Day 10: Fire is out.

Dear family, friends and followers.

I am probably sounding like a broken record at the moment. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE STAY HOME. It seems despite the government asking people to do the right thing this weekend, people are just not listening. I can seriously see a complete lockdown coming and no one will be allowed out for exercise. You will only be allowed out for essential shopping and medication. If this happens will be because some people, think that none of the restrictions apply to them.
Why I wonder do they feel this way?
Is it because they think they will never get the virus and possibly die?
Is it because they do not like the government, so are just ignoring what is said?
Or is it because they are stupid?
You decide.

Rant over. It has been a beautiful day. I let the stove go out over night, because we were promised sunshine and warmth. I was not disappointed with the forecast at all, because we had the sunshine and the warmth. It was actually so nice to let the stove go out, because it meant I could give the flue a good seeing to. I always try and give it a sweep once a fortnight when the fire is low, but this morning I gave it a thoroughly good clean out. If the stove stays out, then I will turn my attention to rubbing down the stove and repainting it, but as we may still get some chilly nights, I will hold fire on the painting (excuse the pun).
With the warmth and the sunshine came the throwing open of the doors and letting the fresh air circulate throughout the boat. With this came the birdsong permeating around the boat. The Robin and Wren were in especially good voice throughout the day.

Mr Robin was first to the bird table this morning and was more than happy to take food from my hand again. Keith is going to try and take a photograph, so I can prove Mr Robin actually does eat from the palm of my hand. There is nothing more wonderful than hearing the sound of birds. We used to hear lots of traffic, but that has been replaced by the sound of birds and the traffic is now almost silent. The odd car or motorbike has gone along the Birmingham road today, but in the main people have clearly stayed at home.

The garden was looking especially lovely today in the sunshine. I am thinking we may need more colour through the seasons, but for now it will do.

We do seem to have a bit of a casualty. A boating friend asked if she could put her Christmas tree in our garden, rather than keeping it in the pot on their boat. I said I would look after it for her until she comes back for Christmas. Unfortunately it is going a little brown and I do not know why. I am upping the watering, in case that is the cause and crossing my fingers that I do not kill her tree.

During the afternoon, I carried on crocheting another blanket for the Border Collie Trust GB. I am am think that due to the lockdown, I am going to be doing a lot of crocheting. I am really thankful, I have plenty of wool onboard, which so many kind and wonderful people have donated. The Trust can look forward to a lot of new blankets once the virus has run its course and we can all hopefully get back to some sort of normality.
The afternoon is slowly plodding into the evening and there is now a definite chill, Keith has put his fleece on, which means he is already chilly. I am wondering now, whether I should have kept the stove going. I may be relighting the stove later :-).

Here is something fun to do. Mine was Tiger feet by Mud.

Please look after yourselves. Stay safe and well.
Pop back soon xx

Day 9: Who is going mad?

Dear family, friends and followers.

My assessment of the week gone by.

The eerily quiet empty Birmingham road at "rush hour", and the equally eerie Industrial Estate in Budbrooke Road, which is always busy normally has been void of any life, apart for the very odd few delivery vans or the cement lorry still going about its work. We have been getting deliveries here in the Arm. The drivers come to the gate, where they can ring the number on the gate and someone will go and collect the item being delivered. I have been collecting items for a neighbour and also stuff which Keith had ordered for his railway. I actually had a new battery delivered for my laptop. It was delivered by a Hermes driver. I think this has been the only time Hermes actually delivered on time and the parcel arrived at its correct destination.
Thank you to all the Key Workers who are doing amazing thing. I PERSONALLY THANK YOU ALL :-)

Okay own up. Who is slowly going mad with being in lock down?

If you are self-isolating for the 12 weeks, how are you keeping yourself active and stir crazy free?
I would be interested to read your solutions to a situation which could actually send us all mad, especially if you are living with folk who are jarring on you ordinarily.
Living on a boat, you have to get on well with your other half, because you are living in a tube which is six foot ten wide and however long your boat is, in our case seventy foot long, but under half of that is living space. Because we have liveaboard since 2005, we are used to being in each others pockets and spending 24 hours a day, 7 days a week together, but that does not mean we do not grate on each other from time to time. We have however never had a row in the Twenty years we have been together. We are fortunate that we can live on a boat together and not row. I have heard some humdingers in my time when passing other boats and it is clear that boat life is definitely not suited to everyone. I always say to people considering life afloat. If you and your partner argue, living on a boat may not be for you, because on a boat the only escape is the towpath. Which means if you row a lot one of you will be walking the towpath a lot.
At the moment if I feel the need to get out, I will sit on our pontoon or go for a walk in the arm. This is not because my other half is driving me up the wall, it is because I just need space and air. For anyone living in a house they can go to another room and shut the door, or go outside into the garden. We do not have other rooms as such on our boat, as it is mostly open plan, which means the outdoors is very important. Staying calm and not getting down is the key to this situation. Do something which makes you happy and the same with your partner. For us it is working on his railway and for me it is crocheting, gardening or reading. Of an evening we love to watch films. Last night's delights were Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and Indecent Proposal.

Today began in the good old usual way. I sat up until gone midnight trying to book a new delivery slot for food, which would be in a couple of weeks time and even though I got through from the queuing stage, every slot was filled. Having slept like a log, I was still awake early.
After my usual boat jobs of a morning, which this morning included emptying the cassette. I decided that we would be having Sweet and Sour Chicken and Veggies for lunch and I made enough to do us at least two days. I am still using the veggies which came in the fruit and veg box on Tuesday from one of our local pubs The Four Penny Pub.

The sauce was shop bought, but was fine. I put it on the coal stove to cook. I had thought I might of let the stove out today, but there was still a nip in the air and because Keith feels the cold more than me, I decided to keep it in for another day.
Whilst lunch was cooking, I took myself off out into the garden again and did a bit more weeding. The one thing I noticed was the increase in road noise. It has been so eerily quiet this past Eight days and yet this morning I was hearing more cars, but no road workers on site.

The soil in our garden is a bit like concrete at the moment, this is mainly due to no rain. I am hoping by digging it over it will make it easier in the future to weed. I am getting on top of the weeds, which are mainly Wild Garlic Mustard.

It seeds really easily, so I need to get rid of it out of the garden, otherwise it will just be everywhere. Another name for Wild Garlic Mustard is 'Jack-by-the-Hedge', which I think is lovely. It can be used as a herb in cooking, but right now I need to get it under control in the garden. After an hour or so gardening, it was time to turn my attention to lunch. Our rice tin is now only half pull or half empty depending on which way you look at it, so I will need to try and get some more on my shopping order and hope that they have some in stock.
After a really nice lunch and coffee, I got on with some more crocheting and sorting out my Winter/Summer clothing. For me it is time to put most of the Winter clothing in the box and bring out the Summer things. I always keep some warmer tops on hand just in case, but I am ever hopeful the weather is warming up and we can soon put away our down jackets.

Today has been a day of tragic news of more people dying including a five year old child. So I am pleading with you. PLEASE STAY AT HOME. HELP SAVE LIVES.

Pop back soon xxxx

Day 8: A spot of gardening.

Dear family, friends and followers.

Sharing this from a Facebook friend.
I saw this and just had to post it.

We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another.
Suddenly Disney is out of magic,
Paris is no longer romantic,
New York doesn't stand up anymore,
the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.
Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents & friends becomes an act of love.
Suddenly you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for.
The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it's sending us a message:
"You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters."

Hello one and all. It's Friday and we are taking a step towards the weekend, after what has been another strange week for us all in so many ways. If you are going through the virus at the moment, then I send you my love and hugs and hope that you have a speedy recovery. If you are a key worker and are struggling, I send you my strength to endure, love and hugs. In a way we will all cope with this crisis differently. What is needed right now is a lot more kindness across the world, because at the moment, this is the only story which is dominating the news and our lives.

Today, we woke up to an overcast start, but we have the promise of tropical temperatures on Sunday. One of the first things I did this morning was to go out and get rid of the ash from the fire. Now this may seem like a mundane job, but it is a job which has to be done. When out cruising, cooled ash will be dis-guarded in a hedge row or bagged and binned. On the mooring, I empty the ash pan into a bucket and allow it to cool, before putting it into an empty coal bag. Once it is full enough, I then put it into the bin. I do not put it on the garden, because it can be acidic and that will affect the Ph of the soil and may kill my plants. With that done. Mr Robin came calling. He will always come close, just so I know he is there and that he would like to be fed.

For the first time, he actually took some food out of my hand. I only wish I could of got a photograph taken to prove it happened, but Keith was doing something else at the time, so you will have to take my word for it that it happened. He like suet pellets I have discovered, so I stood with my hand held out and yayyyyy he finally felt brave enough to taken a couple of pellets from my hand. This of course made my day :-).

I decided today was weeding day, so having done all the usual chores on board. I took my coffee and camera out into the garden.

The Spring colour in our small garden is beautiful and it has some of my favourite colours coming out. This Spring is a learning curve for us in our new garden, because we had no idea what was already planted, or what colours the plants may be.

Some of the bulbs have not flowered this year, so I have dug them up. Now does anyone know, if they are likely to flower in future or is their life spent. I am going to put more bulbs in at the end of this year, so if they need to be thrown away that is fine. But of course if I can save them I will do.

Come lunch time, the rockery end of the garden was weeded. The whole time I was weeding Mr Robin was following me looking to see if I had anything for its lunch. I did find a small worm, but he was not really interested in it :-(.

In the end I weeding out two bucketfuls of weeds, which went onto the compost heap. Of course weeds never stop growing, so it will be on going. I will do another bit of the garden tomorrow.

The Fairies were out in the sunshine today, making the most of the warmth on their faces.

We have discovered that we have a lot of Forget Me Not's in the garden, which is perfect, because I love them, so they are staying. It was so lovely to be out in the fresh air and to get some exercise. I did have a natter with fellow boaters across the cut, as they went back to their boat from a food shop. Whilst Sainsbury's was queuing, M&S was empty. I am thinking if I really have to go to a supermarket, I may pay the extra and go to M&S. But that is only if I absolutely have too. I am still preferring not to leave the Arm at the moment, because I am sticking to what Boris has asked.

Now the weather this weekend, is supposed to be lovely. Sunday is going to be almost tropical and I just know there will be folk out there, who will think about going out and enjoying the weather and countryside, but PLEASE DO NOT. Stay at home and SAVE LIVES. Now is not the time to be traipse around the countryside, just because the sun is out. If we all stick to the regulations, we will get through this so much quicker. There is very little point in the majority of us doing the right thing, when the small minority think they are above the regulations, because they will continue to pass the virus around. So PLEASE STAY AT HOME. It could just help save a loved one.

Pop back soon xx

Day 7: Home cooking.

Dear family, friends and followers.

We are living in unprecedented times and so when there is some good news, it gladdens the heart. Today's good news was that our friends Ian and Irene on narrowboat FreeSpirit have made it home from Australia. You may already follow their blog, in which case you will know how hard it has been for them to come home. Reading Irene's post on Facebook this morning, really bought a smile to my face, because I know how much she wanted to get home to their boat.

Our day has been a simple one. Keith's poorly laptop was taken to the post office to be sent back to the company we got it from. Our lovely friend Jacqueline, who has had the virus, very kindly came and got it for us and took it to the post office as part of her daily exercise. We kept a 2 metre gap between us, but had a nice little chat. Hopefully his laptop will be fixed quickly and sent back, as the company is still working at the moment during the virus.

I did some baking, because the cake tin was empty. I decided to use the Lime which came in our fruit and vegetable box on Tuesday. I made us Lime drizzle muffins. I can honestly say this is the first time I have used a Lime in cakes, so I will see what I think, when I have one for my tea tonight. I love baking and this all came about because I did cookery at school. My domestic science teacher Miss Hack (became Mrs Lawrence) was a wonderful teacher, she taught me a lot about cooking. It was the one lesson I really enjoyed and knew I was good at. I am not a fancy cook or baker, but I enjoy what I do and that is down to her.

The news is full of the virus and I think we all hope that there will be some good news at some point. Facebook has been a great source of enjoyment with family and friends and today I had a video chat with one of my sister-in-laws, which was so enjoyable. The one thing with people in lock down or self-isolating, is we are all finding ways to stay in touch with others. Facebook and Twitter have also been coming up with wonderful live broadcasts.

One such broadcast I watched was Matt and Savana Shaw. Such beautiful voices.
At the moment I think it is essential to keep in touch with family and friends, because it will help keep us all sane and also it is good to talk. There may be those who are finding it difficult being cooped up with their partners and this of course can put a strain on any relationship. If you are finding you are struggling, do not bottle it up or struggle on, talk to someone. You can either talk to family, friends or an organisation out there who will happily listen and if need be advise. I imagine that organisations like the Samaritans are very busy, but never too busy to listen. Do not suffer alone.

Apart from baking today. I have done some sewing.

I hemmed some cotton liners for Keith's stock boxes for his railway carriages and trains. There is no end to my talents. I will turn my hand to anything. Sewing for a few years was my job of work, when I used to make the robes for Judges, Barristers, Solicitors and University's. In those days I worked with anything from Nylon to Silk and even worked with fur (which is not acceptable today). I think these days most of these gowns are now made in large factories, but we used to make them for individuals at obviously a higher cost. I was a dab hand with an industrial sewing machine and worked from a beautiful Silk Mill in Hampshire.
As my afternoon weaves its way towards the evening, I have dinner to make and films to watch later.

May you all stay safe and well. Remember to clap for the carers tonight at 8pm. 

Pop back soon xxx.

Day 6: Not crazy yet.

Dear family, friends and followers.

So, right now I think we are all appreciating our families, friends and loved ones a little more. I hope you are well, and safe during this challenging time?

As the number of deaths across this country and the world increase, I am ever mindful that every single death from this darn virus is so incredibly sad for not just the family and friends but for the world as a whole. This virus is taking young and old, no one is immune, so I will say this again PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stay at home and keep your loved ones close by. There are many thousands and millions of people who are working on the front line, who I am eternally grateful for, because they are the hero's in all of this. They are the ones putting their lives on the line, to help others, whether it be the NHS, Army, emergency services, lorry drivers, binmen, delivery drivers etc, they all deserve our thanks.

Another day dawned with a brew and the BBC breakfast news. It is now becoming the norm, to see everything about the virus across the world and of course the UK. It at times seems that this is the only news across the world right now, oh and the fact that there is no sport. The powers that be were deciding whether to cancel Wimbledon. Later in the afternoon the decision was to cancel it for the first time since WWII. So no tennis this Summer, but think how over joyed we will all be when it does happen again :-).

Up and dressed. I got on with the usual morning things, which are boring, so I will not send you to sleep yet again. I am quite sure you nod off already with my ramblings. I decided that after doing bits yesterday, today I would do very little in the garden, I do not want to peek to soon. Instead I got on with more crocheting and sorted out the cupboards and draws. I am thinking we will have an incredibly tidy boat, when this is done. I am actually thinking, I need to have a clear out in some of the boxes. So that has gone on my to do list. I went for my allowed exercise. Neither of us are going out of the security of the Arm unless we absolutely have too. So I took a slow stroll down to the Sensory garden and back. Whilst all of this is going on, the one thing which is constant is the wildlife going about its day. Blue Tits were checking out one of the Arms next boxes. Mr/Mrs Rat ran across the grass to the compost heap and Mr/Mrs Magpie were collecting nesting material. They have absolutely no idea what is going on and I am glad it is that way. Because when this virus has run its course and we step out into the world again, the wildlife will still be going about their day.

During the afternoon, I was stood at the sink looking out onto our garden and I had to look twice. Yes that is Mr/Mrs Ratty. They have found a way of getting onto our bird table. Once onto the solitary bee home, it then climbs around onto the front and hauls its way up onto the table. It was out of luck, because there was nothing out there. I am not frightened of rats, because I grew up with them on the farm. The only thing to think about is they can cause Weil's disease. So whilst they are around, I have another reason to keep my hands washed. I do find them rather cute though and they do keep themselves very clean. I always remember a school friend of mine had two as pets.

How are you all doing at the moment?
If you want to chat and need someone to listen, please send me a message and I will happily natter to you. I know for some this is a scary and very lonely time.

Pop back soon xxx

Day 5: Jobs and deliveries.

Dear family, friends and followers.

Not such a noisy start to the day, but the roadwork was still going ahead. Up and about, today was all about getting our food deliveries. We had a meat delivery coming from The Meat Room and a fruit, veg, bread and milk delivery from a local pub The Four Penny Pub coming.
The sun was out and above the roadworks, the birds were singing. I decided that today was the day to start the weeding.

There is quite a lot of weeding to do, but as I have nothing else pending on my to do list, after morning coffee I made a start. It was both giving me fresh air and some exercise, which is much needed for my own sanity.

A Bumble Bee was mooching around the garden. It was so lovely to have them back and I hope that as my flowers bloom, they will find a good supply of food.

Mr/Mrs Bank Vole put in an appearance, in order to tuck into some breakfast I had laid on. It is lovely to see them again and to know they are still happily living in the wood pile.
Come midday, we were just sat down tucking into our lunch, when our site manager rang to say there was a parcel being delivered for me at the gate and so I had to drop lunch (not literally) and run out to the car park, where The Meat Room delivery van had just pulled up with my order. Order handed over and many thanks exchanged, I did ask why he had not rung my phone number, because the site manager is not on site. His answer was " They did not put your number on the bag". I had given them my phone number three times, with strict instructions to ring me. Anyway no harm done, apart from ringing the site manager at home. I guess we have to give them a bit of slack, because they had 270 deliveries to make today. Back onboard I got all the meat wrapped and put into the small freezer we have onboard. I have a feeling the freezer is going to come in handy. Lunch finished, it was time to think about doing something else and that was crocheting blankets for the Collies at The Border Collie Trust GB.

A few days ago I received the card above from The Border Collie Trust GB, thanking me for the blankets I have made and sent them. It was so lovely to receive this small token of their appreciation and to know the blankets are being put to good use. I have plenty of wool onboard, so I will be busy for quite sometime.
Whilst crocheting, I got a call to say our fruit and veg order was 10 minutes away. I put down the crochet and headed out to the car park to await our delivery. For any deliveries we have to unlock the gate and then lock it once the delivery has been made, so that we keep the general public out.

Ellie from The Four Penny Pub bought our box of fruit and veg for two, plus milk and bread. I am so pleased with the contents. We have:
Mushrooms.
Tomatoes.
Lettuce.
Half Cucumber.
2 Bananas.
2 Apples.
1 Orange.
1 Lemon and Lime. (cakes to bake)
Broccoli.
1 Leek.
2 Baking Potatoes.
Small bag of new potatoes.
2 large Onions.
This will last us a few days at least, along with the meat delivery.
Crocheting put on hold, I took a trip to the on site laundry to get a large wash done. I can wash the smaller things onboard, but our small washer does not like the towels, bedding and heavier clothing.
It has been a good day in so many ways today.

To finish with I copied this from a friends Facebook page and it kind of say's it all.

Just imagine when all this is over, imagine the day when Boris Johnson comes on TV and says 'lockdown is over, its lifted, as a nation we've done it.'

Imagine the British public running outside their houses, hugging each other. Imagine ringing your nan & saying 'Pop kettle on, I'm on my way.'

Imagine been able to see your family face to face rather than through a window or a face time call.

Imagine going into the pub and; grabbing a pint... Sitting in the beer garden taking in the rays (or the rain, cause sods law it'll rain)

Imagine walking into supermarket and; been able to buy toilet roll, pasta and; all other life's essentials that we always took for granted.

Imagine driving down the road and; being able to pull in at Maccy D's for your Big Mac fix. Or going to your favourite restaurant.

Imagine going to the cinema and out for food on date night.

Imagine all the street parties, the first day of doing what you want.

Cause it might be awful right now, but if there's anything that will get us all through... It'll be how we will all feel when it's all over ❤️

And I cannot wait for this day!, its only been a week and I miss my family, friends so much ❤

Pop back soon xxx

Day 4: Time to do some jobs.

Dear family, friends and followers.

Here we are into a new week and we are all probably going a little stir crazy being in lock down, but remember if we all stay within the confines of out own houses and gardens we can make a huge difference. I know there are still those who are flouting the guidance, because they think it does not apply to them. I would ask them to really think about whether your trip is necessary.

We woke up this morning to the sound of lorries and diggers. I kid you not. There is a big road work program going on outside of the Arm and up towards Stank's Island. They are doing huge road improvements and because of the roads now being so quiet, because most people are staying at home, it for them is a good time to get on with the job, because they were getting behind the schedule. Now we are told that they are observing the government guidelines to keep each other safe, so we did not hear birdsong this morning, it was replaced by the sound of digging and lorries. Just hoping none of the workmen get this virus or give it to anyone.
Watching the news over our first cuppa of the day and yes of course it is all about the virus at the moment. The BBC breakfast gang are social distancing on the couch, which is quite surreal and there are no guests in the studio, everything is being done online.
How on earth did we ever manage without the internet?
Just think we would not know half of what we know now if it were not for the internet. For many at the moment the internet is their lifeline to keeping in touch with family and friends across the world with Skype etc. We are certainly making good use of it and of course it means I can still ramble on my blog. It has certainly made me think about how they ever coped during the wars. Of course there is always a dark side to everything and there are those taking advantage of people on the net, as there are a lot of Coronavirus scams going on. Please be careful out there.
Whilst the other half did his morning exercises, I went and changed the water for the birds to bath in and drink. It was actually quite nice out, with the sun popping in and out. Gardening was definitely on my to do list for the day, but first job was to give the boat a wash down, because I never got the chance to do it on the day we arrived home. I am not one who likes it all nice and shiny, but I do like it clean. The paintwork is over 12 years old and still going strong. Hopefully I can keep it going for another few years, before we need to get her repainted.

Lunch today was left over cottage pie and frozen veggies. For pudding we ate some left over from Christmas bread sticks with cheese. I then realized the bread sticks were out of date. Hey ho they tasted absolutely fine and were still crunchy. I am not one for dates on things. If it looks good, smells good then it will darn well taste good.

As you know gardening was on my list and that is was exactly where it stayed, because it decided to rain after lunch, so no gardening for me today. There is a plus side, I will be able to get out and do it tomorrow weather permitting.

I did go out and take some photographs, because at the moment a part from the weeds, the garden is looking pretty good. The Rhubarb is coming on a treat. I am hoping that next year we will have a good crop. This year I am going to let it settle in. I am hoping once we are free to move around, that I can get some manure for it.

The Wild Strawberries are in bloom, so if nothing else we will have Strawberries.

We have Forget me not's, which is a real joy. I am going to move some of them once they have flowered, so we have them all over the garden.
The blessing with being back on our mooring at this time of the year is, I get to see what is growing in our new garden and I will see what survived the move from our old garden. At the moment, I have only spotted a couple of plants which I think may have gone to the garden in the sky. Some of the bulbs which were planted by the previous moorer are not flowering, so I will be digging those up and replacing them with new bulbs in the Autumn. That is another job which will be keeping me busy.
As the weather warms up, I am very much looking forward to sitting outside and enjoying the garden. Just wondering if the road noise will still be as loud as it is today? I am guessing because we have had peace and quiet for a few days, it now seems so loud outside.

May you all be keeping yourselves safe and well.

Pop back soon xxx

Day 3: So very quiet.

Dear family, friends and followers.

Have you noticed how quiet it is of a morning?
Having put the clock forward, we woke up at 7 am (was 6 am). We heard the first plane for days, but no traffic on the road what so ever. Then the Magpie decided to have a chat from the tree above our back cabin. The Robin and Wren joined in with the chorus and then a Wood Pigeon thought it would be nice to end the song with a Coo. With everything going on and no traffic, the sound of birdsong is absolutely wonderful. I was wondering if they are having to sing so loudly now they must know there is no other noise for them to fight against?
We sat in bed with our cuppa, watching the news and hearing what is happening around the world, with the USA the most infected country, although we do not seem to be hearing much about China anymore, so who really knows.
Up and about, with the bed rolled away and the cupboard door shut on it for the day. It was time to think about daily chores and what I could occupy my day with. I fed the birds and the Bank Voles, who are still living in our wood pile. I know this because the food disappears very quickly. They are probably so relieved to have us back, so they get their food treats. I will try and photograph them over the coming days. Having fed the birds and the Bank Voles, it was time to feed ourselves. We only had cereal this morning, with milk of course. I do not know about you, but we have found ourselves eating less since the Coronavirus kicked off?
Talking about food. I finally managed to get a delivery slot for a food delivery. It is not until the 9th April, so we will manage until then, with bread and milk coming on Tuesday with meat and vegetables. The 9th April delivery will be for tea, coffee, butter, cheese and things we most definitely need. There is no bulk buying because you are limited to how much you can purchase, which is absolutely right under the circumstances. There is not even toilet rolls on the list, because we have enough for the time being. I am kind of hoping people will get the message not to bulk buy or stock pile and things will even themselves out for everyone out there who is struggling.

With the fire stoked, hoover put round and a coffee made, it was decision time on what to have for lunch. Now most boaters will always have at least one Fray Bentos pie in their emergency ration cupboard and we are no different. So today's lunch was a Chicken Fray Bentos pie, with mash potatoes, white and sweet potato, because we are coming to the end of the spuds. I also used up the end of a cabbage, which was looking a little sad, but it tasted fine (roll on veggie delivery). It has been sometime since we actually had a pie in a tin and I had forgotten how scrummy they are.  No pudding today because we have no fresh or tinned fruit (diet going well).
After lunch and yet another coffee, I nodded off. Yes I actually feel asleep in my chair, which is totally unheard of for me. I think those three and a half days getting home finally caught up with me. Feet up, I sat and watched 'The Glenn Miller Story'. I love that film and it is perfect for a Sunday afternoon watch.
The sun has been shining today, but there has been a bloomin cold wind. I know the wind had a bite to it, because I had a quick stroll around our end of the Arm. We all need to exercise, preferably close to home, otherwise we are going to end up overweight and couch potatoes. I will do a short stroll each day and some other exercise. I am hoping to do some weeding as well, but not when it is blowing a hooley and cold.
Sunday on a whole was a lovely day of doing the bare minimum. Monday will see me up my game and I will be getting on with jobs, because it will be so easy to be a couch potato and that is not me at all. So I will see you on Monday all being well.

Pop back soon xxx