As Nessa from ‘Gavin and Stacey’ would say : ‘I’m not going to lie to you - this week hasn’t been the best.’
Oh, it’s not been hideous, you understand. Not in the grand scheme of the world in which we currently live. The weather has been divine (until this morning when it suddenly started raining and is so cold you can see your breath when you go outside) and therefore much gardening has been done. A load of cat litter arrived, so the cats are happy, and the greenhouse arrived, which is good except it now needs erecting and that’s a whole new set of hoo-ha malarkey in itself. And I completed Module 2 of my City and Guilds course bang on my self-imposed deadline of yesterday, and it has now gone to my tutor for marking and feedback. I’ve been busy and productive - I have bread making nailed now and even managed to buy some flour AND yeast on my once-a-week shopping trip!
The shopping trip provided me with a smile because all the while I was in the supermarket all I could hear was a man shouting ‘EXCUSE ME!’ very loudly and on a regular basis as he navigated his way around the aisles and folk were clearly getting in his way. There seemed to be a lot of men shopping. They were all looking in confusion at their lists, then abandoning their trolleys to wander off in search of items which didn’t help with social distancing and congestion. So ‘MEN! Stay with your trolleys, please!’ They reminded me of men who push their child’s pram or pushchair with one hand whilst casually gazing around their environs, making it look like they don’t want to be associated with their offspring.
Anyway, I was then directed from the outward bound queue to the next available checkout, and it turned out the checkout till was faulty so everything had to be put through by tapping in barcode numbers separately, and THEN it refused to process the gift card I wanted for Granddaughter Number Two’s up and coming 6th birthday so I was taken to ANOTHER till and I thought, so much for getting in and out as quickly as possible. But I suppose you have to make the most of getting out of the house once a week for an hour, don’t you?
No, it’s been mostly okay, really, apart from one issue which I’m afraid I can’t go into, which has left me feeling discombobulated and testy. But what I have to remember is that we’ve been through this kind of thing before and survived, and everything has turned out just fine and dandy, and I am sure this matter will resolve itself positively, too, and if it doesn’t, well, we’ll cope because we always do, don’t we?
So this morning, for the first time since the ‘Withdrawal From Society’ (I REFUSE to call it ‘lockdown’) I have felt restless. Directionless. Flat. I don’t even want to write, which is always a warning sign my mind isn’t quite in its right place.
And that is why, today, I am sitting in the dining room, listening to the radio, with this view from the window, knitting a monkey.
Oh, it’s not been hideous, you understand. Not in the grand scheme of the world in which we currently live. The weather has been divine (until this morning when it suddenly started raining and is so cold you can see your breath when you go outside) and therefore much gardening has been done. A load of cat litter arrived, so the cats are happy, and the greenhouse arrived, which is good except it now needs erecting and that’s a whole new set of hoo-ha malarkey in itself. And I completed Module 2 of my City and Guilds course bang on my self-imposed deadline of yesterday, and it has now gone to my tutor for marking and feedback. I’ve been busy and productive - I have bread making nailed now and even managed to buy some flour AND yeast on my once-a-week shopping trip!
The shopping trip provided me with a smile because all the while I was in the supermarket all I could hear was a man shouting ‘EXCUSE ME!’ very loudly and on a regular basis as he navigated his way around the aisles and folk were clearly getting in his way. There seemed to be a lot of men shopping. They were all looking in confusion at their lists, then abandoning their trolleys to wander off in search of items which didn’t help with social distancing and congestion. So ‘MEN! Stay with your trolleys, please!’ They reminded me of men who push their child’s pram or pushchair with one hand whilst casually gazing around their environs, making it look like they don’t want to be associated with their offspring.
Anyway, I was then directed from the outward bound queue to the next available checkout, and it turned out the checkout till was faulty so everything had to be put through by tapping in barcode numbers separately, and THEN it refused to process the gift card I wanted for Granddaughter Number Two’s up and coming 6th birthday so I was taken to ANOTHER till and I thought, so much for getting in and out as quickly as possible. But I suppose you have to make the most of getting out of the house once a week for an hour, don’t you?
No, it’s been mostly okay, really, apart from one issue which I’m afraid I can’t go into, which has left me feeling discombobulated and testy. But what I have to remember is that we’ve been through this kind of thing before and survived, and everything has turned out just fine and dandy, and I am sure this matter will resolve itself positively, too, and if it doesn’t, well, we’ll cope because we always do, don’t we?
So this morning, for the first time since the ‘Withdrawal From Society’ (I REFUSE to call it ‘lockdown’) I have felt restless. Directionless. Flat. I don’t even want to write, which is always a warning sign my mind isn’t quite in its right place.
And that is why, today, I am sitting in the dining room, listening to the radio, with this view from the window, knitting a monkey.
Comments
I also noticed that there were more men in the supermarket, but they seemed to stay with their trolleys here in France.
Good news about the greenhouse......., and the monkey? Vx
We needed the rain, Vera, and today the sun is back! I feel sorry for those chaps doing the shopping because I bet they all go home with the wrong things!
Hello Aileen. Firstly, can I say I am sorry to hear about your sister, even though your relationship is somewhat distant? I know that feeling only too well, and I understand. The green building in the middle of the photo is our arty crafty studio, that we had built about a year after moving here. It contains all my sewing and craft stuff and Andy’s art and lino cutting stuff. It’s a little oasis! The greenhouse is in that huge pile of boxes under the blue tarpaulin to the bottom left of the picture, just in view. That’ll be an adventure, putting it all together. And thank you for your kind and wise words. You are absolutely right, of course, and a bit of a star for sharing them! x