Covid Chronicles - Weeks 8 & 9

Jacket/Kimono Challenge - Day 13

Can you spot the difference?

I had a wardrobe dilemma on Wednesday. I started out with this Masai dress; bought in the Day Care Hospice shop in Castle road.  It was 8.00 but I've put it in the charity shop bag as I don't like it on me. It's too long but I do like the neck!

I could have worn a brooch on the jacket - damn!

I swapped it for this Warehouse tunic also charity shopped. Joe Brown leggings; retail, shoes retail and jacket by Fenn, Wright and Manson also charity shopped at the Red Cross. The jacket was part of a skirt suit; but the skirt was too long and difficult to hem because it had a fancy trim at hem length; plus the waist was a bit tight. The jacket is all that's left. I only ever wore the skirt suit once to OH's niece's christening.

I'm on my third bag of charity shop donations now and my wardrobe has slightly thinned out. At this rate I'll end up with a 'capsule' wardrobe by the time lockdown is over! 

OH was not been called into work despite the Prime Minister suggesting that by Wednesday all who could do so safely; could return to work. OH will find out in another two weeks what is happening with his company and he is planning to enjoy whatever furlough time he has left. The new catchphrase is 'stay alert'. I haven't got a clue what that's supposed to mean; but shall carry on doing what I've been doing since lockdown began.

I combined a trip to town with a 4 mile walk; walking along the Embankment and coming home the longest way round. Another chilly day with a sharp wind and not much sun but better weather was  soon to be on its way.

Jacket/Kimono Challenge - Day 14

Everything charity shopped. Jacket by M&S; Red Cross shop, jeans by M&S; and top charity shopped in Cancer Research shop. Shoes from Donegal charity shop.

All jewellery charity shopped except earrings bought in Donegal gift shop and made by an Irish jewellery maker. I'm fed up with corona hair. I tried using a mousse and scrunching it so it went curly (my hair has a natural wave/curl) but it's not long enough yet. Thank goodness I have my headscarves to fall back on!

Thursday was shopping day and the highlight of my week during this lockdown period. I managed to get almost everything in Lidl;  but also popped into Aldi for a few bits and round the corner to Sainsbury's Local for the last couple of bits. When the shopping was unpacked and put away; I put on my walking boots and socks and set out for a long walk. I combined two previous walks together and walked 9.5 miles. The wind had died down in the afternoon and the sun stayed out so it was really pleasant. I was a bit sore after 9.5 miles and slept like a baby on Thursday night but then I nearly always do. I tend to go to bed early and get up early. I'm most definitely a morning person. OH isn't but he's always very pleasant in the morning; not grumpy or moody at all. He doesn't go to bed until the wee small hours....

Friday was a leisurely day. I had a rest from walking; did some washing; caught up on blogs, continued with my Crime Fest reading; and bought bread and milk from Sainsbury's Local.  I dug out the linen for Friday's outfit:

I've had this M&S linen shirt forever. It was a charity shop buy but can't remember where. Paisley trousers and Clarks shoes also charity shopped.

I forgot my bangle and ring whilst taking the photos so added them for the final one. All jewellery and headscarf charity shopped.

I've not been having any luck with sending my crocheted blankets to Knit for Peace. I made arrangement with Hermes online and paid them. The parcel was meant to be collected by a courier on 8th May; it wasn't. I made a phone call  on Tuesday 12th which took more than 20 mins to get through; and was told it would be collected in the afternoon. It wasn't. Another phone call with another 20 minute wait assured me it would be collected on Friday. It wasn't. Yet another phone call on Saturday morning with a 35 minute wait (at 7p a minute, mind you) saw me telling them I wanted it collected that day or to refund me my money. They refunded my money. The moral of this story is don't use Hermes Courier Service; in my opinion it's crap!

More linen on Saturday; top by Monsoon charity shopped in Co. Longford charity shop. Trousers by Tu and Mary Janes by Clark's also charity shopped.

Scarf and all jewellery charity shopped.

I went for a 5 mile walk on Saturday and uprooted a Euphorbia plant (about 4 foot high!) which was growing under and on the other side of a fence by the golf course. It's now planted in the garden next to the Buddleia tree and I have high hopes for it. We have now decided that we will level the garden  bit at the front of the house with a container of gravel that our next door neighbour recently donated. There are some broken paving slabs that need to be removed first; then we need to remove all the plant pots - one of which is a very large wooden one rescued from a skip. Then we can pour on the gravel; rake it level and replace the pots. We have hollyhocks that grow out of this piece of ground so I hope the gravel won't deter them from growing back...I've lived in this house for almost 29 years and they were here when we moved in. OH and I had an exciting trip to the Garden Centre on Saturday afternoon. Garden centres were allowed to re-open in England from Monday 11th May. It was quite busy but not enough to not practise social distancing; we may have bought a few plants while we there...

Sunday was a lovely day and we ate dinner in the garden. I went for a 5.5 mile which brought my total miles up 30 for this week!

Everything is charity shopped. Jeans by Next; tunic by Oasis; no label shirt/blouse and clogs by Seasalt bought on my last trip to Devon.

Scarf and all jewellery charity shopped except earrings from Sainsbury's.

Monday was a very warm day and the beginning of week 9 of lockdown. I met up with my daughter for a walk and we managed 4 .5 miles but it was too hot to walk for much longer. I also did the housework; did a wash and hung it up. In the heat it was dry within an hour. We have a week ahead of hot weather; I am comfortable with about 23 degrees but any hotter and I start to wilt. If I want to walk I will have to go out early in the morning before it gets too hot or later when it cools down.

Jacket/Kimono Challenge - Day 15

I didn't wear the jacket in the end it was too hot!

Jeans by M&S; shirt no label; jacket by M&S bought in a Kettering charity shop. Shoes by Clarks all charity shopped.
 Jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

Tuesday was OH's birthday and the food bank. I spent the time at the food bank making up food parcels.

I've been wanting some wide legged, high waisted jeans for a while. I caved in and bought a pair from Evans in the Debenhams sale. Very comfortable.  Jacket from M&S and top by Next; both charity shopped. Shoes from a Donegal charity shop.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Corona hair. It's not too bad when it's just been washed but OMG I am missing the hairdresser!
Tuesday was also OH's birthday. I had planned for us to drive out somewhere, in the absence of places to go because of the lockdown, but OH had to wait to collect his car from being serviced first. Unfortunately, it was gone three when they called him so that meant we couldn't go that day.

Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far - 26 degrees!

Everything charity shopped except the pumps from Sainsbury's. Excuse the wet patch on my t shirt; I'd just splashed something on me...

Skirt by Kaleidoscope; t shirt by M&S; both from my Barnardo's.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

 We had to wait in for a new mattress to be delivered in the afternoon so would go on Thursday for a day out. We decided to get on with sorting out the front garden. We removed all the pots except the largest which is too heavy to move; weeded; removed old broken flagstones; bits of old wood and junk. We raked the existing gravel level and replaced it with the donated white gravel from our neighbour. Finally, we replaced the plants.

The lavender might do better in this spot at the front. This front bit's got a bit of a Mediterranean feel, I think. The weather was certainly Mediterranean! The orange and yellow flowers at the back are called Beedance  and designed to attract bees and butterflies. We bought it at the garden centre along with more hollyhocks; peppers, chillies, sweet corn and cucumber. There's Dianthus, Begonias, Cyclamen and Lampranthus. The front gets the sun from about 3 pm onwards and many years ago when I first lived here; I used to sunbathe at the front here - much to the embarrassment of my kids!

Hydrangea

Monbretia and a Hebe which I gave a good prune; it's another supermarket plant that has grown into a bush, from QD, I think. There are also Geraniums, Hollyhocks and Stocks in pots behind this wall. The plant on the windowsill is a Verbena.

The plant above on the right on the window sill is a climbing Geranium; and there are Fuchsias (just about to flower) and Busy Lizzies along the front. Vix  HEREis right; gardening is the new charity shopping!

We have a tree growing at the front.  I checked it out using Plant Snap and it seems to be a walnut tree. It's probably got there by a squirrel burying some of its stash. I think it's taken about 10 years to get this tall and we prune it from time to time. Just under the trellis is the Pyracantha; with a bit of luck it will start to climb up the trellis soon and when it grows its bright yellow berries it will be a source of food for the birds. That's the street entrance to the alleyway below.

When we  did the work at the front almost all the plant pots were out on the pavement. A man asked us if we were giving them away. He had taken some of the books previously I'd put out for free. He seemed quite disappointed when I said no!

Along with the mattress delivery we also received delivery of our toilet paper  made from recycled paper order from 'Who Gives a Crap' HERE.  They also use some of their profit to build toilets in areas of the world where sanitation is an issue. I've heard a lot of good things about this so decided to give it a try.

When it had cooled down I went out for a 5 mile walk. I passed this majestic Cedar of Lebanon tree on my way.

Look at that cloudless blue sky.

Thursday was another gloriously hot and sunny day. After doing the weekly shop at Lidl and Aldi; OH and I set out for a change of scenery. I wore this. Everything charity shopped except the shoes; online retail.

Jacket/Kimono Challenge - Day 16

Trousers by Next; top by Debenhams and kimono by Primarni bought in a Devon charity shop.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

As there are no places of interest open to the public during this lockdown period; it was a case of finding somewhere to go out in the open. My walking group had walked here earlier this year and as I didn't go on the walk - it was too far - I thought it might be a good place to visit. I was right. Where did we go? We went to a place called Lyveden New Bield which is an uncompleted Elizabethan summer/lodge house in the parish of Aldwincle in East Northamptonshire, England, owned by the National Trust. It is a Grade I listed building, classing it as a 'building of exceptional interest. SOURCE: Wikipedia. It dates from about 1604/1605 and was built for Sir Thomas Tresham. There is a moated  garden and an orchard. The gardens will be developed by the National Trust.

Sert in the beautiful Northamptonshire countryside it was like being in another world. No noise other than that of nature in all her glory. A river ran through the estate and there were shells along the footpath; discarded by birds such as heron, I wondered. They were broken shells but originally quite large and a rounded triangle in shape. I heard the first cuckoo of the year here (they're becoming rarer in the UK although I've heard them in Ireland) and saw my first swallows. They're very late this year and I've yet to hear a swift. Usually by this time of the year you can hear swifts screaming up high in the sky over my house.

We also visited the village of Aldwincle which was very pretty with two lovely churches and some lovely houses. We stopped at the village shop (note Covid -19 precautions!) where we bought a soft drink for OH; an ice cream for me and some delicious fresh apricots.

My crime reading fest continues. There was a shelf and a half;  now only one remains and it's not quite full. I have three more Scandi Noir to read after my current one; including one which was delivered on Friday. I'm also going to reread 'Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow'. I will then assess if I've had enough of violence and death (!) and move onto something more gentle. I am spoilt for choice with books having a huge collection at home and of course I have the Kindle, too.

I haven't done much in the way of crocheting; only added 2 pink Solid Willow squares to my project. The others were crocheted in Ireland in 2018.

We did the usual clap for carers on Thursday evening but I won't be doing it next week. I think we should be persuading the government to reward the carers instead. I also feel that other workers need appreciation too; the delivery drivers; refuse collectors, supermarket and other shop staff; the teachers who have been going to work through the lockdown and many more who go under the radar.

Friday brought cooler, breezier weather but it was still very pleasant. I had to venture into town for more bird food - peanuts and mealworms. I spend quite a lot of money feeding the birds but feel it's money well spent. I went to Wilco and the queue was humongous; half way down the Hugh Street. I persevered and after about ten minutes it was my turn. I believe from 1st June our non-essential shops will be able to open. I can only say I haven't really missed them; as I can buy what I need from what is currently open. I met up with my daughter in the afternoon and went for a 5 mile walk.

Everything charity shopped except green pumps as before.

Skirt by Phool; linen top by and denim jacket by Next.

Scarf and all jewellery charity shopped.

 We actually had some rain showers on Saturday! It meant OH didn't need to water the garden but our plans for a BBQ were thwarted. Everything charity shopped. Skirt is actually a sleeveless, strapless dress with an elasticated bodice. It's by Clockhouse (C&A) and probably classed as vintage now! Can't remember where I picked it up from. Top is a 1.00 rail buy and is from Next; and the jacket by Precis was bought in the Animal Welfare charity shop in Donegal. The shoes are also from a Donegal charity shop.

Jacket/Kimono Challenge - Day 17

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

I'm still experimenting with getting the size of my photos right but I think these are a little too big!

Sunday was a quiet day and the only thing I did was go out for a 6 mile walk.

Monday, saw the start of week 10 of the lockdown, a bank holiday and a truly beautiful sunny day. In  normal times this bank holiday Monday is our seasonal family trip to the seaside. In recent years we've visited both Suffolk and Norfolk beaches as a family. Our nearest beach is Hunstanton ( about 80+ miles away) a lovely Victorian seaside place; Brancaster, a few miles up the road from Hunstanton; Walberswick and Southwold. In Norfolk we've visited Cromer, Wells-next-the Sea and Holkham. We were planning to go to Great Yarmouth en famille this year; but that will have to wait until lockdown is over. Meanwhile, I set out for a 7 mile walk from Milton Ernest and on return tackled the housework. The housework always needs doing as does the washing; cooking and shopping whatever crisis is unfolding!

Everything charity shopped. Trousers and top both from M&S bought in my Barnardo's. Shoes from Donegal charity shop.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

I'm just about to start my 15th book since the start of May and may even hit 16 or 17 by the 31st. The PM has also just announced that outdoor markets and car show rooms can open from 1st June. From 15th June non essential retail shops can open if they can be Covid 19 ready. Does that mean Barnardo's will re open? Watch this space!