Reflecting on my week #139

The big weeks at work seem to be continuing at the moment. Last week there were disappointments with people who were leaving and promised things before they went, that didn’t deliver but also plus points when an article was submitted after a very short brief, that absolutely hit the mark. There was a weekend of being on call, and actually being called, which thankfully is rare. But this weekend’s call saw a media interview being set up at short notice on the Bank Holiday, a little out of my comfort zone but we got there.

We went into the weekend with few plans, but spent some time mooching around Greenwich on Saturday picking up some food shopping, some lunch from the market and some conkers from Greenwich Park on our way home. It’s been many years since we’ve been conker hunting, and it was quite good fun. MOH quickly slipped back a good few years, and was looking for the best “cheese cutter” which made us laugh, but also because we’re collecting these to scare our spiders, not for some major championship.

Though if it comes to the championship, I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve. Let’s just say conkers soaked in vinegar and baked…

I’m sure we’ll spend the next few weeks positioning them carefully to deter the spiders which seem so comfy in our conservatory though. It’s not the spiders that bother me so much, but their webs. This year they are huge, and they will be evicted. We’re trying conkers, and I’ve also some Peppermint Oil on order after asking for suggestions over on Instagram, so we’ll see how these go - and how quickly the spiders go too.

Actually it’s been a good week for advice over on Instagram. I pondered what to do with our increasing supply of empty and pretty gin bottles, wondering if filling them with LED lights would be a viable option. And, yes you agree and you’ve also told me about the lights you can buy that have the battery and/or switch in the cork, so I’ll be doing some internet searching for those. I think though it might not be that long before our garden could become the south’s equivalent of the Blackpool Illuminations if I’m not careful…

There was other news for MOH this week too. The consultation period for his role has ended and his company confirmed his redundancy. He’s fine about the outcome, but the delivery was less, shall we say, humane and a little galling. However, it’s also vindication of why the outcome is a good thing. He says he’s not surprised as such, but the timing was sooner than he’d anticipated, but it is what it is. There’s provision for training in the package and of course his actual work is lessening, which is no bad thing, as you’ll remember how the stress contributed to his health earlier in the year. We know that there are many people in worse situations than ours, and so while it’s not great news - redundancy never is - it’s not the worst news either. As he’s already been “bored” by lockdown the challenge will, I’m sure, be more of a mental one, but definitely one to make the most of, and I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that he’s very keen for me to go back to the office. Me, not so much, but that’s a whole other blog post, maybe for another time.

We had another trip out to a National Trust property on the Bank Holiday Monday, taking MIL to Standen, which is less than fifteen minutes from where she lives. It was only our second time there - we went in 2015 for the Tulip Festival - and it was a nice surprise to learn that the ground floor of the house was open. So of course we headed there first, joining the short socially distanced queue. It’s funny though, looking back at my post from our first visit, I’ve taken many of the same photos. I clearly know the stuff I like, and I’m drawn to it on five yearly intervals!

For a Bank Holiday, the weather was good. A little on the chilly side, but it seems that autumn is already knocking on summer’s door and making itself known. In some ways I don’t want it here yet, but in other ways it’s ok, I mean, I think autumn’s food is the best, so I’m looking forward to that part at least, the chillier mornings and putting away my flip flops, less so!

Reflecting on my week #138

I always knew this week was going to be a big and busy week at work, and so it’s Wednesday already and I’m only just writing this post. We had a couple of much needed days off at the end of last week and the two days couldn’t have been more different. Thursday was a slow day, a day for life admin and sitting in the sun on sun beds with an ice cream. Sometimes that’s just what’s needed isn’t it?

I had a second hair cut wearing a mask - it’s still weird, and I still find myself fascinated by breathing the material in and out. It’s daft but I become obsessed by it, so it was just as well that this visit was just a trim rather than the full blown colour.

Then the next day we headed over to the National Trust’s Chartwell for a wander - and a blow - around the gardens there. The house wasn’t open and it was our first visit there. It’s a lovely garden, full of picturesque vistas and the best walled garden. We followed the one way system around the garden but like many other visitors we adapted the route through the vegetable garden. I’m not sure anyone just wanted to walk through the central path and out onto the next part of the garden, so I think that will need some reconsidering.

We explored as much of the garden and woodland as we could, though I’m not sure that I was quite ready to find an acorn.

It’s been a while since we’ve done any proper gardening and we put that right too. We’ve a corner at the back of our garden which has become more overgrown than we’d like. A vine has popped over from next door and firmly lodged itself in our cherry tree. It’s clearly happy as we picked a few grapes, and there’s plenty more still to be picked. MOH, who pretty much eats anything tried them, and declared them passable. I tried them and the verdict is pips. The pip to grape ratio is high, and too high for me, so most are now in the bird feeders!

The good news though, is there’s only two working days left this week already!

Reflecting on my week #137

This past week has felt the most normal for a while, with normal things happening including having family over, going out, twice, and a house move in the family - we’ve yet to visit, but have an open invite so hope to pop up soon. Work has been as busy as usual, but that’s the reality right now. It felt normal to have family over, for them to stay overnight, but was less normal is the amount of cleaning we needed to do beforehand. Being in the house pretty much full time since the middle of March has seemed to attract more dust and insects than it normally would. Don’t get me wrong, we have cleaned in all that time, but when you have people staying, family or otherwise, you find time to give everything a bit more of going over.

This week though that time was straight after a night out. Not a big night out, but a soft opening for one of the local bars. Of course after a week of nice weather and threatened storms, the rain arrived to coincide with our booking for an outdoor table. We left home almost dressed for winter, though the new waterproof I bought during lockdown came in handy. By the time we got even part-way there we were wetter than we wanted to be, so waited for a bus. Another first.

Actually some habits don’t change, we only waited as the board said it was only 2 minutes away. When it did arrive, with masks on, we got on tentatively. There was plenty of space, and with a capacity of 11 people for a single decker bus, it’s hard to see how this will work when more people are back at work. Luckily our outdoor reservation was moved inside, and we really tested the system, by arriving later than we should have done.

After a gin and tonic or several it was time for food, so as it’s been a while we headed over to Franco Manca. The virtual queue was also the track and trace requirement and worked really smoothly, there were less tables in the restaurant and we sat in a completely different part of the restaurant than before. In fact I’d never even noticed the tiles before, and now that I have, i can’t imagine why ever not.

We’ve had another visit from the dragonfly, though this time it came no further than the conservatory. MOH spent time on and off trying to shoo it out, which was most entertaining for me, less so for the dragonfly. Both it and MOH needed to rest at times, due to the heat I’m sure. While it was nice to have lunch, breakfast and dinner outside, it has been a tad on the warm side, so the cooler temperatures and rain were are almost welcome, just for a bit.

Then on Sunday it was nice to pick up my crochet again, it’s been a while. And of course, now I’m out of the mini skeins, so I’m waiting for the next delivery, which should arrive soon.

The colours this month have been blues and lilacs, which are colours I wouldn’t naturally go for, but they’ve grown on me. Yet again I’m curious to find out where the colour-way is taking me next.

I’m also wondering if I’ve been over-brave in going for a multi-coloured wearable… Only time will tell.