Today I shall be Mainly...

[PanBiker]

Yes, we don't have more than one now although at one time when the kids were at home we had four! Cars are made to go round so to speak, practicalities sometimes required swapping vehicles. Our Jack wrote one of mine off when he was forced into a wall by a nutter coming the other way in the middle of the road on double white lines, always a downer.

Just jump in Bob's if you are going stir crazy, you have to maintain good mental health and if a drive out would help, so be it. I assume you are a named driver on the policy Sue?

[Wendyf]

Today we are mostly cutting, splitting and stacking logs.

[Sue]

Not learning here on these lanes with only me in the car. He is still getting used to it himself, only had it a few weeks. One of the reasons we came in it and not mine was to see how it did on a long run.
I am sure I am a named driver, but I don’t like big cars, I have never really driven one, and this is big even next to my Mini Countryman. Ah well we will cope.i may go anyway and if stopped say I am being driven to the chemist for medication.

[PanBiker]

Today we have finished painting the living room. Carpet cleaning tomorrow.

[Sue]

That was one of our plans for at home. We have decorated the downstairs loo and shower room here. At the moment its too nice for indoor jobs. Just finished edging the second flower bed, now for a late lunch

[PanBiker]

Just had lunch, time for a walk, belting day here.

[Tizer]

Thanks to some help from Panbiker and Kev we had our first WhatsApp session with my cousin and her husband today. That's going to help in these unusual times.

[Tripps]

time for a walk, belting day here.

Take care how far you go. The Derbyshire Police have had a drone aloft to check on people getting some exercise - which away from others seems quite all right. I kept this picture of their Deputy Chief Constable from the time of the Whaley Bridge dam crisis. After seeing it - it would take a lot to surprise me about that particular Police Force.

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[Sue]

My sister has just introduced me to the HOUSEPARTY app. You can have multiple people on together chatting. We had a lovely three way conversation between us and her daughter. There we both were sipping a glass of wine chatting away as if we were in the same room.

[PanBiker]

Thanks to some help from Panbiker and Kev we had our first WhatsApp session with my cousin and her husband today. That's going to help in these unusual times.

You do know that you can do a video call as well Tiz if you wish?

[Sue]

Thanks to some help from Panbiker and Kev we had our first WhatsApp session with my cousin and her husband today. That's going to help in these unusual times.

You do know that you can do a video call as well Tiz if you wish?

I spoke to my grand daughter on video yesterday. It was quite funny. She contacted me as she wanted to show me her early birthday present. She said ’come upstairs with me grandma’

[Cathy]

Oh that’s so lovely Sue, almost had a tear.
‘Come upstairs with me Grandma. ‘

[Marilyn]

A quick shop this morning wearing disposable gloves.
Stocks on shelves severely depleted. Absolutely nothing on special or reduced price. Limits on most items. Fresh fruit and Veg very expensive. Frozen Items of any sort limited to 2.
Bread available, but it was yesterday’s. Fresh bakery items depleted. Fresh meat available, but depleted. Dishwashing liquid available but almost no hand soap. No sanitiser available. Hubby needed a new toothbrush and had very little choice. Some toothpaste available, but regular brands all gone. I found it strange that female sanitary products were in short supply too.
Checkout operators have the right to refuse to pack for you if they observe your shopping bags to be grubby and not well kept.
( the lass happily packed our groceries because our bags are very clean). We must all take our own bags shopping here of course and it has been that way for many many years.
Butcher shops have to shut unless they are in a shopping mall. No independent butchers to open...I expect it is the same for greengrocers. Most “non essential” shops are shut now.
We were in and out as quickly as is humanly possible. There was no panic. Folk seem to be following distancing rules.

[Stanley]

It was a toss up between shed and writing and shed won. I can think about articles while I play with my piston.....
Trying to have my walks as inconspicuously as possible! The Derbyshire CC should get a short back and sides!

[Sue]

Jeepers Maz, that is a mess. Bob tells me the shops are still well stocked here.I did a double take on having your shopping packed for you. I haven’t seen that for years.

We have only just woken, that will be 9 hours sleep last hight apart from a little blip in the middle of the night. I think that was real physical tiredness. Today is cloudy, indeed misty and not set to improve much. It's a good day to tackle the edges of the lawn where it overlap the gravel drive. Now that is going to be hard. Otherwise I shall scrape the moss off the lawn and remove ivy where it is also growing on the lawn, ready to rested when it rains later in the week.

Yesterday evening, after the gardening, I revitalised my hair colour, not an easy job without a hand held shower head. We have an overhead waterfall shower. I trimmed the side bits, and generally tried to make it look better, (for me. ).I had an appointment at the hairdresser on Monday but I think it will be sometime before that happens. I also had a long soak in the bath and gave myself a pedicure and a manicure. No need to let the standards slip

Bob started mowing the field with the tractor

I had a chat my art teacher Jeremy Ford. He has invited me to be one of ten to take part in a live online lesson next week.I have most art stuff here but it is not the best standard. I’ll cope though.

Have a good day everyone

Think positive, stay cheerful, keep busy, and stay safe

[Big Kev]

...working from home, or WFH as it's now affectionately known. Company wide email yesterday, regarding 'furloughing' non essential areas of the business, I don't fall into that category though so at least I won't get bored.

[Sue]

Oh that’s so lovely Sue, almost had a tear.
‘Come upstairs with me Grandma. ‘

Me too Cathy. She is 11 in three weeks and had been saving all her money for a TV with built in CD player. She had got it. How I am not sure. It may have been ordered online, mum and Dad may have got it already and decided to give it to her early, probably the latter. She said it was an early birthday present so I presume she still has her money. We were going to send her money towards it. It will be a late present from us now. We were going to call with card and present on our way home.

Did I say we booked a ferry for April 23rd. We are sure it will be cancelled. Also a case of bad reporting by the media, our lockdown has not been extended till the end of April but for two more weeks. What we do on April 23rd (the day before Eves birthday) depends on what is happening in both countries.

[Stanley]

I like that bit, You having a relaxing bath and a pedicure while Bob slaves away mowing the orchard! He knows his place.
I didn't get in the shed because something funny happened. I didn't feel like lighting my pipe this morning so I went with the flow. I don't know how it's happened and I am not claiming I have stopped. All I know is that I haven't had a smoke for 12 hours. Interesting!

[Marilyn]

Perhaps a “Coronavirus Miracle” Stanley.
I have gone off Coffee and Tea! I’m really not bothered if all I drink is tap water from here on in.

[Tizer]

Thanks to some help from Panbiker and Kev we had our first WhatsApp session with my cousin and her husband today. That's going to help in these unusual times.

You do know that you can do a video call as well Tiz if you wish?

Yes, I assumed that was what WhatsApp is all about?

Maz, unlike what you describe there, today the supermarkets here are now fully stocked with most necessary things. They've ignored some non-essentials to make way for essentials. In fact they were almost empty of customers this morning and they're having to put stuff on discounts to try and shift it!

[Sue]

Life is getting busy here. Two of my U3A classes are now online, creative writing and Art. My Thursday morning art is also planning on going online .

Agh, when will I get my gardening done

[PanBiker]

Yes, I assumed that was what WhatsApp is all about?

I doubt that is its primary use, more like group texting and free calls to other users. Plus of course the end to end encryption. Nothing really to dislike about the app unless you have a complete downer on Facebook.

[Tizer]

Life is getting busy here. Two of my U3A classes are now online, creative writing and Art. My Thursday morning art is also planning on going online...

Mrs Tiz's U3A geology meetings have stopped - all those rocky places out there but she can't visit them. Mind you, she has plenty of other things on the go such as making part of a new banner for the local WI. I'm never short of something to do, with al my interests and hobbies!

[PanBiker]

For our sins we have been continuing on spring cleaning tasks. We removed all the loose stone paint on the internal back yard wall and next doors kitchen wall which is down one side of our yard. Gave it a good going over with a steel brush. Sally has recovered them with brilliant white stone paint this morning. We moved all the furniture out of the newly decorated front room and managed to get it all in the back room. I shampooed and rinsed the front room carpet as it has needed doing for a while, looks like it has come up quite nice. We borrowed Bosom Friends carpet cleaner which is one of the big Vax jobs that we got for the centre. I did a deep clean on it so it will probably take until tomorrow to dry out before we can shift stuff back.

A bit rammed in the back room at the moment with two sofas and all the rest of the stuff. We will probably have a session of Sequence board game tonight then go to bed early to make up for last nights early hours fun and the loss of an hour with putting the clocks forwards tonight.

[Wendyf]

Stacking yet more wood and making butter.
I decided (after watching YouTube videos) to use the mixer which worked well but created a lot of washing up! Started wìth a glass of wine, which Colin removed from me forcibly fearing it could get spilt. Half a litre of cream converted to 2 blocks of yummy butter.

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