20 August

No Fay class this week because she was away so we made the most of a free morning and did two runs to the tip to get rid of lots of garden rubbish. We even managed to fit in a trip to the big Sainsbury's on the way back from the first tip run so a very productive morning.

Jonathon had yet another CD delivery so he's got a lot more to sort through before they go to Greg. At least it keeps him out of mischief.

Jo and I did the Tusk Lion Trail round London in the afternoon. The two lions that were in The City earlier seem to have disappeared but we found all the other 25.

We liked most of the lions. There was one that neither of us liked (very strange eyes) and one that Jo didn't like but I thought was OK. There were some that were really lovely and they were all very different. It was a great afternoon out and we certainly did all our steps today!

London was very busy, especially Covent Garden and Leicester Square where there was hardly room to move.

21 August

Got up early to go for my walk today because rain was forecast from dinner time and I didn't want to get wet. It was lovely to be in the countryside with hardly any people around, especially after the busyness of London yesterday. Went straight from my walk to the gym so lots of exercise this morning but it got it all done for the day.

Popped into Sainsbury's on the way home but didn't bump into Jonathon on his way to the High Street because he'd decided to go the longer way round.

Had the weekly Skype call with Mum and Dad today instead of tomorrow because they are going to Carole's for dinner tomorrow. They'd been to see Marie and to a funeral this week so Mum was quite tired.

23 August

No gym today after a late night last night and a lot of walking over the weekend. I did manage a quick trip to Tesco before work to get milk, my paper and other essentials. It's amazing how quickly the leaves are changing colour - it can't be autumn already - it's still August.

I met Mark for lunch and Gilda came over to go out for lunch with Jonathon. The restaurant they'd booked was closed for refurbishment when they got there which was a bit of a surprise. The reservation Mark and I had was more successful. We'd not been to the restaurant for quite a while and it was much better than I'd remembered.

Gilda brought lemon drizzle cake with her yesterday so that was something to look forward to after a non-busy day at work. As always, it was yummy.

24 August

Work was even quieter today - hardly anything to do but I could get on with the work I had to do nice and quickly.

Went to the gym before work so at least I achieved something. Had a lovely walk at dinner time. I was looking for more old signs for my Jean, US Facebook friend, so I headed south to Borough and Southwark. The display on the Southbank was by local schools, all with a different theme - very interesting.

Jonathon took Arty out for a drive to make sure he started before he goes for his service. He ventured as far as Junction 7 on the M25 and felt a lot more confident. I'll still go with him on Friday in case he gets tired / stiff with sitting while the garage do the service.

Teresa came early today but Jonathon didn't ask her why!

25 August

Body pump then work today. I didn't have a lot to do until 11 a.m. then I had a flurry of activity and didn't get out for lunch until after 2 p.m. I had a quick walk around and focused my photos on sculptures today.

Jonathon tried to go to the cinema but his temporary pass wouldn't work so he couldn't get in. He'll try again when he gets his proper pass.

26 August

Today started with Park Gym. It was pretty chilly so I didn't even take my jacket off. Luis makes our classes really interesting and fun. Today we had a go on the swings again, even standing up for a while. I could remember how to get higher while standing up but couldn't remember how to stop so he had to help me!

Jonathon and I had brunch at the Orpington then I did a bit of gardening. I finished off my gardening jobs when I got back from my walk.

Caroline was supposed to be coming with me but about 5 minutes before we were due to set off she messaged me to say she had a "difficult situation" and had to wait for her daughter and granddaughter to get home.

Netta wasn't able to join us because she had an accident on her bike yesterday and has fractured both her elbows so I collected Miro and he and I went for a walk. He was very keen at first until he realised we'd left Netta behind then he tried quite hard to turn round. Luckily he's small enough to pick up so I could keep us going in the right direction.

Jonathon got the CDs ready for Greg on Saturday and the WiFi ready for Fay's class in our garden tomorrow morning.

27 August

Fay's class went well this morning. We were supposed to take Arty in for a service straight after class but the garage called yesterday and cancelled because they didn't have any service engineers available. It's been rescheduled for mid September so we had a free morning. Managed to get some gardening done - the beans and cougettes are about done now but Jo got raspberries instead as we had some spare.

Met up with Jo and Coco for a lovely long walk in South Norwood Country Park, Grangewood Park, Beaulieu Heights and South Norwood Lake and Grounds. It was a great walk and Coco loved chasing the squirrels in Grangewood Park in particular. I think we managed to tire her out but, after a short nap in the train on the way home, she was full of beans again when we got back to Orpington.

28 August

Another day, another dog.

After a lazy morning (no gym, just a quick trip to Sainsbury's, some ironing, getting dinner ready and doing the big Times crossword), I met up with Caroline and Pebby for a stroll round Crofton and Sparrow Woods. It was very muddy!

Greg came to see Jonathon and took away hundreds of CDs in exchange for cash so he has some pocket money now!!

29 August

Usual Sunday morning - gym, body pump and church.

Emptied the next potato grow bag - Roosters this time. They are very pretty so hope they taste as good as they look. Gilda and Mark can both take some home as a "party bag" from Jonathon's birthday lunch on Tuesday.

Had Skype with Mum and Dad. No real news. Mum has come off the anti-inflammatory tablets that were making her quite poorly and is starting to feel a bit better. Dad had managed to get out for a little walk today.

Collected Miro and went for a walk round Petts Wood. He was a lot more confident with me today so a much easier walk.

30 August

Didn't set my alarm this morning with it being a Bank Holiday but a certain furry alarm came to tell me it was his breakfast time so I didn't get much of a lie in.

Went to the gym - so nice to be able to spend a bit more time there rather than racing around to get to work. The flowers on the right are in one of the beds on the way to the gym.

Got some gardening done in the drizzle. Finally accepted that the green choisya has honey fungus and sawed it down to the ground. Whether that will help or not I have no idea.

Having got rid of a load of CDs, Jonathon had agreed to buy some more so we went to Chatham in the afternoon to collect them. The M25 was really busy from Junction 3 to the Dartford Tunnel (Bank Holiday traffic) so we left at that junction and avoided the worst of it. We came home on the M2/A2 (junction 2) and it was still as bad but we were going in the opposite direction.

Christine phoned. they've got all the grain in but there's still some straw left to bale (if it ever gets dry enough). Unfortunately the combine went bang yesterday (hence the delay in our weekly call) and, as yet, they don't know what's wrong but it sounds expensive.

31 August

Jonathon's birthday!

Oli and I had a bit of a lie in today then it was time for the gym and Sainsbury's before coming home to watch Jonathon open his cards etc. and do (badly at) Popmaster.

Gilda and Mark came over for lunch - we went to D'Angelo in the High Street and very nice it was too. The Flower Wall is really pretty. Teresa was at home when we got back (as scheduled). Gilda went straight home (always has lots to do) and I walked with Mark to the train station because he'd left his car at home today.

Alison (Ireland) and David (brother) both called Jonathon to wish him Happy Birthday.

1 September

Hard to believe it's September already.

Managed a couple of loads of washing before gym (didn't go to body pump because I only woke up as it was starting!). Jonathon went to the High Street to run a few errands while I did some pruning.

Had dinner outside - the weather was just about warm and dry enough. Also got the towels dried outside but made sure I'd brought them in before I went for a walk with Caroline and Pebby. Caroline wasn't sure whether she'd have her granddaughter (Tallulah) with her but, in the end, Jasmin (T's mum) had taken her out. We still tried out a walk that should be OK for a pushchair in case we need one in the future.

We went to collect yet more CDs - Biggin Hill this time. Jonathon decided he would drive so we went in Arty. He did much better than last time, even coping with an unmade road and very narrow passing spaces, so was quite pleased with his progress.

2 September

Thursday morning = washing sheets then park gym so off I went despite the drizzly weather. Needless to say, I dried my sheets inside. The rain held off so it wasn't too bad. We used the playground area again but no playing on the swings today. The yellow slide is what we use for press ups.

We thought about going to Pato Lounge for brunch but we weren't inspired by the menu so ended up at the Orpington.

I was supposed to be playing tennis with Carol this afternoon but she had a fall / trip this morning and hurt her back so wasn't up to playing. Instead, I spent the whole of the afternoon pruning. I've managed to fill three white dumpy bags so far and you can hardly see where I've been.

3 September

No Garden Gym today because Fay had to go to her day job to look after the children. As we had a free morning, we did a run to the tip to get rid of some garden rubbish.

Did some more pruning, under feline supervision. I've now got four dumpy bags full so we'll need to do some shredding tomorrow to get more stuff ready for a future tip run! Jonathon got the shredder ready, including pumping up the tyres - lots of exercise for his legs, balancing on one leg and pumping with the other. No idea where his electronic pump is - that would have made life easier.

Jo and I walked to Richmal Crompton Fields today. Coco wasn't with us because she hadn't been delivered by Jo's daughter but she should be joining us tomorrow. We'd not been there for ages and we were pleased with ourselves for finding the way the way through the woods to get there. It looked lovely in the September sunshine. We took a slightly different way back and discovered a route that was almost a straight line through the woods - much easier but not half as much fun.

4 September

Gym first then Jonathon and I did the four dumpy bags of shredding. All done so I can start pruning again when I have some time. He did really well, standing and twisting so we decided that would do as his exercise for today.

Jonathon had done something strange with the internet this morning so he's had lots of fiddling about to try and get it working again.

Met up with Jo, Coco, Carol and Sam then collected Miro and we went for a nice long walk through Petts Wood and Scadbury Park. We found a rope swing part way round so Sam had a go on that. He's not used to walking so we found a bus stop for Carol and Sam to get home to save his legs hurting any more.

Sadly, Jo had a phone call on the way round to be told her best friend in Edinburgh had died suddenly. What an awful shock for her. It's good that she has Coco tonight so she won't be on her own.

5 September

Busy morning! Gym, body pump, church, paper shop and then out for lunch at The Cricketers (local pub). Church was busier than it's been for ages with lots of people there for the fist time since lockdown so I think Jennifer was both surprised and pleased at the attendance. We've started doing Parallel church - a completely new concept. About a third of the way through the service, you can choose to either stay in the sanctuary or go into the Morton Hall for a different kind of worship. This week's involved something to do with maps but, as I stayed in the service because I was singing, I don't know what they were doing with maps.

They Cricketers has just atarted doing Sunday lunches and very nice it was too.

I popped into Priory Gardens on the way home (roundabout route) to finish my steps for the day and to see if I could spot our visiting Barnacle Goose (imaginatively called Barney!).

Had the usual Skype call with Mum and Dad but none of us had any real news.

Picked raspberries, pulled out the beans and courgettes and cut the lavender. Gilda will collect the lavender tomorrow (and a few rasps and a courgette).

Christine called while I was in the middle of gardening. Sylvia and co are due to visit her tonight so we're going to chat tomorrow evening.

6 September

It was really misty when I went to the gym this morning and I had a big surprise when I got back home - Jonathon was up!! Apparently Oli had woken him up and he hadn't been able to get back to sleep.

Went to work and had nothing to do between about 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m., other than a nice lunch with Emily. Around 3 p.m. I was asked to help with something urgent. If they'd asked me in early August it wouldn't have been as rushed but c'est la vie.

Gilda came to see Jonathon and went home armed with all her goodies. Jonathon then got the internet working again, after a frustrating process.

Enjoyed sitting outside when I got home from work to enjoy the warm sunny weather - it's much better than being cooped in the office all day!

7 September

Gym and work for me. Busy today with plenty to do so the day went a lot faster. Met Mark for lunch and ate outside because it was such a sunny, warm day. I had a beautiful view of All Hallows By The Tower - an ancient church, founded in 675 AD. It's lovely inside as well.

Jonathon also had a busy day. Popped to the High Street in the morning then home for Will, the window cleaner and Down to Earth to give us a quote for this year's tree work. I don't want them to come until early new year to give the birds plenty of chance to eat any berries so we'll see what their quote is then book them in.

Back to Covid testing twice a week - negative!

8 September

Usual Wednesday - body pump and work. I went on a slightly earlier train (8.20 instead of 8.37) with some trepidation because last time I tried that train it was busy - pre-Covid level busy. Today was fine though and I didn't have to sit next to anybody and nobody had to stand in the aisles.

Went for a walk at lunchtime - it was hot! The cloud formation was very interesting on the way home.

Wednesday is Jonathon's "foraging" day - he has to find his own dinner. The Orpington got his business today.

Just when we were settling down for the evening, Jonathon realised there was no water coming into the bathroom downstairs. Having called Terry, we've worked out that the ballcock in the feeder tank has got stuck so the tank thinks it's full and no water is being taken in. Thankfully we have cold water in the kitchen (from the mains) and gallons and gallons of water in the butts that we can use for loo flushing etc. Terry says he'll try to get here tomorrow to sort it out.

9 September

We had to wait until 7 a.m. this morning before park gym was confirmed but the weather was better than expected so off I went. Luis concentrated on cardio today so we were all out of puff by the end.

Terry came (with his assistant Jay) and sorted out a new ballcock for us so water is restored and we're all back to normal. Managed to get two loads of washing done after they left.

Went for an autumnal walk with Miro and Netta this afternoon. Netta's getting bored being at home but she admits she might be overdoing things and says her elbows give her a lot of pain at night.

Jonathon went to the Odeon for the first time in a long while to see Free Guy. He was the only person in his screen so no worries about social distancing.

One of the investments we had from our redundancy / early retirement money matured so I found a new home for it at the Skipton Building Society as their rates seem quite good (relatively speaking).

10 September

Up early only to find that we have a problem with the upstairs loo - it won't stop filling. Dropped Terry a note and he agreed to pop over again today (see later). Got my sheets washed then turned the water off to stop wasting any more.

Set off early to meet Paul and Pauline for brunch at the OK Diner in Tickencote. We allowed plenty of time, and I said I'd drive, in case of rush hour problems on the M25 only for it to be really quiet. Although we got there early P&P were already there (they arrived just before us) and we had a great catch up.

Jonathon drove home through pouring rain and much busier traffic. He managed fine and didn't seem to suffer any ill effects.

We spent the rest of the afternoon treating the street side of the front fence with Cuprinol. I'm not sure whether it will need a second coat becasue it already looks loads better. We still need to do the garden side but there are two many plants in the way at the moment.

I finally went out for a short walk just as it was getting dark. At least I got my 10,000 steps done in the end.

11 September

With Teresa being off sick this week and visitors due tomorrow cleaning had to be done today so that took priority this morning, along with ironing. Not the most exciting morning I've ever had!

Jo and I had a lovely walk this afternoon. We followed the Three Commons Circular Walk. The weather was much better than forecast and we found a lovely cafe on the way. Perfect afternoon for me!

Mary (next door neighbour) came round and got Jonathon to witness a her signature on a document. She told him that Jenny, next door but one and chief Oli feeder when we're away) has tested positive for Covid. Hope she's OK.

13 September

I didn't go to work today so I could spend time with our visitors (I'll work Friday this week instead).

Went to the gym (the others were still asleep). Jonathon gave Mo and Pete a guided tour of the Daniel Collection then we all went to the Orpington for brunch.

Gilda came over for a walk in the afternoon. She managed much better today. The only thing that seems to cause her leg a problem is driving longer distances but she has regular sports massages to help it stay healthy.

Jonathon went to the cinema - there were two other people in the screening today and he had to ask them to be quiet! I think people have got used to watching films etc. in their own homes so they can chat as much as they want.

14 September

Gym and work for me today. It was raining most of the day but made for pretty reflections in the puddles.

Jonathon took himself to the GPO for lunch then went to the cinema.

Teresa is well enough to be back at work. Apparently she'd been knocked off her cycle by an electric scooter and the "driver" didn't stop. They are a real nuisance.

Niamh, friend at work, has tested positive for Covid. No idea where she's picked it up from but possibly the commuting or the children now they're back at school. Hope she's OK. I did a test yesterday and it was negative.

15 September

Body pump followed by work. Met Nicola for lunch and then Jo, Judy and Janet for dinner so I've eaten very well today. Both restaurants were Turkish but I made sure I had something different in each one. Both delicious and it was lovely to see Janet again because I haven't seen her for ages. She's still not got her sense of smell or taste back from when she had Covid, over a month ago, but she is definitely OK apart from that and she thinks the senses are starting to come back.

Jonathon went to the cinema again! He's definitely making sure he gets his money's worth from his membership.

16 September

No park gym today because Luis was having a tooth out in hospital. He's been waiting for a while for the operation (everything delayed because of Covid) so I'm sure he'll be pleased to get it done at last.

To take advantage of the time, we did a tip run. There was no queue so an easy trip and we got rid of loads of garden rubbish including all the shredding from the other day.

We spent the rest of the morning with the papers, radio etc.

Met with Caroline and Pebby (or is it Pebbie?) and we took ourselves off to Keston / Ravensbourne for a walk around. We used the Ravensbourne Trail as a (sort of) guide but we were going in the opposite direction so I'm not sure how much of it we really followed.

Jonathon took his car to the Audi garage for a pre-booked (and pre-paid) service. All seems OK but two of his tyres will need replacing very soon so he'll have to sort that out. His dashcam isn't working. The techie couldn't get it to work either so the techie is going to speak to Audi and work out what to do next.

17 September

Taking Monday off for visitors seemed like a good idea until the alarm went off for work this morning!

I went into work earlier and enjoyed seeing the sun lighting up the Thames beautifully.

Jonathon worked out how to fix the dashcam and then spoke to the techie at Audi to let him know.

Busy at work so didn't have time to go far at dinner time but did plenty of steps because Gilda and I went to the Peacock Theatre to watch some break dancing. How they get their bodies to do what they do is beyond me.

The London Eye and the Moon were in alignment when we got back to Charing Cross.

18 September

Another busy-ish day today starting with a trip to Tesco then gym and Sainsbury's to get the bits I couldn't get at Tesco. The roadworks signs must have been forgotten because they finished the work yesterday. I have no idea what they were doing. By the time I got back from the gym, Jonathon had been to the Audi garage to get new windscreen wipers fitted. They knocked a bit off the bill as a thank you for helping sort out the dashcam problem.

Mum texted mid morning to say she'd tested positive for Covid. She says she doesn't feel too bad - headache and very tired but it's a worry both for her and in case any of the rest of the family catch it as well.

Had a bit of a relaxing time doing my big Saturday crossword while Jonathon went to see Greg. Went to Dobbies after dinner to get some manure then tidied up the veg patches which took ages (before and after photos below!). Finally had a quick stroll around to get my steps done then settled down to watch TV before bed.

19 September

Covid test was negative - the test kits have changed a bit so I only had to wait for 15 minutes instead of 30 for this one to "cook".

Went to the gym and body pump then church and Sainsbury's. Had lunch at The Cricketers - pies today. They were huge and delicious but I was so full afterwards that even walking the long way home didn't make me feel any less full. I saw Janet (former colleague, now retired) on the way home so had a quick catch up with her. The rain arrived just after I got back - we had a Severe Weather warning for this afternoon / evening but I'm not sure it's going to be as bad as all that.

Had a Skype call with Mum and Dad. Mum had managed to make and eat some dinner (roast beef etc.) but has been asleep most of the day. She's no idea where she picked it up from but discovered she had it because she'd been asked (along with the others) to have a Lateral Flow Test before going to afternoon tea with her keep fit group. I think it was a surprise to everybody that it was positive. She then had to have a PCR test and that confirmed it was positive so she now has to self isolate for 10 days (a week on Tuesday). Dad has to have a PCR test as well so Carole will go round tomorrow and do that in the garden because she's not allowed in the house. Mum was going back to sleep as soon as Skype was done.

Even though the "promised / threatened" rain didn't arrive as much as expected, we still caught up on some TV watching rather than doing anything else. I phoned Christine in between programmes but she didn't have any exciting news and had to cut the call short because someone came to their front door.

20 September

Gym and work for me today. Walked home with Shreena who'd been playing badminton. It was good to hear that she ached after yesterday's class as much as me!

Work was busy but monotonous but I got quite a lot of crud cleared and I managed to have a walk about at lunch time.

Jonathon went to A Mano for lunch with Gilda and brought pastries home for snacks - yummy.

Oli has a new favourite place to sleep - Jonathon's laptop. He used to like sleeping on the Home Theatre Amp but Jonathon has put some stuff on top of it so the laptop is a nice, warm alternative.

21 September

Gym and work again. It was good to see that our nearest postbox has now had the block taken off it so we should be able to use it. It's been sitting there for a while but sealed up. It had to be replaced because someone blew up the one that was there earlier.

It was a lovely day so had a bit of a walk by the river on the way into work and another walk in a different direction at dinner time. The mural is just part of a much bigger art work that takes us through the ages - really interesting.

Teresa came and told Jonathon there was a mouse about so the traps were set and mouse duly caught and popped outside. Oli will probably spend a day or two looking for it! Jonathon's jobs tomorrow include a complete disinfection of the cupboard it was in.