched up 11571 steps. I do feel more fit, and am also sleeping better, I’m now aiming to keep it up until Easter!
The garden has been showing signs of Spring with daffs and crocus bravely pushing their way through the cold ground to put on a pretty show. But for me the main interest has been our little garden pond, which is now full of life with lots of frogs and frogspawn! The magpies have shown an interest in trying to eat the spawn but the parent frogs are forever jumping about and diving and generally making the magpies disappear.  See some photos below.
The latest lockdown announcement from Boris Johnson proposing some relaxing of rules is very welcome. I have had my first inoculation at the end of January and am due the second dose sometime in the next few weeks. The time can’t come soon enough when I can see my lovely family again. We are all getting our hopes up for a grand get together and a much anticipated catch-up!  Fingers crossed everybody that we will not be let down again!

What a week this has been full of lockdown inertia, telly and sleep. Freezing weather meant that rather than going out for a government approved walk (making sure not to stop for a neighbourly chat with anyone) I huddled in my pyjamas eating toast beside a nice warm fire. I am a fairly recent convert to Eastenders and was a bit put out when the week’s episodes were changed about so as to accommodate football. Still, I survived and even caught up with the missing (rearranged) episodes! I’m rather concerned that Ian has been missing for a few weeks having gone missing when he realised Sharon had been slowly poisoning him! As Tina is also missing, having been murdered and disposed of by Gray, and Mick is going bonkers as he uncovers his distant memory of being abused in a children’s home by his carer Katie, it’s looking pretty chancy that anyone in Walford will survive the lockdown.  So onto another soap opera starring Donald Trump. I have seen the Republican attack on The Capitol, heard the terrible threats towards the Senators, read the reports in the media and social media, the followed the Impeachment procedure to the last. Unbelievably Trump was pronounced NOT GUILTY of encouraging and directing the mobs on 6^th January. Needing cheering up I then watched Line of Duty. Much better, and more believable!

Good Morning and Welcome!
It’s a brand new day, the sun is shining and it looks like we have a lovely Spring day in store. I am introducing my bright shiny new website which I hope you will visit and enjoy. In these pages you will find a regular blog, short stories (just right for a coffee time read!), original poetry and sometimes just thoughts for the day.
Your comments are always welcome – as are your tales of lockdown moments!

The lockdowns we’ve all experienced have brought many upsets, generally the lack of contact we are used to with our families and friends. However I have found that using Zoom, What’s App or Face Time for family meetings, arranged entertainments (or, of course, work!) can lessen the feelings of isolation. Seeing those familiar faces and sharing a smile and a chat really does help!
Daily exercise walks have been more enjoyable for the lack of traffic! Listening to the birdsong on a peaceful walk or when having coffee in the garden is a great pleasure, and something which has increased with the reduction in the volume of traffic. The quiet empty streets have also slowed life down, or so it seems, as we take up reading, gardening, knitting and board games to pass the time. Those of you who work from home may have a different view, as will those front line workers who help to keep the rest of us safe and the country working. Thank you every one.

Thank you for your time today and I look forward to getting to know you.