8 December

My ribs are almost better now but still not quite there for body pump so I went for a walk before work and delivered the last local Christmas card (except for immediate neighours. Needless to say, it was still dark while I was wandering about.

Managed to get out for a walk at lunchtime and went to the Tower. The Christmas Lion is looking splended, all lit up and beautiful.

Choir practice in the evening - still some more "at home" practice required but definitely better than last week.

The Covid laws have been tightened up again to try and combat the Omicron strain. Face masks at the ready and possibly Covid passports will be needed in the not too distant future.

9 December

No gym today (again) because I decided to tackle some of the things on my to-do list.

I sent an email to Pete at work to check whether I'd be allowed in the office with the new rules from yesterday. It seems we are not closing the office but will be restricting the numbers to 5 max in the office again. I'll be one of the five on the days I work.

Phoned Gilda (she had her booster jab today) and we got the tickets booked for "South Pacific" at Sadlers Wells for July. There are 13 of us going (if everyone turns up) so booking was a bit of a faff because we are only allowed 6 member's tickets each at a discount price so I had to pretend to be another person to book a full price ticket as well. At least it's all done now.

Marie Curie let me know that I collected £63.55 in my tin last weekend. That was out of a total of c. £360 over the two days so I was quite pleased with that.

C&P went to see Dad and met with a Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist. The medics think he's well enough to be transferred to Ripon for physical rehab now so as soon as a bed is available he is likely to be on the move.

10 December

Gym first today then Emily came to hand over her work laptop, phone etc. so I can take them in next week. She did her final working day at home yesterday so this is the easiest way to get the kit back to where it needs to be.

Had my hair cut so it's nice and tidy for Christmas.

Jonathon and I went to the Orpington for Christmas dinner. I had salmon en croute followed by ice cream whilst Jonathon had turkey with the usual trimmings and prosecco trifle - he said it was yummy!

Managed to get all the payments set up for Christmas Day and all the e-cards ordered to be sent a few days before. I think we are getting organised but there's still plenty to do!

Mum phoned after her visit to see Dad. He is being moved to the rehab unit in Ripon as soon as they can get an ambulance lined up to get him there as there is a bed available. Mum sounded really upbeat because this means Dad is on the mend, albeit with a long way to go to get fit enough to leave hospital / rehab care.

11 December

Another amazing sunrise. Did a few errands and gym to start the day. Had a nice catch up with Judy at the gym.

Emily, Scarlet (in the photo) and Rosie came round and brought some molasses cookies (Emily's grandma's recipe). To protect Jonathon and Oli's sanity, we went to Priory Gardens to feed the birds and play on the swings and slides. Rosie wasn't too keen on the geese but they were about as big as her (she's only 6). Scarlet flew off the end of one of the slides and bumped her coccyx quite hard but she seemed OK after some toast and hot chocolate at the Orpington. They went home to decorate the tree that Emily bought yesterday on her way home from here.

Dad is now safely installed in Ripon. He has his own en suite room with a TV so Carole seems quite happy with the arrangements providing the staff don't let him get too lonely.

Chatted to Christine (she's got visitors tomorrow evening) - not a lot of news other than she's dreading Christmas which is manic for her every year. She'll be fine but exhausted.

Managed to set the payments up for Mum for Christmas Day and get the Christmas cards we've already received onto the strings over the doors so another couple of things ticked off the list.

12 December

Usual rush around on a Sunday morning, even without body pump. Covid test was negative. I went for a walk - surprisingly mild this morning. Kyd Brook was pretty full after the rain overnight.

Church was the nativity and toy service. There were a good number of toys to hand over to the Salvation Army so hopefully there'll be some happy children who would otherwise have nothing for Christmas. Nativity was very different because nobody was sure whether it would be able to go ahead "live" or would have to be on line. In the end it was in church with prerecorded video inserts. Angela, one of the people who had written the script, wan't able to be there because she has a nasty cold/flu but has, at least, tested negative for Covid.

I finally managed to get the front roses pruned (not my favourite job) and found a way to do them without having to get the ladders out of the garage which would have been all but impossible. At least, they're done for another year.

Had a Skype call with Mum who seemed to be in good form having been to Carole's for dinner. Graeme went to see Dad today and they had a good chat about sport.

Finished my steps off with a quick walk through the high street and that was about it for today.

13 December

Started today with Luis's class at the gym then went off to work. I think Monday mornings might be a bit overwhelming with all the emails from Thursday and Friday to be sorted out. No doubt I'll get used to it in time.

14 December

Went for an early morning walk this morning. It was lovely and peaceful (apart from the dawn chorus) and set me up nicely for the day.

Work was busy - the new team seem surprised that I'm just getting on with thing. Not sure what they expected!

Teresa came and did the cleaning. We assume her boyfriend is now over his Covid but J forgot to ask. Alison and Mark, J's Irish friends, have both got Covid. They aren't vaccinated (through choice) but they are recovering quite well.

Dad's been moved into a different room so he's not on his own as much. The day room in the hospital has been closed because of Covid.

15 December

Back to body pump today and it went pretty well, albeit that I used lighter weights than normal to break myself in gently.

Work was work - think I'm getting used to the new team and the way they do things!

Met Nicola after work for dinner at Thai Square. The food was yummy, the service very good and the tree really beautiful. The restaurant was very quiet - no doubt something to do with people in the Cty working from home in line with the latest guidelines.

16 December

Usual catch up with chores in the morning before Mark arrived for a walk. We went to Goddington park and Lilly's Wood - haven't been there for a while and hadn't realised there was a new post box topper.

We went to Xi'an for lunch - very tasty.

Tried to call Dad three times but either someone else was using the patient phone or there was no answer so I'll try again tomorrow.

Community Carol Singing outside the gym was fun. I didn't join the choir but sang from the audience.

17 December

Gym first then a trip to the tip to get rid of some gardening rubbish.

I'd written "walk" on Jonathon's to do list today so he decided to try a longer walk. I went with him in case he got stuck but he did fine and managed to walk more than 4.5 km. Not satisfied with that, he then went to get himself some trifle from Sainsbury's at tea time. A big walking day for him.

I finally managed to call Dad and had a lovely 45 minute chat with him. He isn't doing too bad, all things considered, but is clearly a lot worse than when we were in Yorkshire last month.

18 December

Busy day for me today. Got up early, did a Lateral Flow Test and did a few chores then headed off (still in the dark) to test out the walk for tomorrow. Called into the Co-op for some bits and pieces (kind of) on the way home. No sooner had I got home than it was time to go to choir practice - thankfully, Lesley is a bit happier with us now.

We'd booked the GPO for brunch with the idea of me having a BLT but, of no! BLT is only on the lunch menu now so I couldn't have that. The smoked salmon and scrambled eggs I had were a good alternative.

I got half way home and received a message from Peacocks to say Jonathon's Christmas jumper was ready for collection so turned around and went to get that. Just leaving the store and I got another message, this time from the Post Office to say they'd delivered my PCR test kit so checked the time of the last collection from the Priority Postbox, to discover it was 1 p.m. today. I got everything ready to do the test as soon as I got home and, having made sure it was no less than 30 minutes since I'd had anything to eat or drink, did the test and trotted back to the High Street to post the test. I should, hopefully, get the results either tomorrow or Monday. As my Lateral Flow was negative I'm fairly confident all will be OK.

Went to see John and Margaret, next door to where I used to live in Shirley. John is well into his 90s now and isn't too well but seemed quite positive taking into account all his health problems. His main frustration is he can no longer use his hands properly - for an engineer, it's not much fun. Margaret is coping pretty well but has been finding lockdown hard.

I popped a card through Karen's (reflexologist) door and called round to deliver Tim and Di's Christmas card and Di's birthday card. Surprisingly they were in so we had a good chat, albeit I stayed outside. Di lost her Mum to Covid and cancer last year. As nobody knew she had cancer it came as a complete shock and they are just coming to terms with it. They now have two grandshildren so that keeps them out of mischief.

While I was out and about, Gregg came and collected the final batch of CDs so the dining room is a lot clearer now.

I finally sat down for a pot of tea about 5.30 p.m.!

19 December

Very misty this morning and the dampness had made some of the seedheads in neighbouring gardens looks really pretty. Popped to the Co-op to get my paper (it opens earlier than the other supermarkets / shops) then got ready to lead the walk that's been planned for a while. Everybody turned up as expected and we stayed local this time so people could drop out if they needed to but nobody did.

One of the main topics of conversation was plans for Christmas. Priyanka is supposed to be going to Germany to stay with her in-laws. Her parents and sister were also supposed to be going out there but I think they won't be going out een if Pryanka and her boys and husband go. They'll be staying with Marco's parents so, if they have to isolate, at least they'll have somewhere nice to do it. Others in the group are still hoping to meet up with family members in this country but they all seemed to be pretty sanguine about it. If they can't meet next week then there'll be another day etc.

Had the usual Skype with Mum - no real news. Christine was out when I tried to call her.

We had the big Carol service at church this evening. It seemed to go pretty well and it was lovely to be able to actually have it in church after having it only online last year and all the uncertainty this year - the decision was only made yesterday to go ahead in person. The choir all had to agree to have lateral flow tests - no problem for me because I have one on Sundays anyway (negative obviously!). There were no mince pies and mulled wine afterwards - no problem for me because we don't stay long, if at all, anyway.

21 December

Early morning walk and was quite pleased with the "fox" in the waterfall photo.

Work was busy - keeps me from getting bored - 2 of us in today. We have new signage for the Sky Garden upstairs so visitors might be able to work out where to go if they have tickets.

Had a nice walk around at dinner time, taking in St. Katharine's Dock.

Phoned Pauline when I got home. She said Dad was on good form when she visited him today, even managing to answer some crossword clues.

Teresa came and did the cleaning - her last session for this year.

22 December

Body pump to start today then into work. The trains were all over the place but they changed a slow one to a fast one so I still got into London in reasonable time. I was the only person in the office today so got quite a bit done.

Got a lovely note from Ulrike (boss) saying how much the team appreciated me being there and how well I'd settled in. She also phoned to let me know they've found a replacement person for Emily and he starts in March 2022. She'd like me to stay with her team even after he's started and, as I'm signed up until the end of September, albeit going down to 2 days a week, I think I'll be there for a while yet. Once again, I managed to get a walk in at lunchtime but it was really cold by the river.

Carole messaged to say Mum had heard from the hospital that they were going into lockdown so nobody would be able to visit Dad for the foreseeable future. He's very upset (as is Mum) which is understandable. We've agreed to make sure one of us phones him every day so he knows he's not been abandoned. Mum's going to start trying to ring him from about 2.30 p.m. tomorrow and I've told her I'll try in the evening.

Mum and Carole had the Occupational Therapist at the bungalow to assess what extra physical assistance tools are needed for Dad to come home and have a list of stuff that will be delivered on Friday.

While all this was going on, Jonathon was doing jobs at home and in the High Street and, of course, entertaining Oli and his foxy visitors.

23 December

Usual catch up with jobs morning. First stop Tesco to see if I could get some of the items on the list that Jonathon couldn't get at the big Sainsbury's yesterday. I got some of the essentials (e.g. cat food) but there were still some bits to get so off to Sainsbury's (the one in town) I went. Everything found except Stollen so I went to A Mano's deli and got some Panetone instead for him. Also got some burrata, ham, olives etc. so we can have an inside picnic for lunch tomorrow.

Sent Uncle Jeff a text to wish him happy birthday and was very pleased that he called me back. He's settled in Wales now but not going out much because he's quite immobile.

Went to the GPO for lunch so finally got my BLT and very nice it was too.

Had to do a few more steps so went to Priory Gardens - it was good to have time to admire nad photograph some of the birds - then went for a walk alongside the River Cray. Saw the Egret there which was a nice surprise.

The amount of traffic on the road was quite amazing - no idea where they're all going but hope they have time to queue.

Mum managed to phone Dad and said he was in good spirits - possibly because he realises that there's a real chance of his coming home with help for Mum as needed.

I managed to speak to Dad early evening. His voice seemed a lot stronger and his attitude a lot more positive than last week which is good.

24 December

Went to the gym, popped and got my paper and some last bits of fruit. Failed dismally at the Pop Master final (hadn't even heard of half of the acts / songs) and caught up with the ironing.

Jonathon and I went for a walk in the local area - new places for Jonathon. We walked about 5 km, including via the YMCA to wish Jess and Michelle a Merry Christmas and the Orpington to have a coffee (J) and juice (me).

Had a European indoor picnic for lunch - French croissants, Italian and Spanish ham, Italian cheese and olives, Greek humus, Spanish tomatoes - all very tasty.

Carole and Mum had a good chat with Dad's social worker. Dad should be able to go home as soon as the care package is in place but that won't be until early in 2022. The rest of the "medical aids" arrived and were fitted in the bungalow so everything physical is ready for his return.

26 December

Did a Covid test (negative) before going to get my paper. The big supermarkets were closed for Boxing Day but the smaller ones were open so off I went to the mini Morrisons, via the path alongside the brook. It was hard to see where the brook stopped and the footpath started in places after all the rain we;ve had over the past couple of days. I was quite wet when I got home (or, at least, my waterproofs were).

Mark came over and we all went to Chapter One for a lovely lunch. The beef was particularly yummy. As usual, Jonathon brought his cheese and crackers home for later.

I went for another walk after dinner. Mark only had his posh shoes so he didn't come with me. The evening light was really beautiful over Priory Gardens.

Phoned Dad - more successful today and we had a good chat.

27 December

Got a load of washing done then off I went to the gym and worked quite hard (got to lose the Christmas pounds somehow!)

Did some shopping, made a turkey and apple curry for dinner, went for a little walk, topped up the bird feeders - nice easy day.

Had a Skype call with Mum - she seems to be coping pretty well and is really looking forward to Dad coming home.

28 December

The Covid numbers in our area are shooting up. It's only a couple of weeks since the numbers were below 5,000 and now they're over 10,000. I did a lateral flow test - negative as expected but it's better to know.

No gym because Caroline and I set off for our wet and windy walk at 9 a.m. and the gym didn't open until 8 a.m. We didn't get too wet but it wasn't particularly nice weather. It was a good dry run for the next group walk on 15 January so quite useful. It was really surprising to see blossom out - it's early even for early flowering cherry.

Jonathon and I went to The Cricketers for lunch. It was a very limited menu but we enjoyed our ham, chips and peas. We went for a little stroll round Priory Gardens after dinner, Jonathon with my little camera, and then went home via the YMCA and through the High Street.

Did some cleaning (Teresa has this week off) - I'll finish it tomorrow.

29 December

I didn't take any photos today so sharing this one of Kevin from one of our safari trips to Tanzania. It's hard to believe it's a year since he died from cancer.

Body pump was back so off I went. There were only 5 of us in the class this morning - it was dark and wet so perhaps everyone else had stayed in bed. I did most of my steps on the treadmill after class because I didn't fancy getting rained on and I wanted to get back home because I had plenty of cleaning to do this morning (all done now).

Jonathon had his cheese from Chapter One for dinner (I had tuna) and we went to the Orpington for coffee (fruit punch for me) mid afternoon. Orpington High Street was pretty busy - both cars and people.

Pauline was Dad's official escort today. He had to go to Harrogate hospital for his regular infusion and she was allowed to go with him. It would have been nice for him to actually see someone from the family rather than just talk to us on the phone. Pauline said he coped very well.

30 December

The Covid numbers in our area are shooting up but, if the media is to be believed, this latest variant (Omicron) isn't as dangerous as the earlier ones. It probably helps that a lot of people are fully vaccinated so better able to fight it.

Had a mini lie in, did some chores and a Covid test (negative) then off to the gym.

Gilda arrived mid morning and we went for a walk before joining Jonathon at Masala Dabbas for a yummy lunch. They have a new menu so we had to choose something different - very tasty!

Jonathon went to the Apple store in Bromley to sort out my old iPhone so we can lend / give it to Nicola because she's having problems with both her landline (a contractor apparently cut through some wires!) and her Blackberry (stops being supported in early January).

Phoned Dad. He was on good form and we chatted for over half an hour. He'd enjoyed his "day out" yesterday, especially being able to see Pauline.

31 December

The end of this year started dull and damp but unseasonably mild. No gym because I had other things to do so Tesco then Boots for shopping.

Caroline and I set off for Jubilee Country Park despite the damp weather and were delighted when the sun came out - it turned into a beautiful morning.

Carole messaged to say that Dad would be going home on Tuesday next week so all systems go.

Jonathon ran a whole load of errands while C&I were walking so, by the time we both got home, dinner was mid-afternoon. We had the last of our potatoes - it was a good crop this year.

Phoned Mum to make sure she was ready for Dad to go home - she's looking forward to im being there but is, naturally, a bit apprehensive as to how they'll manage. They'll have carers going in three times a day to start with and Carole will be there on Tuesday to make sure the "handover" goes well.

After a quick dinner, I cleaned up the patio a bit. It gets really dirty under the bird feeders and then it gets slippery. It looks a lot better now after plenty of elbow grease and water.

Our main job for this afternoon was to get Nicola sorted out with her new iPhone (one of our old ones). She's staying with her Mum (Frances) at the moment so we went down to Sissinghurst and Jonathon set the phone up and gave Nicola a lesson in iPhone usage. So far, so good so hope she gets on well with it.

Phoned Dad in the evening. He was struggling to hear me because it was so noisy at his end. We still managed to chat for about 30 minutes then somebody else wanted the phone so we rang off.

2 January

Carole is 60 today. Pauline and I (and our respective other halves) bought her a hedgehog house, a hedgehog pinny and a hedgehog pinboard - all of which seemed to go down well.

Usual Sunday morning - gym, body pump and church. No trip to the shops for my paper because Jonathon got that instead. I went for a walk straight after church because we were on a weather warning for thunderstorms etc. in the afternoon. There was rain in the wind by the time I got back and then it rained properly after dinner.

Had a Skype catch up with Mum. She's excited and nervous about Dad coming home and will let me know when he's back in the bungalow on Tuesday.

Christine phoned - she's been very busy but things are settling back to normal now.

Managed to get the Christmas decorations taken down, including the tree, so the hall and front room look quite bare.

Gilda came over and we went for a nice, brisk walk. She can keep up now if I walk quite quickly so her knee is obviously getting better. She says she wants to get her fitness back, hence the power walk.

Jonathon joined us for lunch at Aksular. Very nice food on the lunch-special menu. The prettiest part is the cup that Jonathon's coffee comes in.

I was delighted to find a big crossword puzzle in The Times so that was fun in the afternoon.

Spoke to Dad in the evening. He was on good form and looking forward to going home tomorrow.

4 January

Went for a dark, early morning walk before work while it was dry.

I was the only person in the office today (and it's looking like it'll be the same tomorrow) - got loads done!

Jonathon had a busy day with Teresa back from her Christmas break and Down to Earth here to prune the pyracantha and a couple of trees.

It was a big day for Mum and Dad. Carole reported that Dad's "repatriation" went as well as could be hoped but it was very emotional for both of them. The carers that came were lovely and really good with both Mum and Dad so that should, hopefully, put their minds at rest as they settle into a new routine.

A "man with a van" delivered Jonathon's new bookcase. He'd bought it on EBay and had to wait until the seller had recovered from Covid. The delivery man had an accident on his travels yesterday and written his van off but had managed to get another one so he could get some of his deliveries done.

5 January

Body pump and work today. It was really frosty first thing.

I was the only person in the office and my main job for today was taking the decorations off the poor Christmas tree before 12th night. I did manage to get some proper work done as well. Went for a walk at lunchtime to take advantage of the bright and suny weather - I was well wrapped up!

Phoned Mum and Dad. They seem to be getting on OK albeit that it will take a while for them to get used to the new routine. Dad is managing to walk around he bungalow more than expected so that's a real bonus.

The Government met today and decided to maintain the status quo with "Plan B" so we carry on as now, despite the continuing increase in numbers of Covid cases. It seems Omicrom isn't as "dangerous" as some of the earlier variants so the powers that be think we should live through it and see how it goes. Apparently, they'll review it all again before the end of the month.

8 January

Oli is the photo star for today. He decided to stay inside for most of this chilly day and who could blame him.

On the other hand, I had a busy morning. Washing, gym, bath, hair cut and then to the Orpington for brunch followed by a walk.

Ironing and admin filled the early afternoon. We need a Covid pass for Sadlers next week so I sent a note around to let the rest of the gang know and Jonathon and I sorted ours out.

7 January

Having just renewed my gym membership, I'm making the most of it so off I went. I've "upgraded" my exercises from the treadmill to the cross trainer which makes my heart rate go a lot faster! I noticed the aconites had started flowering when I got home - Spring must be on its way.

It was such a lovely morning, that Jonathon and I went for a walk - he managed 5.15km today - getting better day by day.

Will came and cleaned the windows. He's always full of chat but didn't hang around too long today because it was so chilly.

I tried a new recipe from the Dairy Diary today - Blue cheese, leek and mixed nut risotto - very tasty. I had Wensleydale cheese instead of blue cheese!

Jonathon went to the cinema and I cleaned the fridge (think I've got my priorities wrong somehow). Shreena and Amelie popped round with a Harry Potter knitting kit that Shreena had started but not got very far with. I'll knit it up and then give it back. Apparently Amelie has a Gryffindor jumper to go with the hat and scarf that I'm tasked with knitting for her.

8 January

Did a few chores and got dinner ready then went to the gym. Caroline, Pebbie and I had arranged to go for a walk so, despite the rain, off we went. We got very wet! It was really muddy and slippery so we didn't follow the originally intended route. Instead, we left Goddington and walked home on footpaths etc. rather than going through to Lilly's Wood.

The beef curry recipe was from the Dairy Diary - very tasty. I only pulled two recipes out so both done now and both successful.

Jonathon went to see Gregg at the market and had a wander around the High Street.

We stayed in and kept dry for the rest of the day.

9 January

A new release of body pump was "launched" this weekend so both Shreena and Vicky led the class and I was asked to take a few photos for them (didn't mean I didn't get to do lots of exercise as well!).

Skype was at 10.30 a.m. today to fit around the carers, dinner, Dad's nap etc. Dad looked a lot better than last time I "saw" him on Skype so that was encouraging. He got up off his chair fairly easily and toddled back into the front room when he'd had enough (he said his neck was hurting from looking up at the screen).

Popped to Tesco to get my paper and a few bits then Jonathon and I went to the GPO for roast dinner - beef for him and chicken for me. It was a lovely day so, after dinner, I went for a walk alongside the River Cray.

I received a code for some more Lateral Flow test kits - none available for posting. Jonathon will walk around hte local pharmacies to see if he can get the kit in exchange for the code.

Had a chat with Christine - it's been very icy up there so she's done lots of slip sliding while delivering milk this week.

10 January

Managed to get to the gym but couldn't do Luis's class because I had to leave at 7 a.m. to get to work. Some "nasty" person had put a conference call in my diary for 9.30 a.m. so I couldn't be late getting to the office. At least I got to enjoy the pretty sunrise!

There were two other people in the office today which was a bit of a shock to the system but at least it meant that Sabine could deal with the men who came to collect the dead Christmas tree.

Gilda came to see Jonathon and they went to A Mano for lunch. Jonathon went to the High Street three times - once for lunch, once to collect some Covid tests for me and a third time to get some bits of shopping.

11 January

Early morning walk in the dark to start the day then off to work. Not really busy at the moment because I'm waiting for info from Borrowers / colleagues but, no doubt, everything will come at once and it will be manic again.

Teresa called in sick today - coming Thursday instead - so Jonathon had the house to himself (and Oli) all day. He went to the cinema in the evening so then I had the house to myself (and Oli!)

12 January

Today's sunrise was really pretty - lovely pastel colours. Not as dramatic as some we've had recently but really beautiful.

Body pump was first on the agenda for me today followed by work. Loads to do today in the office today so the time sped by.

Carole managed to get Dad outside to enjoy the winter sunshine for a little while.

Met Nicola for dinner. She's getting on pretty well with her new phone - only a couple of questions which were easy to answer.

Jonathon was supposed to go to the cinema but decided to postpone his visit until next week when I'm away.

13 January

Had a lie in this morning - I was really tired after work and then dinner yesterday so I made the most of being able to stay in bed for a while.

It was lovely and bright but very frosty so I had to be a bit careful when I set off for my walk but the sun soon burnt through the frost and the sky turned a beautiful blue. It was a lovely day to be walking about.

David (Jonathon's brother) and Kelly (sister-in-law) came to see us. They had come up from Devon to collect Kelly's parents from a flight from Canada due to land at Heathrow early tomorrow morning and drove round to see us for lunch. It was lovely to see them, not least because we haven't seen them since before the first lockdown (so, about 2 years). We took them to D'Angelo and all enjoyed it.

Teresa came to do the cleaning - she's recovered from her poorly neck and head and is back on form.

15 January

Late up after my late night yesterday!

Had a quick walk round town to get some bits and pieces before everyone arrived for the group walk. There were nine of us today, including one new person who fit in very well.

We stopped at Croft Tea Room part way round and enjoyed a drink and cake - my scone was yummy!

Jonathon had a quiet day at home to recover from yesterday.

16 January

Covid test (negative), cross trainer, body pump and church filled this morning. Church was quite busy - the first parade day of the year so lots of Cubs, Scouts, Brownies etc. The story was the wedding in Cana and it was a bit "ad hoc". The cubs, who were sitting behind us, were the occupying soldiers so they were very happy waving their swords around - we had to duck more than once! Jennifer announced that she'll be retiring next year so St. John's needs to think about what direction they want the church to go in after she's left as that will determine what kind of minister will be needed.

Once I'd got the dinner underway, I went for a short walk to finish my steps. There is loads of lichen around this year - clearly it likes the current climate. Interestingly, there was a tsunami in Tonga yesterday (goodness knows how many thousands of miles that is from here) but, as a result, our air quality suffered and is only just recovering today. We've moved from "Poor" to "Moderate" - still worse than usual.

The foxes came to see what I was doing while I was feeding the birds. The male fox is quite lame so we'll need to keep an eye on him (from a distance). They often seem to get a bit stiff / lame so hopefully it's just that.

Had a Skype call with Mum and Dad. They've cancelled the afternoon carer as that one is no longer needed because Dad is more mobile than we could have hoped for. The private carer is coming to see them tomorrow to discuss what they need - probably 45 minutes in the morning and 30 in the evening so a lot less than they've been having.

Had a chat with Christine. Village life seems to continue as normal with plenty to keep her occupied.

18 January

Gym today even though it's Tuesday because I wanted to be able to pack my trainers ready for tomorrow.

Work was soooo boring this morning - nothing to do other than a couple of short emails. Met Mark for lunch at Thai Square - they have a very fancy doorway that sticks out a mile in such a drab street.

This afternoon was much better with enough to keep me busy - the information I've been waiting for arrived while we were eating.

Jonathon delivered the hat and scarf to a delighted Amelie. She's got Covid so it cheered her up.

Jonathon did lots of running about today so got lots of steps done. He went to the Orpington to try out their new special - fancy toad in the hole - and said it was very nice so that's where we'll go on Monday when Gilda and Mark come over.

I finished packing ready for my trip up North tomorrow.

Caught up with their finances and had delicious fish and chips for dinner then I went for a walk (dropped some stuff back at the hotel and walked by the river Nidd) while Mum and Dad had their after dinner naps. Went back to join them for drinkings and Dad and I phoned the bank to cancel his credit card because he no longer needs it.

After a brief rest / cuppa in the hotel (and a Facetime with Jonathon) I went up to Carole and Gareth's for a light supper (always seem to eat a lot when I'm in Yorkshire!). Pauline came down from Northallerton as well and it was really good to catch up with them both and compare notes re Mum and Dad.

Pauline gave me a lift back to the hotel and it was time to sleep!

21 January

No photos today as I seemed to spend most of the day on various trains getting home from Yorkshire. All the trains ran to schedule - it just took a long time to get from Knaresborough to Orpington.

After I'd unpacked and had a sit down, I went off to Tesco to get some fruit and something to cook for dinner tomorrow.

That was it for today and that seems to be a good place to start a new page.