2022 and all that

Am well overdue for a blog post, but no news is good news. Everything is on an even keel, for now.

Am settling back into a more relaxed Cardiff life after the first tiring few days settling back in and getting my garden into shape. I’m a bit too late to get much established. Next year I want a hanging basket like Nicky’s.

City life is different to the country, with more poignant litter on the streets.

I’ve settled into a routine of a long walking circuit through the park now that Black Weir is closed. I avoid the clinical atmosphere of Summerhouse Cafe and take a flask of my own coffee and treat for Lottie. I’m saving £2 a day and the setting (apart from the bench) ain’t shabby.

Welsh social interaction rules are much stricter than in England and all my friends are sticking to them staunchly. It seems to be paying off as we have much lower infection and death rates. I’ve done some cautious (and legal) mingling outside my front door and in the back garden.

My favourite pastime is walking with one other person at a time and having a careful coffee halfway round. “Careful” means lots of hand gel and not touching each other’s mugs and food.

Jack’s life seems almost back to normal in Spain. He got invited to a bbq last weekend.

Leon’s back in the office and has been meeting up with friends for bbqs over the last couple of weekends or having park picnics with Lily. He normally walks or cycles to work, but this weekend he risked a trip on the underground. Ninety percent of people were wearing masks, he said.

Dad is fine. The wonderful Masher helps him walk Chloe and he’s meeting friends on walks or in the garden. He even has his car back. The village support group are all making masks.

Mary is going to visit Dad on Wednesday. We wanted to give her something of Mum’s as a keepsake. I sent her a picture of Mum’s unassuming collection and she chose Mum’s old guide badge, polished to within an inch of its life. Mary says she still has hers and it’s just the same.

I also sent Mum’s engagement and eternity ring to Jeni and Sally respectively.

Am beginning to work out when I’ll be able to get to Italy, but that’s worth another post…

My drive back to Cardiff last week went well. Actually it was just like a normal run between Cardiff and Matlock. There were more vans and trucks on the road but still plenty of cars.

The last 11 weeks have been totally given over to the crisis with Mum and then getting Dad back on his feet. It’s been great to be back home and concentrate on getting the house straight and on running my two businesses.

As in Derbyshire, my main social activity has been dog walking. I have to take my own flask now as all the joy had been sucked out of the Summerhouse Cafe with socially distanced queuing and no tables. At least I’m saving £2 a day.

Lottie and I have had a couple of walks with Jane and Sylvie, through we’ve had to adapt our route: Blackweir Bridge is closed as it’s too difficult to keep your distance.

Sylvie has developed an unhealthy interest in chasing ducks. Yesterday I came upon Jane watching her in despair as Sylvie paddled single-mindedly up and down the river in fruitless chase of a cheeky duck who’d been given the job of luring her away as all the baby ducklings watched from the safety of the bank. I didn’t know ducks were so clever.

I have many more options for food delivery in town. I’ve found Asda by far the best for delivery slots so am sticking with them for now.

I could get veg boxes from several sources. Kemi’s seems good.

I’m not a big beer drinker but it’s my favourite tipple with Ali and Jane due to assiduous conditioning at the Robin Hood on Friday nights in the old days (sigh). We’re planning to meet for a drink in the park as soon as the weather improves, so have ordered some for delivery by Pipes and also picked up three bottles in person. Seemed quite safe.

There’s lots of evidence of Bute park being well-tended, but the normally immaculate Thompson’s park is sliding into wrack and ruin.

Zach and Chynna’s pups are growing up.

The weather broke yesterday and I spent the afternoon packing up in preparation for leaving today. In the morning, Dad, Richard and I spoke on speakerphone to the solicitor about applying for probate on our behalf. Everything is taking much longer to deal with at the moment because of the virus.

We managed to make the most of Dad’s new table during the last of the fine weather. On Monday, Lena and Vikki from the local support group came over to talk about Dad’s needs. Occasional extra walks for Chloe, a Sunday newspaper (another neighbour already delivers them Monday to Saturday), a window cleaner and a door chain were all discussed.

On closer inspection, it turned out Dad already has a door chain. He just has to start using it. Scammers have been targeting local older people recently.

Bill also popped over to see Dad. It’s the first time they’ve met since the start of lockdown and took us up to the permitted limit of six people meeting outdoors. Bill is worried that the Edgefold Club (where he and Dad play snooker on Fridays) may not reopen. There are also doubts over Willersley Castle hotel (where Dad swims) being sold off. He’ll need to invent new ways to keep active.

On Tuesday, Steve and Sue came over with amazing scotch eggs made from eggs laid the same morning. We stuffed ourselves and hardly had room for dinner.

Steve is on the parish council, so Dad brought up a problem that’s been bothering him: the difficult stile into Lea Wood. He feels it’s an obstacle preventing him and other old people walking into Lea Wood.

Just three more nights in Holloway and then I’m off back to Cardiff. So much has happened in these 11 weeks.

Was relieved to hear that the Welsh government is relaxing the rules for people who are shielding today. I haven’t been able to stick to them because of the situation, but it’s good to get official confirmation.

I had a great weekend while spending at least two to three hours per day gradually going through Mum and Dad’s house cleaning and sorting. Mum put Marie Kondo to shame with her piles of beautifully laundered, ironed, folded and stacked clothes. It was a real wrench to sort them out and put them in the garage ready for when the charity shops reopen.

On Saturday, I met Maggie at the canal for a walk. We went through Crich and around Crich stand (aka the war memorial).

The path then went through the Tramway Myseum and then past the amazing Duke of Devonshire’s quarry. Just like a natural cathedral, full of wild garlic.

Leon and Lily are back in London. They sent this pic of them on Highbury Fields (with all my “borrowed” camping gear). It’s as though lockdown never was.

On Sunday, Jon came over from Swadlincote with George, Emily’s hearing dog. I took him on a tour of all my old haunts. It was great, apart from Lottie disgracing herself by digging out out a baby animal (rabbit or stoat?) from its burrow and disappearing with it.

Jon showed me a great plant identification app, Candide. Today’s walk’s been slow progress as I’ve had to identify every wild flower I passed.

Richard arrived yesterday from Scotland and I assembled the new table to create Dad’s socially distanced outdoor entertainment area. It was great to have a family dinner: the New Normal in every sense as we adjust to life with the virus and without Mum.

Yesterday I went into Dad’s house for the first time and started clearing and cleaning.

I didn’t get much further than the kitchen. It was like excavating through the strata of the last three months’ events: Dad’s mostly uneaten 90th birthday cake still on a plate from the start of lockdown, discarded disposable gloves, the fruitless covid test, musty bouquets, Mum’s glucose tablets and her lists and notes.

Today’s task is going to be the downstairs loo and cloakroom. Oddly enough, I think dealing with concrete items like coats and boots is going to be easier than the small casual reminders I found in the kitchen.

Yesterday we had a good Zoom session with Jack and Leon over the G&T.

I heard yesterday that Dad is being granted a Blue Badge.