I've been catching up on a bit of telly viewing the past week or so, although not as much as I expected if I'm honest. That will probably change!
The programme that seems to be taking my friends and social media by storm is the Tiger King documentary on Netflix. I can't believe I watched the whole series over two days. If you've not seen it, be warned, Joe Exotic is completely self-absorbed, has little hold on reality, and has a passing resemblance to the current President of the United States. It's a car crash of a show, but compelling viewing once you do wade in. It's so off the wall it can only be real.
Joe Exotic
I'm pleased to see the return of Ozark. I didn't realise there was another series coming up so was absolutely delighted. If you've not seen it, give it a go. It's main premise is similar-ish to Breaking Bad, though involves a whole family and how they end up in a situation where they are forced to launder money. The unfolding of how that affects the various family relationships and the journey it takes into Cartel territory is interesting. Morals are forfeited in favour of survival.
My favourite character is Ruth, played by Julia Garner. Ruth is a tough
talking trailer park girl, bright as a spark who pulls no punches when
it comes to doing what has to be done.
Of course it doesn't hurt that
Jason Bateman is the lead character either.
Decided to rename our innocent looking black cat to Beelzabub after she puked up a whole dish full of cat food on the bed. The bed I'd just put clean bedding on the night before last.
She may look all cute and innocent sat there, don't let that fool ya. She is a disgrace.
The cat formerly known as Burdock
Spent the rest of the day cleaning the conservatory. To be fair, it usually gets its annual post-winter overhaul around about this time of year, but it was good to keep my mind occupied. I can't wait for the nights to get a bit warmer so we can sit out there and watch the early evening bats swooping back and forth above the garden. I'm dreaming of fairy lights and music sessions and wine. Happy times.
Big thank you to Jenny and Rob for working the technology to bring us a three way game of Jackbox tonight. Was really good to have the family together even if just in a virtual sense and to completely switch off from the CV words for a couple of hours. Cant wait to see you all in person folks.
Flights for Becky's hen do in Lisbon next week are finally cancelled so today has been mainly sat on the phone waiting for Easyjet customer services to pick up. Hoping its not a scam number, because this on hold play list is shite and quite frankly, a waste of good listening time.
Ventured back onto FB today after a self-imposed isolation from all that shit.
That didn't go too well so here is a nice picture of the River Drone, looking very fetching today. She is making an effort to stay clean and sparkly despite the clampdown.
In other exciting news, I cut the grass and changed the bedding.
Pretty quiet day all round. Woke up late and read in bed for a while.
Went out for another little walk around the town, this time via Sainsburys for the bits we couldn't get yesterday. I waited outside the shop again, whilst Simon went in. He was successful this time so we have bread and milk again and my oh so essential mushrooms and chocolate. Thinking of sending them in to the #jackmonroelockdownlarder challenge.
If you're not familiar, Jack Monroe is a brilliant cook, famous for
making nutritious meals on a shoe string budget. There is a veritible cacophanyof tweets on twitter
at the moment due to the BBC having employed Jamie Oliver to teach those of us who haven't stockpiled enough food to last until Christmas, how
to stretch our food supplies. Jack has been doing this for years,
and really should have been their first port of call. She's is the
beginning and end of this and an expert I tell you. An expert.
@BootstrapCook (on Twitter)
Got Simon to get the whirly clothes dryer thingywotsit out the shed where it had got well and truly wedged between the lawnmower and Joe Strimmer the other day whilst I was foraging for seed trays. Another beautiful day and got all me tea towels hanging on the line like a row of photos in a dark room - drying out. Except its very, very sunny and err, nowt like a dark room at all.
Checked on me little loofah seeds and transferred them to the plastic bag in the hope they will start sprouting. I've already neglected them for leaving them for more than 10 - 12 hours in room temperature water. They have heated up and cooled down and heated up again in the conservatory in this lovely weather overnight and through the morning. Hey ho. I'm still expecting great things.
Simon noticed that one of my seedless trays of compost was looking suspiciously damp on the top. Bloody Burdock. I forgot she likes to pee on anything that resembles a litter tray. Into theb in that goes then. Makeshift cat-proof defences now in place on the rest and hopefully we will soon see some little green shoots poking through the soil. I've used the last of my compost though so will have to wait until the clampdown is lifted and the garden centre open again to get more. My little vegetable plot is going to be VERY little at this rate.
Caught up with Jenny on Skype tonight which was lovely. We've organised to have a Jackbox session with her and Rob, Becky and Rob and us on Saturday night. Should be fun tuning in from different houses in different parts of the country. Hopefully we will have a few laughs which I think will do us all some good.
I'm starting to compile a list of things I want to do when this is all over and we are free to roam again.
1. Visit Jenny and Rob in London
3. Go wedding dress shopping with Becky. Unless we have further restrictions and it gets cancelled, it looks like theirs will be one of the first weddings in Sheffield on 1st August. She'll be needing a dress then!
2. Visit our Eileen and give her a huge big hug
3. Go to the John Rylands Library in Manchester. I was planning on going last Saturday before the Jesus and Mary Chain gig, before it all got cancelled. I've only seen photos but it.looks quite the building inside and out and I can't wait to go and get me some pics.
4. Big old get together with my Waster mates to celebrate life, music and friendship
5. Catch up with my ex-workmates, I missed out on our day out as I was full of cold a couple of weeks back, and not knowing if it was the dreaded virus or not thought it best to keep my distance. It will be so lovely to see them all again.
6 Go to a gig. Any gig! Though possibly the Rifles gig which is rescheduled for mid August - please God we are free by then!
I'll be adding to the list as I start missing more and more things I guess!
Well, from Tuesday 24th March, 2020, the good folks of the UK, whilst not
completely confined to quarters, have entered what is possibly best termed as a, well, I'll let The Clash explain:
So it seems as good a time as any to start blogging again, if only to pass
some of the time in a more constructive way than sitting on my phone for large
portions of the day.
So Tuesday, the first day of The Clampdown.
I can't remember the last time I exercised, and Simon can't do his regular 3
times a week swimming at the moment with the swimming pools shut. Whilst
not quite in the age group for self-isolation, as we aren't getting any
younger, we thought if we managed to get out for a wee bit of walking every day
then that is better than nothing. So we had a wander around the town. It
was hard to equate the glorious sunny day, with what is happening, except that
fact that the park was empty, the play areas cordoned off, and I waited
outside of the corner shop whilst Simon went in. The few people we did
encounter were people walking their dogs, and either we or they crossed to the
other side of the road to give as wide a berth as possible.
We saw our neighbour from 2 doors down as we got back to the house and had a
bit of a chat about the state of things. He'd been shopping for our
mutual neighbours, an elderly couple who are self-isolating, who had requested
beer and toilet rolls. Pretty much the same supplies they had asked us to
get them the day before. I fully expect to hear drunken singing wafting
across from their garden in the next evening or two. I hope so anyway.
Yesterday I had dug out from the shed some plant pots and seed trays, and
scrubbed them and left them in the conservatory to dry overnight. So after
a spot of lunch, I set too filling them with a bottom layer of pea gravel and a
load of compost. I retrieved the seed kit that Simon had bought me for
Christmas to discover that it included tiny biodegradable pots and a small disc
of some sort of compost stuff that expanded on watering. I ignored the
stuff I'd already done and sorted out planting some veggies seeds into the
little pots that came with the kit.
Next up I had a bit of a treasure hunt, trying to remember where I had put
the couple of packets of loofah seeds that I'd bought a few months back. I knew
they wouldn't be in a logical place, like the utility room, shed or garage, and
eventually found them buried on a pile of paperwork on the spare bed. Well, it
made sense to me anyway.
I got up a youtube tutorial to see the best way to plant the loofah seeds, and
apparently it all involves some nail clippers, kitchen roll, water and a
plastic bag! The mind boggles. Not a plant pot or compost needed
quite just yet. I set the pots aside in the conservatory; at least they will be
prepared for planting in a few days time.
One of my fave TV programmes is First Dates, and I just adore Fred Sirieix.
I got his book as a pressy from my birthday from Becky and Rob and thought it
was time for a bit of light reading to counteract the doom and gloom that has
been so (understandably) pervasive for the past few weeks.
Had a lovely long chat with my sister. She's had a really tough time of it
the past few weeks, having gone almost straight from a 3 month neuro-rehab
stay, into the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle with urospesis.
She's back home now though, still not 100% but getting there and sounding like
her normal self again. Having MS she's self isolating and I am desperate
to see her but just need to be patient until we get through the pandemic.
Caught up with the girls and friends via the various message aps. It's
a gruelling and worrisome time for all in different ways, especially those who are ill or on the
front line working for the various emergency services. It's heartening to see how everyone is doing their best to lighten the load for others and pulling together though, and it's those things I need to concentrate on as much as possible over the coming weeks.
I'll leave you with the loofah vid as I know can't wait to see what on earth you need the nail clippers for!!
