A Double Whammy...

 Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post.  I think most people know how to be sensible and we can only look after our own families, I think.

We have had another eventful few days.  After my shock diagnosis of skin cancer, I persuaded G to ring the nurse about a lump which has appeared over the last few weeks on his temple (mine on the right, his on the left) She asked to see a photograph and then booked him in for a face to face consultation a few days later.  In the meantime antibiotic cream was prescribed to put on it.  On Monday morning he tootled off to see the nurse and by lunchtime the local hospital was ringing him to offer an appointment the next day.  An appointment within 24 is unheard of!  This rang alarm bells with me.  Anyway he pootled off to see the consultant next day, on his own as I was not allowed to go with him.  He was told that he too has skin cancer.  He had to go to another department to have the lump photographed and measured (4mm) and snapped a shot of the form he had to take with him on his phone.  The consultant had written SCC? Even with my scant medical knowledge I read that as a possible Squamous Cell Carcinoma which is NOT a good kind to get.  He is now awaiting treatment too and more than 4 weeks on I still haven't been called for.  I sincerely hope that G is treated first.....

On the news tonight we have been told that our area is moving up a tier from medium into high lockdown.  What more can happen?  Do you ever feel that you are a swan; calm and serene on the outside but paddling like mad beneath the water to stay afloat?  That's exactly how I feel right now......

Stay safe everyone, wherever in the world you happen to be x

To The Doubters

 Firstly, a very warm welcome to Barbara, it's lovely to meet you 😊

Just a short post today folks. 

A family member (family by marriage and whom I never see in person) was very vocal about the stupidity of having to socially distance.  It's been confirmed that she, her husband and young step-daughter have all tested positive for the virus, that's 3 out of 4 members of the same family.  She is feeling very ill...

The local news feed on my phone has just let me know that an outbreak has been declared at the local 111 call centre which is about 2 miles away.  3 members of staff went on holiday together and contracted the virus.  The result is that 16 other members of staff are now in self isolation. That's 19 members of staff being unavailable to work because 3 people 'needed' a holiday WTF.....

I will wear a mask everywhere I shop

I will continue to wash my hands on a regular basis and

I will give space to others 

It's the least I can do...

Stay safe everyone, wherever in the world you happen to be x

A Breath of Fresh Air

Firstly, a warm welcome to Lorie,  isn't it typical that as soon as I get a new follower I run out of things to say! It's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted, but life seems to be at a standstill at the moment.  There's nowhere to go to safely and we can't visit the family, so life is more than boring right now.  I feel that I'm fast approaching becoming a recluse. G still goes to work every Saturday & Sunday but I don't see a soul (other than G) from one end of the week to the other. There's not a great deal to be done at the allotment either.  We still have Calabrese to pick and a bit of Chard, although that is beginning to go over now that we are getting such cold nights and mornings.  Our seeds for next year, as well as some raspberry canes and a blackberry bush, are on order through the allotment society. Beds have been cleared, manure put around the rhubarb, black polythene (re-purposed from last year) put down to suppress weeds over the Winter, and the Canna cut down, dug up and placed in the mini greenhouse to over-winter. 

We had a few crop failures but we will try to learn by our mistakes for next time.  We put in 8 cauliflower plantlets but only managed to get 4 decent heads, I think we had put them in too close together and the air couldn't circulate properly with the result that 4 of them were either stressed and overblown or damp and slug infested (yuk!)

On Wednesday last, I felt like I was climbing the walls so, despite the rain, we drove the short distance to Ashwood Nurseries for a look at the plants.  The rain was persistent but fine and gentle so we happily wandered around outside.  I had my umbrella and my winter coat on and the fresh air and sweet smelling rain helped me to relax.  We succumbed to a warming bowl of leek and potato soup with a roll and butter too.  It was delicious.

On Thursday, the rain had ceased so we took the opportunity to visit Himley Park after lunch for a brisk woodland walk.  The trees looked stunning.  The leaves are turning beautiful shades of red and gold and on a fallen tree trunk I found these little fellas lifting their heads to the gentle sunshine....

Today is Saturday and, with G at work again, I have knuckled down to housework and washing 😩

I know I will feel better with a clean house and fresh bedlinen 😀 and having blog- hopped a bit too.

I'm getting hungry now and I feel the need for cheese on toast. With my IBS problems, I have drastically cut down on cheese and dairy and it does seem to have helped somewhat.  I can tolerate a small amount and today's the day! 

What are you doing this weekend?

Stay safe everyone, wherever in the world you happen to be x

Comforting Carbs....

 Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who left comments on my last but one post.  To read about other people's experiences is comforting. Thanks for your good wishes.  I'll keep you in the loop, as they say.

The short time I had with the family was lovely.  The table was allocated to us for just 90 minutes and we had table service so could just sit and talk whilst we awaited the food.  The meals were not brilliant to be honest, my veg lasagne had been reheated in a microwave and the chips were not very hot, the side salad dire (lettuce from a bag, sliced red onion and a few pieces of chopped tomato) but I could sit and catch up on their news.  I'm glad we did it because it was announced this evening that in future, meeting in pubs/restaurants will not be allowed from Wednesday 😥 until further notice.

On Sunday morning I popped to the supermarket for some hand wipes and had to pass through the bread aisle to get to them.  Yellow stickers caught my eye and I just HAD to investigate. Well it would have been rude not to after all this time 🙃 I couldn't resist this little lot for the freezer......

I'll use the pitta breads to make mini lunchtime pizzas and the tea cakes, crumpets and scones can be brought out when required.  The bread will come out a couple of slices at a time as I need them.  I think they cost a total of £1.21 With all the cake in the afternoon tea box as well, we have plenty to keep us going now if the weather turns nasty and we need comforting carbs!.

What is your favourite comfort food?

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x

A Weekend Treat

As we have been spending far more on our foodshop than ever before,  I have not been  ordering cake or many sweet treats in the online order.  We have recently felt the need for a sugar fix  so I succumbed to temptation and ordered an Afternoon Tea box from Morrisons . Costing just £15 including delivery, it arrived right on time this morning. 'Simon' rang the bell and the sturdy box was left on the door mat.  It contained a nice, fresh, sliced loaf, a box of lemon bakewell tarts, 4 scones, a scrumptious chocolate cake,  a small packet of teabags......

All packed neatly and, thankfully, unsquashed 😉 ........

Beneath those was a cold package and inside the fleece were 2 ice packs, some Cravendale milk, clotted cream and 4 tiny pots of strawberry jam for the scones, and two packs of sandwich fillings; egg mayo and cheese & onion.......

The fleece will be used on the allotment and the cardboard box recycled.  Actually, on second thoughts, the box can be composted too.  We will soon be taking up all the spent vegetable matter to put on the compost heap so cardboard will be a useful addition to that..... 

I did try to write this post on my tablet but Blogger had other ideas so please excuse the apparent random-ness of the photos.  They are not in the order in which I actually wanted them!

Anyway, I added up the cost of the items which came to £11.09 plus the jam.  I couldn't find the small jars on the website so have added on a normal jar of the same brand at £2.60 making a total of £13.69

This leaves just £1.31 which I could have saved by shopping instore myself .  In my view, £1.31 for having someone drop it at the door on a designated day with a 1 hour time slot is a 'no brainer' as they say.  I am safely indoors and just had to wipe everything down with sanitiser before putting things away. G will think he's in heaven when he gets back from work too!!

I have arranged to meet DD and her family this afternoon in a local pub/restaurant to have a meal together because we aren't allowed to meet in our homes right now.  Masks will be worn until the meals arrive at the table (table service only) and I will be taking my own cutlery in a plastic bag.   I have downloaded the NHS test and trace App ( I did it on launch day) and will scan the QR code on entry.  We are trying to do everything by the rules but I still worry.  I do need to see the family though, we are all struggling with isolation in one way or another.

Has anyone else downloaded the App?  Do you think it will work in reducing numbers of infections?

If you live in another country do you have a similar App there too?

Stay safe everyone, wherever in the world you happen to be x