Quick daily posts

[Serinde]

I know where! And what's really annoying is that the weather has been nigh on perfect. Spiteful, I call it.

I have a bit of work to do this morning, then probably into the garden if the weather continues to hold. Stitching tonight (at least) -- determined to finish the Tall Year Square!

[wendywombat]

There will be another time!

[Podolyanka]

We had a snowfall earlier today! The day before yesterday the temperature was +18c, today- around zero. I hope the short snowfall did not do any harm to green leaves and flower buds. So I am in and stitching.

[Mabel Figworthy]

There will be another time!

Yes, we've been thinking that. We should have been in Wales last weekend, and travelling to the Netherlands in a week's time - but Wales and the Netherlands will still be there next year! (Though some of our very elderly friends and relatives may not )

This afternoon (after braving Sainsbury's for the essential weekly shop) DH and I are hoping to set up my headphone & microphone to work with the family laptop for a Zoom interview for a stitching podcast - exciting!

Must also remember to take dough out of the freezer for celebratory garlic rolls tomorrow.

[Mabel Figworthy]

I'd love a bit of snow, it makes everything look so pristine - but I also realise it can play havoc with essential services, so perhaps better not!

On one of our Wales rallies (always the last weekend of March) a few years ago we were driving thorugh great bg snow drifts - brrrrr

[RosemaryD]

I have just cleaned the kitchen and all hard floors downstairs (the hands and knees scrubbing type of cleaning). Then read an article about all the plants that will have to be destroyed this year as garden centres are not open, what a waste and very sad for the growers. Had a nice chat with my regal pelargonium which has decided the days are long enough to start flowering but it would prefer to stay indoors by the radiator until it gets warmer, thank you! If I remember I'll get another photo in a couple of weeks when it's in full bloom. Sorting seeds this afternoon.

[wendywombat]

I found my fuchsias which have been lurking under the porch during the winter. I'd cut them back at the end of the year and Lo and Behold they are sprouting....a nice drink of rain water and they are back hanging up, outside still but sheltered.
It's amazing how some of the most delicate plants survive over the winter months isn't it!

Yesterday it didn't get above 5C and we had sleet and rain but today it's 18C !!!
Quite Bizarre!

[richardandtracy]

I'm working from my dining room. The company got a bit of software installed so the work computer on my dining room table sees the company network as if it was still directly wired in. Incredibly clever. Less clever is our 'Rubber Band' as opposed to 'broadband' connection. It means that either Tracy or I can work, but not both. The single street village where I live doesn't yet have fibre to the exchange box, so there is no way of increasing the data rate we can get. Fibre isn't an option.

We heard some bad news yesterday. An ex-prison governor in my wife's church's congregation is now in ITU with the virus. His wife is falling to pieces. He's 65, appears fairly fit, though he is lucky to be alive. He had a severe heart attack a few years ago shortly after his wife went to work. There was an accident on the Sheppy Crossing closing the bridge, so she gave up & went back home. She was early enough to for him to be saved. Had the crossing not been shut that day, he'd have died.

The veg bed is getting dug to within an inch of its life, and while doing so Tracy disturbed dozens of tiny Slow Worms and about 10 adults. Really rather nice that they're there. There was also a huge dead rat (10" body length, tail same length, no injuries, probably died of old age) and many Pygmy Shrews (presumably feeding on the maggots on the rat). Get all sorts in our garden!

Did some stitching (100 odd stitches) when I awoke early this morning.

Regards,

Richard

[Mabel Figworthy]

Everybody's been keeping busy! My involvement in the garden at the moment is limited to looking at it, sitting in it when the weather allows, and enjoying it My orchid's got new buds though!

Slightly surreal feeling earlier today when I found myself washing down all my grocery shopping with a weak antibacterial solution. If you'd told me that even a few weeks ago.....

[richardandtracy]

I bought and orchid for my desk at work. It arrived just before the shutdown. At least it won't suffer with me being at home..
Artificial Orchid on E-Bay
It was £2.40 + £0.30p postage. Gone up a bit since I ordered one.

Regards,

Richard

[rcperryls]

I have an orchid that my neighbor gave me as a thank you for watching/feeding her "zoo" while they were on vacation. One cat (Max), one African Gray Parrot (Ko-hi), one fish in an aquarium (Charlotte), one turtle (Sally) in a manmade little pond in the backyard and two guinea pigs (Mocha and Latte). The German Shepherd (Ellie) went with the family this time, but otherwise stays with the family of her (Ellie's) best friend. Anyway, I got the orchid at least two years ago and haven't managed to kill it yet. It has blossomed at least 4 times and the blossoms last for months. I always thought orchids would be the most difficult flower to keep and most might be, but even my brown thumb hasn't hurt them. 3oz of water once a week and they are beautiful.
I really do think it is the only plant I've had for more than 6 months. I think I've even had paper flowers die and that should be impossible.

Carole

[SteveM]

Monday I went in to work to get some things done that I can only do there, including being the hands for someone that would not survive getting the virus. Work was slower than normal due to having to constantly wipe up with disinfectant after using each system or piece of equipment as well as the frequent hand washing. It gave me an opportunity to water my plant and those of a few coworkers. For the past two weeks I've been working at home as best I can with kids present. At least I do have fibre so my ability to connect to the computers at work has been good, even when the rest of the family is using the Internet.

A few hours after returning home our company shut down our location as a fellow employee has been diagnosed with the virus (they are home and recovering well). They were last at work a week ago so the shutdown is for 14 days from that last visit, or another week. We have some hourly paid employees that cannot do any work at home so I am happy to see that the company is going to pay them to stay at home even though they are unable to work while at home.

Happily, I got in a few more hours of stitching after the kids were in bed.

[richardandtracy]

We had a bit of unpleasant excitement yesterday evening. Over the last week Tracy has been concerned she's not seen the retired gentleman who lives in the bungalow opposite us for a while. We really don't see our neighbours regularly, often once a month or less. Everyone is affable but stand-offish here, no popping into next-door but chatty if met while out for a walk. Perfect for people who had problem neighbours at their last house! Anyway, we had assumed he was there, as his car was, his front room light was on for much of the night, as usual, his gardener mowed the lawns and the milk was delivered.
But Tracy had a feeling all was not right.
Yesterday she approached his next-door neighbours about him, and it clicked with them that they hadn't seen him for a while. About 30 mins later, two police cars arrived, then a third with a battering ram for his front door. Then a paramedic. She sauntered in, obviously not in a hurry because the worst had already happened.
The Police came to us later, after his body had been collected by a 'Private Ambulance', asking if we knew of any relatives. We didn't, he never had visitors after his wife died. Apparently from he state of him, he'd died in mid February and his dog was dead in the bungalow too. The old boy had been there since the mid 1970's when he & his wife moved in just after getting married. I don't think he got over the death of his wife 10 years ago.

Really makes me wonder if we did all we could. Head says yes, heart says no.

Regards,

Richard.

[wendywombat]

A very nasty shock, Richard!! Times like that always make you realise that we should be more aware of our neighbours....trouble is what is interference when people are private? You don't want to overstep the mark but then something like this happens.

D/H's uncle died in tragic circumstances 18 months ago. He was found by concerned neighbours 48 hrs later when he didn't appear for a shopping trip.

[richardandtracy]

Wendy, you used just the right word. It was a shock. We're all still a bit dazed by it. We are going to have to act a bit earlier on Tracy's intuitions.

Also, the single retired bloke next to us.. If we don't see him out for a walk every day it may be worth just checking up on him. His wife also died 12 years ago & he's a bit lost without her. He does have kids & grand-kids who visit monthly, so he's not so quite so alone. He seems to enjoy the visits our cats make. Ozzie lies in the middle of his lawn in the sun as if he owns the place, but scoots if approached. Fluffy used to visit, try & cadge some strokes or a cuddle, but neither of the other two go in his garden.

Regards,

Richard

[Mabel Figworthy]

I'm sorry you had such a shock Richard - and yes, however much we tell ourselves that there wasn't anything else, the heart always wonders and worries. It is something to come to terms with and then, if possible, to let go of. And if it makes the neighbourhood more aware of the other widowed gentleman then something good has come of it!

[Serinde]

I'm sorry you had such a shock Richard - and yes, however much we tell ourselves that there wasn't anything else, the heart always wonders and worries. It is something to come to terms with and then, if possible, to let go of. And if it makes the neighbourhood more aware of the other widowed gentleman then something good has come of it!

You put it better than I could have, Mabel. Living in a small village, I know there's a fine line between being nosy and being aware, and for all the times I've had to deflect the odd gossip-monger, I also know that someone who wasn't where they were usually supposed to be would be noticed. A life was saved in the village one Christmas because a village character wasn't out and about -- but even then it was a perilously close shave. These are strange times, and we all have to try to rise to the new challenges. Or at least I do. Just sorry you had to go through this, Richard.

[RosemaryD]

And not just in villages, particularly in the current situation those living alone in bigger towns could be virtually invisible without the benefit of the community awareness that villages have.

Sorry you had that experience Richard, not pleasant.

[rcperryls]

I am so sorry to hear about your neighbor and the shock y'all are going through. I agree Mabel said it much better than I could have. I am so very fortunate to have family and neighbors who check regularly. And I believe we are all a bit more aware of the people around us, especially those who are alone or elderly.

Carole

[poppy]

What a horrible shock, Richard.
Thinking of you and Tracy.