The Distancing Diaries - Day 124 &125

I got up at 6.30am on Wednesday morning (day 124) and after I'd sorted the lads out, I removed the covers from the cushions in the lounge, washed them and hung them on the line.  As usual, my Wii Fit session was followed by fruit & yogurt when Jon got up. With a dry day forecast I washed the rugs in the bathroom and pegged them out alongside the cushion covers.

Our lovely My Hermes driver arrived with a package containing a skirt I'd won on eBay last week. As it had been in transit for 6 days and didn't smell, I threw caution to the wind and immediately put it on.

Of course I needed a new 1970s block printed wraparound skirt, I don't have one with green in it. After some online research I discovered three other 1970s Indian-made items with the same label listed on American eBay for substantially more than the £15 I paid for my skirt. I assume Papillion was a cool hippy boutique with a couple of branches back in the day. 

We decided that Wednesday would be the day we would visit Wilko in the town centre, we hadn't set foot in there for four months. We compiled a shopping list - soda crystals, light bulbs, Once-a-Day sun cream, fat blocks for the birds, a sureshape plane, a plug and an extension socket and made our way into town. It was all pretty straightforward with hand sanitiser dispensers at the entrance, everything we needed in stock & a short, well-managed queue at the till overseen by a security guard. There were only three of us wearing masks (in England it doesn't become mandatory to wear them in shops until 24th July) and everyone kept at a safe distance. I couldn't resist treating myself to a houseplant (a Rhipsalis) and a gooseberry bush.

We noticed that the clearance charity shop was open, so we went in. Like Wilko, there were hand sanitising stations at the entrance and the tills were behind perspex screens. Just as we suspected, the stock had barely changed since the last time we'd visited, we recognised most of the clothes and even spotted books we'd donated back in March. After only handling my own & Jon's clothes for four months it was the first time I'd touched cheap, high street garments and they were just as horrible as I remembered. We came out with a pair of Nike swim shorts for Jon, a 1970s wipe-clean apron with a Heath Robinson print, a pack of 16 replacement pads for Jon's Tens machine (thanks to those kind enough to recommend them, Jon says its making a huge difference) and six books including one I haven't read by one of my favourite authors, William Boyd, and a collection of memoirs by everyone who'd ever been in legendary band, The Fall. A total spend of £8.

Back home we santised and/or washed everything and sat in the garden with a coffee. I repotted the Rhipsalis (is it just me or do plants always look better in terracotta?) and positioned it on the used-to-be-a-coffee-table shelf above the kitchen window. I also divided up one of my other houseplants into three, making the kitchen windowsill look even more like a jungle.


After our lunchtime noodles Jon cracked on with the wardrobe door/cupboard fitting whilst I, having planted the gooseberry bush & raked up the debris from the lime tree, spent the afternoon in a bikini reading in the garden. It was hot when the sun made an appearance from behind the clouds.

We had grilled haloumi with roasted vegetables for tea and watched four episodes of the second series of My Greek Odyssey accompanied by a few rum and colas. Peter visited Thassos, where we travelled to in 2006 to celebrate Jon's 40th birthday, an island overlooked by most tourists as it's so quiet.

On Thursday morning (day 125) I wheeled out the recycling and household waste bins before my daily Wii Fit session. After our fruit & yogurt breakfast I swept the downstairs rugs and, as it was dry, did a bit of washing & pegged it out on the line. Jon emptied the shed in search of the back of the wardrobe to recycle into shelves for the new cupboard, finding it right at the back.

I wore a vintage India Imports of Rhode Island block printed maxi skirt and one of the pair of 1970s Greek blouses I found on eBay last year.


First job of the day was to replace the neck tape on my new-to-me apron which I did outside in the on-off-on sunshine with both this gorgeous peacock butterfly & Stephen Squirrel for company.


Stitching done I did some pottering around in the garden while Jon busied himself sawing wood.


The nasturtiums had a massive growth spurt almost overnight, Jacob absolutely loves the taste of them (unlike me, horribly bitter!)


The agapanthus is going from strength to strength, the first clump is in full flower, the second is getting there and the third has just popped.


I might have to help it on its way.


Jon commented that the crocosmia was looking the best its ever looked although we do wonder whether it's just because we only normally catch sight of it fleetingly between festivals.


My electric blue hydrangeas are pretty special.....


 But look at my pink ones! Not a wishy-washy pastel to be seen.


After sweeping the patio I watered all the pots and joined Jon is the kitchen for a bowl of lunchtime noodles. I spent an hour giving the veg plot and the tomato plants their regular liquid seaweed feed while Jon, who'd finished with the woodworking for the day, sorted out the contents of the greenhouse and reporting that the kale I'd planted at the weekend had already sprouted.


I'd just finished when the rain we'd been expecting since this morning finally arrived. I rescued the washing from the line and joined Frank & Jon indoors.

Asklepieion, Kos September 2018 HERE

Despite our flight being weeks away, I'd been able to check-in online since the beginning of the week, so I did. I'd pretty much convinced myself that the trip would be cancelled but having friends already in Greece and posting lovely photos on Facebook I'm starting to believe that it might become a reality.


Tea was chana masala with half a coriander nan. I'm off to have a shower and to settle down to watch a few more episodes of My Greek Odyssey, that free Amazon trial is almost over.

Stay safe and - if you're in England & braving the shops tomorrow - wear a mask!