Covid-19 Shielding Diary

A blow by blow account Month 5 -Continues from Month4

DayDateAction
15315/8Petanque England Board meeting by VC 10-14.15 Then family tea. Twin grandsons now with us for a week.
15214/8Upstairs cleaning then studying the Bunsen Labs Lithium release while M was out for lunch. Afternoon grocery shopping then dinner and the evening walk.
15113/8Fed all the plants and pruned the rose and bay tree. We took surplus clothing to the Sense charity drop off in Crayford. Early dinner of the thai beans with sausage then over to the GRFC to work on the mural and draw up a new panel, number 12.
15012/8Started the day with return of R4s More or Less. Did some work for the Board meeting and also work on the calendar. Dinner date in the evening at Cote Brasserie with M. Supporting the £10 off going out scheme. Lobster frites for M, steak frites for me. On the way home met our neighbours at the bus stop who had been on a similar outing to Browns.
14911/8Woke to no internet connection! Spent an hour on the phone with Virginmedia but cleared the blockage in the end. Did a mornings painting on the mural and in the afternoon some planning for the new petanque playing programme. Returned to the mural in the evening to complete the lettering on the logo panel.
14810/8Domestic day, watering garden and feeding plants. Afternoon excursion to Sainsbury for groceries and Smiths for some Varnish. Evening VC of the Petanque National Performance Panel took 2 hours. Revised the drawings for tomorrows work on the mural.
1479/8Main part of the day spent at the club painting on panels 10 and 11. Another day in the 30s, evening walk by the river where we collected blackberries for next day’s breakfast.
1468/8Some shopping and then chores around the house. Kept cool indoord watching the test match, a fine win by England after an unlikely run chase of 277 in the 4th innings. Dinner featured home growns! Potato salad, caprese salad with quiche,
1457/8Took my first bus for 145 days this morning! A quick trip to Bluewater to get some bits at M&S. Then lunch and painting at the club, panel 10. It was hot today 36 degrees so we went to sit by the river in the late evening with a glass of prosecco joined by M’s sister and husband.
1446/8Did the essential garden work then made a sandwich for lunch so M could drop me at the club by 11.30 while she took her mum out to lunch. I worked on the logos panel. In the evening went to The Railway to play in the postponed Winter league Plate Final, we, GRFC Snowboules prevailed narrowly on points in a match tied 2-2 in games.
1435/8Fitted my new tap diffuser with three colour leds and descaled the Vax steamer floor cleaner around a morning grocery shop. Surveyor called to look at conservatory window which has become etched. Decided to order a like for like replacement. In the evening went to the club for a petanque practice.
1424/8Over to my son’s house to help mend his cross trainer and other DIY actions. Nice lunch of salad and Flammekueche. Afternoon returned to water garden and harvest potatoes. Did some PE admin and then Evening saw a visit to GRFC for a drink and the Winter petanque league final.
1413/8Visit to Hatfield Forest, no traffic issues, yay! Met up with S and the boys. A good walk and then a picnic lunch. An impromptu cricket game ended when the ball went into a bramble patch. After some searching I spotted it and reached with a bat to drag it out. On being touched the ball toppled into a rabbit hole and was lost from sight! In the eveining to the club to draw up panel 10.
1402/8Morning of house chores and garden care. In the afternoon M tried to visit Lullingstone with her mum but ran into traffic problems like the day before and came home for tea instead. I went to the rugby club and did some painting on panel 8
1391/8Noticed a lot of white fly eggs in the carrots stems so harvested them all! Used some for a carrot salad and then made a batch of turkey schnitzel. Finished removing and bagging up the spent raspberry canes. Our afternoon visit to Sissinghurst began strangely with sat nav taking us via Bluebell Hill which resulted in us being caught in a traffic jam which was so slow we missed our slot at Sissinghurst and aborted. Got some bits at Sainsbury on the way home including Silver Moki, a Sauvingnon pink blush from Marlborough. Shnitzel dinner was accompanied by carrot, and green bean and potato salad from our garden. Drew up panel 9 in the evening.
13831/735 degrees in the garden. Removed the spent early raspberry canes so that the new growth for next year is not crowded out. Update on the Greylag geese family seen on day 54. Within days of that first sighting the goslings were down to two survivors but they have made it through!
13730/7In the morning M had an Art Group VC while I harvested some potatoes and prepped the evening curry. In the afternoon finished painting panel 7 and in the evening completed the lettering on panel 7 and started drawing up panel 8.
13629/7Morning grocery shopping to Sainsbury at Northfleet. Not busy, everyone masked and distanced. Afternoon painting the GRFC mural, panel 6,

Evening was family quiz night by video conference.
13528/7Finalised a discussion document on Petanque membership value proposition. Then lunch near Coulsdon where we met up with Eve. Then to the GRFC to do some lettering and draw up the next panel
13427/7A miserable rainy day spent mainly indoors.
13326/7Work on the mural for me while M took her mum out for afternoon tea. Home for Sunday dinner, home made meatballs with beans and linguini.
13225/7Another lunch out! Meeting family halfway at a pub near Bisops Stortford.
13124/7Spent some time convincing LoveAdmin that there is a problem with our petanque membership payment system. Grocery shopping and the usual garden work. Afternoon working on the mural
13023/7A day out! Excursion to Walmer Castle, meeting up with M’s sister and husband. A pleasant walk round the gardens and then to the Zetland Arms for lunch on the beach, fish and chips and scampi and chips. Home to harvest the beans, raspberries and blackberries.
12922/7Morning stayed in for a boiler service by a masked engineer. Then an excursion for lunch at The Fighting Cocks, Horton Kirby with our friends Mick and Joyce. Sat at garden tables and ordered via phone app. Evening another family quiz night.
12821/7Visit to my new Dentist for a check up, seemed safe enough. Then a haircut, Grocery shopping in the afternoon, worked on some mural lettering in the evening.
12720/7Cleaning morning then further work on the mural, competed most of panel 4 and M started on Panel 5.
Still getting raspberries from the early canes, a few of the lates now bing picked also.
12619/7Worked on a PE member value proposition and related competition structure while waiting for our Cote Home delivery. Then to Bluewater for some bits and pieces. It was fairly busy, masks were worn! Evening meal, a lovely Lobster frites from Cote.
12518/7Morning taken up with the Petanque England Board meeting, looks like our survey of members is going to result in significant changes. After a late lunch spent afternoon sunning in the garden and jotting down some actions from the morning meeting.
12417/7A major watering, especially beans and raspberries. The early raspberries are nearly finished while the beans are starting to flow with two large handfuls in today’s harvest. An excursion to the Fish and Eels PH in Hoddesdon for a halfway lunch meeting with our friends from Hitchin.
12316/7In the morning I painted most of panel 4 then in the evening did the drawing for panel 5. In the afternoon and excursion to Herne Bay for a walk along the promenade and then afternoon tea at a cafe there. No problem social distancing as there didn’t seem to be many visitors and the weather wasn’t very good, overcast and 21 degrees.

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