Day 9 - I think!

So last couple of days have been a bit grotty so not very much to report.  A bit of isolation fatigue setting in I think.  Spent majority of yesterday in bed feeling a bit shit and under the weather, so just decided to sleep it off.  I did manage to do a bit of sewing the past couple of days.  This one has been in the works for bloody ages.  I designed it from a card about 4/5 years back, got permission from the artist to turn it into a cross stitch, but then did nothing with it. Found the design whilst  tidying up my craft room (spare bedroom!) last year so waded in.  Gonna crack on with the next part of it this afternoon.   I don't really like working on the black aida, it's really hard to see the holes, so it takes me a lot longer than usual, but the black looks so damn good.  Hopefully I will get it finished before we are out of lockdown.

Anyway, dragged my sorry arse out of bed this morning and  went to water and check in on my little pots. Can't tell you how excited I was to see that the cavolo nero has started to sprout!  I might have a couple of green fingers after all!  Mind you, I had to look up what cavolo nero was.  I thought it  was some sort of cabbage, but apparently it's curly kale. Never knowingly had kale in my life, but if it actually grows into something half edible then I will definitely give it a whirl.  

Look at those little beauties!

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Decided to do a bit of baking, and made some cheese scones, one of my comfort foods.  Whilst the oven was on thought I would slice up some apples which had seen better days  to make apple crisps.  Did all the prep, sprinkled them in cinnamon and sugar and put them in the oven. Turned it up to max, cos that's what I remembered you did and set the timer for 20 minutes.  About 13 minutes in there was a weird smell coming from the kitchen, so went to investigate.  The kitchen was full of awful, acrid smelling smoke and the crips were, well, burnt to one! Not exactly what I had in mind. Ha ha.   Always check your recipe before you  go, especially if you are prone to being a little absent minded as I increasingly am these days.  

Fortunately the second batch turned out lovely though.

In other news, the husband's idea of isolation music is songs from War of the Worlds. 

I'm avoiding listening.

Day 6 - Sunday

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.

Ruth

Day 5

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.

Day 4. You know the drill.

 Friday

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.

Here's a better tune:

Day 3 in Clampdown, Mississippi

Thurs 26 March

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.

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Day 2 of The Clampdown

Wed 25 March

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!

Clampdown

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!!

Record Store Day 2019

Happy to be the proud recipient of these little albums from RSD2019 this weekend:

 

Seaham, Newcastle and Cramlington

It's lovely now that the weather is starting to change.  We had a lovely journey up to Newcastle on Friday.  One of my '57 things to do before I'm 58' was to visit the coastal town of Seaham, which is famous for its sea glass.  I had hoped to go a month or so ago when Kim was over from California, but the times and tides were against us so that had to be shelved.

It was glorious spring day.  The sun was on full beam, although there was a bit of a nip in the air, it is April still afterall.  It's lovely how the sun can make us feel more relaxed though isn't it and we drove northwards without a care in the world.

Once we got to Seaham we had a quick reckie before heading to the closest fish and chip shop for chip butties to munch in the car.  Not a bad way to spend a Friday lunch time.

We drove onwards to Seaham Hall Beach and took the steps down to the pebbled area.  There were a few scattered groups of folks sat on the pebbles, armed with buckets and trowels, looking for the infamous sea glass. I'd remembered to bring a container for my spoils, but as we were visiting on our way up to Newcastle, weren't planning on spending a whole lot of time there.  At first it was hard to spot the sea glass, you really had to bend down and ferret amongst the pebbles, but we managed to come away with a nice little selection which may find their way into a mosaic piece.  It's a lovely little pastime, and very relaxing, and I can see myself heading off up that way regularly for a day or afternoon in the not too distant future.

Northumbriana's profile

Once out of Seaham we called at Eileen and Richies in Newcastle for the late exchange of Christmas and birthday pressies, then we all piled into the car up and headed up to the reclaimed open cast site now known as Northumberlandia.    It's amazing what they have done there, and the new landscaping is such an innovative way to make good the devastation caused by open cast mining.  It was nice to wander around the various parts of Northumberlandia's anatomy.

 

Top of the world, or rather, boob!

Someone, not saying who mind, had the bright idea of pushing Eileen up to the higher reaches in her wheelchair.  I think she really appreciated being able to see the views across Northumberland, and, as you can see, was particularly excited to reach the top of Northumbriana's right boob. 

The trip back down  proved to be a bit more precarious than first thought mind with one little slip which almost saw her taking the quicker route down, straight over the edge.  We did managed to get her safely back down in the end though, and in one piece, albeit amidst lots of shrieking and laughter.

Next we went the short journey to Cramlington to meet up with Les at Pannuci's, a nice little Italian restaurant that we'd not been to before. It was really good to see  him, and he gave us some top tips of where to go when we are in Nice next month.  Didn't manage to see Micky though due to him being at work which was a shame, but look forward to catching up with him in at Jenny's wedding in August, if  not before.

It's been a wee while ...

... hasn't it!  I suppose like the rest of us, life has gotten in the way over the past year and a half, and I've not had the time nor the inclination to blog.  Mostly due to going into my final year of my degree - which is now well past me, having graduated back in September, but boy was it a stressful year.   Which isn't to say that I didn't find it enjoyable, informative or interesting. The knowledge I amassed has been fantastic, but I'm glad I'm this side of it all now.

I'd like to say that things have calmed down since, but I think after six years of study, it's taken me until now to decompress from it all.  I've found it really hard to get back into any sort of groove, especially on my weeks off.  It's not like I don't have lots that I can be doing, or even want to do. I have a list as long as me arm of projects that I want to get stuck in to.  It's just the motivating that's been lacking. I think I'm coming out of the other end of the tunnel now though, less mornings spent in bed, and starting to pick up the pace again.

On the plus side, since I last blogged, both girls have got engaged and are planning their weddings to their respective Robs.  Jenny and Rob get married this August, in the beautiful hills of Dovedale. We are all well immersed in preparations and pulling it all together at the moment, and its great because we get to see lots of Jenny and Rob with their frequent visits here for cake and pizza tasting and meeting the different people involved in the various components of their big day.  Becky and Rob are tying the knot in August 2020 in Sheffield and are also making great strides with their wedding preps.  I'm sure I will be  blogging much, much more about both in the coming months.

Sadly neither are planning on having Batman at their wedding, well, not to their knowledge anyway, mwa ha ha.  But how good would that be?  I wonder if Simon fancies renewing our vows?