2022 Out of Lockdown Diary - Page 27

1 November

I got wet today - going to and from the gym and, again, to and from work. At least I had a walk around between showers at lunchtime.

Found some new boots that look quite nice but they didn't have them in my size. Carolina, a very helpful person in M&S, has sourced them for me so I can go try them on tomorrow. Hope they fit.

Met Mark for dinner. Haz was very busy and very noisy. The food was yummy but I came out with a husky voice with having to speak so loudly so Mark could hear me.

2 November

Usual pounding on the treadmill before work. The weather was much better for crossing London Bridge to get into the office.

Collected my boots and they fit really well so that's sorted for the first few months of winter.

Dad's birthday afternoon tea was delivered as agreed with Mum and I was a bit concerned that there was nobody in when Lydia tried to deliver it. I think Mum had just forgotten! Apparently it looks very nice and will last them a few days.

3 November

We finally succumbed and switched the heating on. I can't remember a year when we've managed to get to the beginning of November without central heating but the house had gone down to 14C so it was definitely time for it to be on.

I went to Tabats (Ela's class) and did most of my steps on the treadmill (pouring down with rain so not keen on walking too far outside). I admired the autumn colours in the garden from the dining room!

Teresa came and did the cleaning. I sorted out next year's diary (putting birthdays in and checking what we've already got booked). No duplicates which is good but surprised to see we already have theatre trip booked for November 2023.

The rain indicated that we had a blocked gutter so, as soon as it faired up, we set out to sort that out. Turned out to be a blocked downpipe so quite a big job but we got it done between us so very happy.

Jonathon went to Sutton for the evening - he's making full us of his free travel pass!

4 November

Had my health assessment with Kevin this morning. I should lose about 10 pounds but, other than that, not too bad. Pounded away on the treadmill before I came home.

Main event of the day was lunch with Derek and Maureen at Manicomio. I had orange squash, pumpkin puree, quinoa and tarragon for main course then blackcurrant semifreddo with creme fraiche for desert. Jonathon had chicken milanaise with sweetheart cabbage then pear and almond tart. It was all really yummy.

"Hoovered" the grass with the lawn mower to pick up as many leaves as possible. No doubt it will look just as bad tomorrow!

Gareth sold Dad's car for him and got a good price.

5 November

We had an amazing sunrise this morning and the "red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning" was certainly true because it rained most of the day from about 10 a.m.

I couldn't book a space in Fay's class (all full) but she still let me join in so nothing lost.

Spent quite a bit of the afternoon trying to clean the covers from the outside chairs. Most of them are "passable" but there's one that doesn't want to be cleaned in any shape or form.

The train strike was called off so Jonathon went to do a photo shoot in London while I stayed in with the log fire and Oli. He had a tricky time getting home because London Bridge station was closed due to a fire so he caught a 47 bus to Lewisham and a 208 from there to Orpington and got home eventually!

6 November

No church for me today so went to body pump instead of Shreena's earlier class. Did 6 km on the cross trainer to get my steps done. It's the most I've ever done on that machine so I was pleased with myself.

The heron visited again - he/she seems to come most days about lunchtime. Thankfully, it flew off without visiting the pond.

One of our neighbours popped round to borrow some bricks overnight. Apparently they need them for something to do with their small fireworks - I didn't ask too closely.

I swept up the leaves at the front after dinner and we enjoyed a TV watching afternoon (too wet to do much else).

Pauline and Paul were at Knaresborough so they joined the weekly Skype call with Mum and Dad.

Christine called. She and Gordon had their Covid jabs yesterday - no ill effects. I think she's fed up of getting wet on her morning milk rounds.

7 November

Gym first thing for Ela's class and a short stint on the treadmill.

Our main job for today was sorting out an account with a new savings institution (easier said than done). By happy coincidence, Jonathon got a letter from them telling him what they needed from him. No letter for me but we weren't sure whether that's because they didn't need anything or if the letter was even more delayed than Jonathon's (took a week to get to us). Having waited half an hour on the phone we spoke to a very helpful person who confirmed nothing needed for me but documents needed for Jonathon by the weekend. There was no way we could trust ths postal service with the ongoing strikes etc. so Jonathon trogged off to Epsom to produce his ID documents and managed to get the account open. I transferred the money and all seems OK but I'll check tomorrow.

While he was busy trying to get across town with a limited train service (no chance of driving because a lot of the M25 was closed by "Stop Oil" protestors), I walked down to Marks and Spencer to collect an order and get Jonathon some ready meals for my work days. At least it wasn't raining too hard at the time and I enjoyed the fresh air (and the carrot cake at M&S).

8 November

It's not very often I complain that The Times crossword is too easy but it seemed that way this morning. It took me no time at all. Having said that, I'll probably look at tomorrow's puzzle and not know where to start!

Went to the gym as normal before work (treadmill only). Work wasn't very exciting!

Mum messaged to say Dad had had another fall, in the sun room this time. It took the ambulance about 4 hours to get there but, thankfully, Mum's taxi driver helped Dad get up from the floor. The ambulance crew checked him out and decided he was OK to stay at home but he's very stiff and sore.

Jonathon went out to do a photo shoot and I stayed in with Oli and made the most of the log fire.

9 November

I wasn't feeling too well today. The diarrhea started at work late yesterday afternoon and I was hoping it would have sorted itself out by today but, although it was better, it was still not great. It didn't stop me doing much!

Washing, ironing and then a different class with Ela - it was really hard (probably too hard for me) but I did what I could.

Thankfully the rain stopped before I went to meet Mark at Lewisham station. We walked round Blackheath and through Greenwich Park before having lunch at Zizzi's near the Cutty Sark, overlooking the Thames.

I was supposed to go to choir practice in the evening but I didn't want to be too far from the loo so stayed home and kept warm.

10 November

A short trip to the gym before going to work.

Work was really quiet and therefore boring. The day seemed to drag on for ever.

In the evening, I met Marcia, her friend Karen and her daughter Kimberley to see Showaddywaddy at The Churchill Theatre in Bromley. It was a fabulous show and we all really enjoyed it.

11 November

No gym today because I'm still not 100% so I thought I should give my body a rest day. I've lost almost 2 kg since Tuesday and still not keeping food in me for long. It's a real nuisance and I hope it sorts itself out soon.

Went to Tesco to get some bits and my paper and noticed we had one rose in flower, clinging on.

Jasmin (Caroline's daughter) and her husband, Ish came round for the old trellis. Apparently their hens will love it but I didn't like to ask what their hens are going to do with it!

I finished my steps by walking to the station with Jonathon then taking a somewhat convoluted walk back home.

12 November

Cancelled my space at Fay's class this morning and had a lie in again today to try and give myself time to get better.

Our acers have turned into their autumn colours and look spectacular, adding loads of colour to the garden.

I was supposed to go on a walk with Kirsty and Co but decided a 6 mile walk with no loo access probably wouldn't be sensible so I walked with Jo to the start of the walk then turned round and walked home again. I took a few photos on the way and was particuarly taken by the two coloured leaf on the left.

Our local police team led a briefing at The Cricketers so we went along to that. The main focus was on vehicle crime, burglaries and the High Street. As we were there, we had lunch at the pub then came back home for the rest of the day.

13 November

It was a proper misty morning when I went for a walk before going to the Remembrance Sunday service at church. Church was really busy (good to see as numbers have been going down recently) and all the Brownies, Cubs etc. took place in the service which led to some chaos but at least we observed the two minute silence at the right time.

The weather brightened up in the afternoon and I got some more leaves swept up before Skype with Mum and Dad. They seemed to be in reasonable spirits despite Dad's recent fall and increasingly bad hearing problems.

Had a long chat with Christine about not much at all while Jonathon was at Toulouse Lautrec.

14 November

Felt a lot better this morning so I went to Ela's class. It was Sharon's birthday so we did the usual "Happy Birthday" singing and she had to wear the birthday hat. Judy had made some cup cakes with iced flamingoes on them - there was no way I could face having cup cakes with loads of icing on at breakfast time and I couldn't see a way to bring it home as I wanted to get my paper from Sainsbury's so I didn't bring mine home.

Gilda came over for a walk and lunch. She'd had a lovely holiday but wasn't impressed by the manners of some of her fellow passengers who apparently thought shouting at the serving staff in the restaurants and making unreasonable demands was acceptable behaviour. She loved Barcelona - her favourite place in the cruise.

Michelle (at the YMCA) asked Jonathon for some pampas fronds so I cut her 11 of them (as requested) and Jonathon took them down for her while I swept up a load more leaves.

15 November

I had to be at my desk and ready for a Webex call by 9.30 a.m. so no time for the gym today. I squeezed in a quick walk before scooting off to the station and into town.

It was good to see St. Mungo's garden in London Bridge City is just about finished. It was a Chelsea garden and has been recreated on the South Bank of the Thames near HMS Belfast. Very colourful!

Work wasn't particularly busy so I snuck out for a (very wet) walk at lunchtime and left a bit early - that way, I got my steps done for the day.

16 November

Dont be fooled by the photo - the only time today was dry was erly lunchtime when I went for a quick walk. I got wet on the way to get my paper and again going to work but dried off quite quickly.

For once, work was quite busy so the time went more quickly than it has been doing.

I met Nicola for dinner at Cento alla Torre - a new restaurant for us but already a new favourite. It's near the Tower of London so I had a walk over Tower Bridge and alongside the river to get back to London Bridge in the pouring rain. The strong wind and rain were coming from the east so very chilly as well as extremely wet - I was drenched!

In other news, two Polish farm workers were killed. Not sure whose missile caused it but it seems that Ukraine were trying to shopt down a Russian missile and it went astray. Either way, it's a real concern.

17 November

I got very wet again this morning - going to the gym for Ela's Tabata class. It was raining so hard, I went in my walking boots and carried my trainers in my waterproof rucksack. The rain had stopped when I came out and it stayed dry for the rest of the day.

Jonathon and I had lunch at Orpington GPO. It's a while since we've been there - they kept messing about with their menu and what you could have when but have now simplified it so much better.

I went for a quick walk round Priory Gardens on the way home and it was good to see some of the recent rain has started to help fill the ponds again.

Teresa was cleaning when we got home so we stayed out of her way.

I had choir practice (for the Christmas service) in the evening and J was out photographing somebody or other.

18 November

I dropped a jam jar off at Alix's so used that as my pre-work walk for the morning. It felt very strange going into work on a Friday but, once I was there, it was just like any other day.

It was good to see the Christmas animals back in London Bridge City alongside the little huts where they sell all sorts of crafts and different food and drinks.

It was a beautiful sunny day and I wasn't busy around the middle of the day so I went for a walk round St. Katharine's Dock and generally along the north side of the Thames.

Jonathon had gone out by the time I got home - perhaps I'll see him tomorrow!

19 November

Went to Tesco to drop of the "soft" plastic then on to the gym for a quick run around. I was really surprised to see some blossom out on the way - completely the wrong time of year - I really hope the tree survives.

Jonathon went out for the day, firstly to a photo seminar which he found to be frustrating and a waste of time. The musician he was supposed to photograph in the evening decided she didn't want any photos so he came home!

My main activity for the day was a trip to Rochester with Irene, Janet, Caroline and Pebby. It's a lovely place and the others seemed to be quite impressed.

Veronica was also supposed to come with us but her dementia seems to mean she's easily muddled and she'd double booked so she didn't appear.

The weather was pretty kind to us - cold but dry. We found a lovely, dog-friendly deli for lunch.

We had a quick peek inside the cathedral - really impressive.

20 November

Gym then church - usual Sunday morning. I don't know where Shreena was but Jim took the class instead so it was a bit easier which was nice.

We had different minister at church today - Jennifer must be on holiday. There were only about 30 people in the congregation (we used to get c.150 before Covid but the numbers were always lower for a visiting preacher for some reason).

I had hoped to make Yorkshire puddings for dinner today (to go with stew) but the shelves in Tesco where the eggs usually are were empty (bird flu problems) so we had mashed potato instead.

Orpington 1st had arranged an "event" today - stalls, rides, music etc. to celebrate switching the Christmas lights on. I went down for a look (and to buy us a piece of cake each) - it was very colourful and there were quite a few people around. It will probably get busier as the afternoon / evening progresses.

Had a Skype call with Mum and Dad. They'd been to Carole's for dinner and seemed on good form.

Had my usual chat with Christine. The gin tasting evening seems to have gone well with more than £200 raised for village hall funds.

21 November

It was cold, wet and windy today - not nice at all. The parakeets didn't seem to mind - I counted 13 of them in the garden at one point.

I went to Ela's class at the gym Jo's on holiday so I had to partner up with someone I didn't know but that was fine.

Gilda came over and we went for a wet walk - Goddington Park and Lilly's Wood were both pretty muddy but we spent most of our time on either footpaths or country lanes for a change. A huge wagon came down one of the lanes and we had to cling onto the hedge at the side of the road to get out of his way.

Jonathon and I went to A Mano for lunch (Gilda couldn't join us because she had an appointment at 2 p.m.). I checked Jo's flat on the way home (all fine).

Oli seemed very distressed today. We gave him a dose of flea treatment and it really upset him. He never likes it but today seemed to be worse than usual.

I went to choir practice in the evening and Jonathon went off to Camden with his cameras.

22 November

Having admired our lovely flowering Christmas cactus, I went to the gym before work.

Ulrike was in a bit of a panic because she suddenly realised that we had to agree terms by the end of the month. After a bit of too-ing and fro-ing, we agreed that I would extend to the end of May, with a bonus in May.

23 November

No gym or pre-work walk today because I had a meeting starting at 8.30 a.m. That lasted about 2.5 hours by which time I needed some fresh air to clear my head so I went for a walk / early lunch break.

I met Mark for dinner in the evening - we went to Cento Alla Torre because Nicola and I had enjoyed it so much last week.

24 November

Ela's class and gym to start the day then home to get ready for our lunch at The Orpington. They put on a special menu from mid-November to Christmas and I think we were the only people having that menu with their other guests just having "normal" food. The food we had was yummy. Jonathon's main course was blade of beef while I had salmon en croute. We brought out desserts home because we were too full to eat them there. They made for a good tea.

I walked through the Walnuts shopping mall on the way home and noticed that Julian Charles had a "Black Friday" sale on so treated myself to a new quilt cover.

Teresa was busy cleaning when we got home. Unfortunately for her, just as she was about to leave it started to pour down. Thankfully, I'd already spring cleaned the bird feeders and topped them up and swept up a few leaves before it started.

25 November

Luis held a one-off Tai Chi / Chi Gong class this morning so I joined that. It was really relaxing and I felt quite "floaty" after it. I did a short session on the cross trainer before and treadmill afterwards to help with today's steps then came home to get ready for Loretta's visit.

Loretta is a foot specialist and helped me when I had athlete's foot recently. She checked my feet over and said they were fine and I didn't need her to come and see me again. That said, Jonathon has decided he needs her to have a look at his feet. Her first available slot was 19 January so he booked that.

Our tomato plants are still producing fruit - I picked a few more today. They're really tasty.

It was such a lovely day that I decided to go for a walk before dinner so tested out a new (made up) route for Gilda on Monday. I went to Newstead and Darrick Woods, Tubbenden Meadows and Farnborough before catching a bus home from Green Street Green.

I got a few Christmas presents sorted out and sent Carole and Pauline some ideas for us (at their request).

Jonathon went to Sutton in the evening. I stayed home, practiced my choir music, ordered a load of Christmas presents on line and watched TV.

26 November

Did a few jobs before gym this morning. I was buddied up with Sonia who lives just round the corner so that was fun. I did a few steps on the treadmill before and after class then did some food shopping.

I spent a while in the garden in the afternoon. Main job was sweeping up leaves with a bit of tidying up as well. I was supervised from above by Oli who found a really good vantage point.

Most of our acers have lost their leaves but this one gets prettier year by year.

There was a train strike today but Jonathon was committed to go to Toulouse Lautrec so he had to venture there on a couple of buses - it took about 2 hours so a lot slower than the train!

27 November

Shreena's class was even harder than normal today. I warmed down on the treadmill to recover but it took a while!

Today was the first Sunday in Advent so one of the children was tasked with lighting the first Advent candle (under close supervision).

I finished my steps by checking Jo's flat was OK (it was) and got drenched on the way home.

Had a Skype call with Mum and Dad. They seem to be keeping themselves quite busy and seemed in good spirits.

Had my usual lengthy chat with Christine but neither of us had any real news for the other!

28 November

Had an interesting, mouse-filled start to the day! This one was still alive so we caught it and put it back outside.

I was about to set off for the gym and noticed we'd already had our flower delivery so dealt with those. Ela's class was fully booked and fun.

On the way to get my paper, I bumped into Caroline who was clearly upset so I spent 45 minutes with her. Hope it helped having someone to talk to.

Gilda was late arriving due to traffic problems. We went for our walk then Jonathon met us at "The Buff", a pub in Green Street Green. It was OK (nothing special) but Sally, the waitress, was very nice.

Christine sent an SOS for flyers for the village "Carols round the Christmas Tree" so put something together for those.

Jonathon went to town in the evening to do some photography and Gilda and I went to The Orchard, Dartford to enjoy The Drifters.

Got a message from Caroline to say she'd followed up my suggestion of going to the Baptist church in Green Street Green (today's "warm space"). They'd taken good care of her and made her feel like royalty.

29 November

I've not been anywhere or done anything particularly interesting today. Went to the gym, then to work.

Too busy to go out at lunchtime other than to get soup from Pret.

Dashed home and went to choir practice. St. John's looked pretty, all lit up in the dark.

Came home and went to bed!

30 November

Today was quite similar to yesterday really - gym then work. It was really misty first thing.

I spent most of the day filling forms in but managed to get out for a short walk at lunchtime by which time the sun was out. It was still pretty chilly.

I collected Gareth's Christmas present from American Golf so I can get that wrapped up and take it with me on Sunday.

1 December

Went to the gym for treadmill and Ela's class. Had a nice chat with my class buddy, Mark, who is now following Jonathon on Instagram, being a keen photographer himself.

Mark, Tim, Di and Skyler (T&D's 17-month old granddaughter) came over for lunch at Orpington GPO - very good and really child friendly. We went for a walk round Priory Gardens and Skyler enjoyed playing on the swings and slide with Nana and Papa's help.

Teresa came and made our house clean again. I collected P&P's Christmas presents from Boots and a Christmas jumper for Jonathon from Tu (Sainsbury's). I think that's all my Click and Collect caught up with for now.

Oli and I stayed home in the eevening while Jonathon went out to photograph a competition for next year's Glastonbury festival.

2 December

No gym class today so went and did my own cardio stuff for a while.

Had my hair cut by Amy. It seems that there's been a complete change at the salon but the new team all seem really nice and Amy gave me the best haircut ever - she took a lot of care to make sure she was happy with the way it flowed. It was interesting for me because she was explaining to a trainee what she was doing so I got to hear it all as well.

Met up with Caroline and Pebby (in her new buggy which also acts as a walking aid for Caroline). We walked to Irene's to deliver some gardening magazines then did a loop to get back home.

3 December

Gym and Fay's class this morning with the sad news that Fay's class will be finishing after next Saturday because she's not gym staff. Whether they'll get one of the gym staff to run it or whether we'll rebel and Fay will run it for us anyway (but that means she won't get paid) remains to be seen.

Wandered down to Priory Gardens to finish my steps and get some (cold) fresh air. I was aware that there was a Harris Hawk called Tango in the park. He'd escaped from his aviary home in August and arrived in PG a few days ago. Lizzie spotted him and his owner has been coming every day to try and catch him. This lovely bird on the right is Todd. He was brought in today by his owner in an attempt to entice Tango out of the trees to "defend his territory". Tango was still firmly ensconced in the trees shouting at Todd when I left. Hopefully Alicia will let me know if they managed to catch him because she seems to be the handler's main contact person.

4 December

Went to the gym to do as many steps as I could in the time available because I knew I was going to be sitting on a variety of trains for most of the day.

The journey north was quite straightforward and I checked in to St. Georges Hotel in Harrogate.

5 December

I spent most of today with Mum and Dad. Before I went to Knaresborough, I wandered round Valley Gardens to get some fresh air and to do some steps.

After fish and chips for dinner, Carole took Dad to the clinic, Mum had a sleep and I went for a walk by the River Nidd (after catching up with the filing). When I got back, Mum and I got all the Christmas payments set up, her Virgin phone cancelled, a donation to her favourite hospice, Dad's new razor ordered and the BT bill checked - a very productive afternoon. Dad is a bit concerned about going to St. John's care home in Kirk Hammerton tomorrow but didn't seem to be fretting too much about it.

6 December

Had a lovely view from my hotel bedroom this morning but it was time to say "Goodbye" to Harrogate for this visit. I wandered round Valley Gardens to get some steps done and get some fresh air before undertaking my 4-train journey back to Orpington. The journey was straighforward and easy but tiring.

Jonathon was at the dentist when I got back and was told he needs a filling so he'll need to go back sometime soon.

Carole and Pauline took Dad into St. John's Care Home, Kirk Hammerton for a couple of weeks' respite care.

I popped to Sainsbury's and put some orange juice and milk into Jo's fridge for her ready for her return home tomorrow.

Jonathon went off to do a photo shoot, Oli and I stayed home to keep warm and practice my choir music.

7 December

Back to normal today with an early visit to the gym for a pound on the treadmill.

Work next - I seemed to spend most of the day filling in either forms or a screen so not particularly exciting.

I signed a contract extension so now there until 31 May 2023.

8 December

We had our first keen frost of the season today so it was chilly going to the gym (treadmill and Ela's Tabata class). The temperature didn't rise above 2C but it was a beautiful, sunny day.

Jonathon used our axe to "defrost" the bird baths. I'd got some wildlife friendly stuff to add to the water so they shouldn't freeze quite so easily over the next few days.

We decided to go our for dinner so went to Xi'an in the High Street. It was delicious (as always). I really don't know why we don't go there more often. After dinner, I went for a walk round Priory Gardens to finish my steps and enjoy the fresh air.

Teresa was cleaning when I got home - she was going out in the evening so got changed here because she didn't have time to get home and to the restaurant in time.

Mark let me know that Deb has tested positive with Covid so his plans are all up in the air. He'll let me know if he has any free time between now and Christmas so we can meet up.

Jonathon decided to stay at home rather than go to Toulouse Lautrec so we had an evening of TV watching.

9 December

It was really frosty this morning (the photo is of the frost on Jonathon's car window). After a stint in the gym, I collected a load of bags from Gregg so Jonathon could fill them with CDs.

Jo and I went for a chilly walk (Poverest, River Cray, St. Mary Cray Recreation Ground, local fields). She'd had a lovely holiday in the USA with her son and family and is now back for a couple of weeks before heading off to Mauritius for Christmas (her daughter-in-law's family are from there).

Hayes Garage Doors came after dinner because our back garage door has been playing up. It came off its guide rails yesterday (having "clunked" for a few days before that). The man and Jonathon got it back on the rails and it seems to be OK now.

Gregg came and collected about 1,200 CDs so that's them out of the house. He has a bad knee so Jonathon and I carried all the bags out to his van for him but he would have to manage on his own at the other end.

Jonathon had got the Christmas tree and the carousel out of the cupboard while I was out with Jo so I decorated the tree, found the little characters for the carousel and put up the rest of the decorations in the afternoon.

I phoned Dad in the evening. He sounded pretty with it and upbeat so clearly not too stressed out by being at St. John's but he knows it's only for a couple of weeks.

10 December

Jim was in charge of Fay's class today because Fay is away. Her Mum came to the gym so Fay could Facetime with us and thank us for writing to the gym to ask that her 9 a.m. Saturday class should continue. It's now been agreed so it should only be cancelled for a couple of weeks then off we go again.

I did most of my steps on the treadmill because I was scheduled to join a group of others for carol singing in the High Street straight after dinner. It was a bit chilly (just above freezing) so my super warm bobble hat came in very handy.

Jonathon spent the afternoon and evening at Toulouse Lautrec.

11 December

It was -4C this morning when I went to the gym - very chilly! It was the last of Shreena's early classes so I went along even though I've found them quite hard.

I did a whole load of steps on the treadmill to save me going out for a walk later on.

It was light when I got home but the garden didn't de-frost all day.

12 December

The snow was crisp and deep and even when I went to the gym. The street lights were making the fir tree in our front garden look very pretty.

I managed to get a place in Ela's class latish last night so I joined in with that.

All three foxes were waiting for breakfast when I got home. The fox in the photo is the male with only half a tail. We are a bit worried about him in the cold weather because foxes use their tails to help keep warm but he seems OK.

There was no milk delivery this morning. The Modern Milkman contacted Jonathon to say they were delayed but, in the end, they didn't come at all so we had to get milk from Sainsbury's.

I went to the station, more in hope than expectation, only to discover there would be no trains until after 10 a.m. I walked back home via Tesco to try and find a Times newspaper (to no avail) then had a pot of tea before trogging back up to the station. The trains had started to run, albeit slowly but I got into work about 11 a.m.

14 December

I did a few household chores and practised my choir singing before heading off to the gym (another train strike today so no getting into work for me - I'll go tomorrow instead). I tried a new class this morning - Aerotone - which was OK. It was basically aerobics with weights. The sports hall was freezing even allowing for all the running around we did.

Jo came and we went for a walk through Crofton / Sparrow Woods and Richmal Crompton Fields on the way to Bromley. It was like walking through a winter wonderland - really pretty.

We did the last part of the journey by bus - the A21 isn't the prettiest road to walk along!

Jo treated Jonathon and me to lunch at Studio Gusto in Bromley which was lovely. We tried to apy but she was having none of it so we smiled and said thank you. The restaurant was pretty busy but it's quite unusual to be able to book a table at such short notice in December - a reflection of the economy and people cutting back perhaps? The bus journey home was straightforward but very busy and definitely not warm!

It was all too tiring for Jonathon so he and Oli settled down for a nap together when we got home while I read my paper and did the crossword.

15 December

A quick trip to the gym then work. It felt strange going to work on a Thursday and even stranger to find the train full. I don't think I've seen as many people on a commuter train since before Covid.

I went for a walk in the winter sunshine at lunchtime.

The trains home were not running to schedule but I got home in time to get ready for choir practice.

That seemed to go well and Lesley said she thought we'd be "fine" on Sunday!

We decided to go out for dinner so walked round to The Cricketers. It was very tasty and we had the added bonus of a dog scruffle with a lovely little dog called Billy.

I cleared as much snow as I could from the path at the front of our house then gritted it. The garage door got stuck again so we took the opportunity to move some of the logs and coal round to the back for easier access then fed the birds before Jonathon managed to get the door shut so at least it's secure. There was no answer from the garage door people so perhaps they weren't in today. Jonathon spotted this lovely female balckcap on the bird feeders.

Teresa didn't come yesterday because she's got Covid so Jonathon vacuumed and I cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms. The rest of the house will have to wait until Teresa's back next week.

I phoned Dad who seemed to be on very good form. He'd enjoyed his Christmas party yesterday, was disappointed that the exercise class this morning had been cancelled and looking forward to a trip out tomorrow afternoon. He seems a lot happier at St. John's than he was at The Manor at the beginning of the year.

17 December

Fay led an ad hoc class this morning so I went along to the gym and then did about 20 minutes of her class before I had to leave to go to choir practice. Choir practice went well and Lesley let us go home 10 minutes earlier than planned which is always a good sign.

Popped down to the YMCA shop to get some reading books to keep me going for the next few weeks.

Cut Jonathon's hair (or shaved his head really). White Legs (fox) was fascinated and sat at the back door watching me take J's fur off even though it was still winter. She's very funny!

Got all the Christmas payments input and the e-cards sent. We're not sending paper cards this year and have given money to a couple of charities instead (a growing trend).

The day ended with a lovely sunset.

That's it for this page.