What are you all up to
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brue, I am so sorry to hear that you have had another loss in your family. Very difficult at any time but even more so with all the restrictions. I am sorry also to hear that the housing association are not helping your daughter. I would have hoped that people would be more understanding.
It seems to have been 'clearing kitchen cupboards' week for some of us. We did our kitchen cupboards over 2 days. On Tuesday we did all the upper level cupboards - now all cleaned, cleared and restocked. It was like a step aerobic work out as we were up and down the step ladder all day. We have tried not to use the top shelves now as I find them difficult to reach. Have they got higher or am I getting shorter
. We now have 3 boxes of crockery and glassware (mostly from clearing out our parents' houses many years ago and rarely used) in the garage. I have kept some of the more sentimental bits and pieces though. OH not happy as all the caravan stuff is in there as well as we cleared it ready for service which has now not happened because of the lock down. We cleared and cleaned the lower level cupboards yesterday which was a different type of workout. We just have the cupboards underneath the kitchen and utility room sinks to do but decided to give ourselves a day off cleaning today and spend it in the garden instead. One of the existing Cathedral guides rang me today and offered to mentor me over the phone over the next few weeks which I am very grateful for as I was getting worried that I had forgotten all that I had learned. He has also put me in touch with one of the other trainee guides. It is going to be good to keep in touch as I have been missing everyone. I must get my notes out and do my 'homework' as he is ringing me on Saturday morning. It will be my choice as to which aspect of the Cathedral we do this time and next time he will ring and surprise me with a topic. 
I managed to get another Morrisons delivery slot just now. I now have 3 booked over the next 4 weeks 
Either the situation is easing or they have got more staff. We are not going out anywhere other than the garden at the moment. It is just too risky as OH has COPD. Only mild but it could be nasty if he got the virus. I had a phone call this afternoon from a friend that I haven't spoken too for a long time. Such a lovely surprise.0 -
We are back to jeans and warm jackets here today brrrr its chilly
so we are having a lazy day in the house.I did go out this morning to get food for our 93 year old neighbour, 1 shop for 10 mins and all sorted. Bless her she is doing her best at managing and keeps apologising for having to ask for help.
Nice slow cooked beef for dinner tonight, yesterday was bbq and salad,
oh well never mind can't go anywhere anyway.Today we should have been arriving in Bilbao for our 9 week tour of Spain
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Some urban exploration today, part one.
This is Washington Village 'yesterday' and today. The blacksmiths is now a restaurant. The church is still there behind the red blossom. Washington old hall next to it on the right.
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Prof Chris Whitty acknowledged the tensions re face masks at the Briefing today. Still saying that Face Masks are not a panacea and, given the pressures on PPE availability, priority must go to Care Staff.
Also, there was an earlier comment shortly after the lockdown started that face masks, even if worn correctly, can produce a false sense of security. US has undertaken Lab Tests to show that moisture globules [I remember a figure of 37 particles but cannot recall whether that was per million or per ten million etc] could enter around the edges of the mask and cause infection.
Agree re nowhere to go. Social distancing and Mr Raab's reply in Q&A 'we haven't worked out yet [sic] what to do with the elderly' was in response to a question about phased or stepped relaxation of lockdown. Might be that those under 45 can use mh and caravan [but won't have any holiday left after 'furlough'], whilst the older members have plenty of time, but are still to be detained for their own good
Steve
PS I posted a Tweet below re the use of face masks and their life saving properties, courtesy of Guy Verhofstadt. Naughty, but quite funny!
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Part two. All that remain of Washington F pit, the winding house. It is opened up every now and again by Sunderland council but the winding gear is now powered by an electric motor.
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Mrs March found this Tweet from Guy Verhofstadt a short time ago. Naughty,but quite funny ...
https://twitter.com/guyverhofstadt/status/1250752094568677376/photo/1
Steve
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CS, whilst I personally love history whether its social, industrial or neandrathal, and am enjoying the piccies, I don't think you are earning the wage packet that Wearside Tourist Board is paying you.
I think you'll find they may want a few "prettier" locations for their brochure, providing you can find them.
For me? They're fine as they are.👍
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lol, I'll try and do better
I just love seeing now and then pics and have many books like that
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Had about as perfect a morning's walk as you could get under the circumstances today. Beautiful whether and Nature in its best bib and tucker. Perfect balm for the soul.
Rang the hospital to see if my May appointment with the Kidney consultant was still on or not and told it was off. The secretary was nearly up to my week to write letters. She did say she isn't sure if a blood sample will be needed (or needled) but presume it won't. So I'm packed and raring to go as soon as Her Maj's Gov give the go ahead.
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Today Callum woke us up early, well, early for us as it was before 9am, we were actually awake, but still in bed. He just wanted to talk to his Pappa as I was in the Garage when he rang yesterday.
Very sunny again here, though a cool wind outside. I have been working on secret birthday present no.2 , and after lunch OH went out for a while.
She was at Aldi, no queue, and M&S, no queue. Happened to see some compost outside Aldi, so got a bag for DD, who is bringing us various things tomorrow and will take away whatever we leave outside for her. She said the shop was very quiet.
M&S was similar, hardly any customers, lots of items with short dates on them, so they will be losing money hand over fist on those.
Our freezers are now full, so no need for on line shopping right now, milk etc we can get nearby.
While she was out, Callum came on line again to tell me about the seagulls he had seen in his garden, and he also wanted to see all the tools in my garage.
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well as you love them so much, these two from a few days ago, same location just 54 years apart. Biddick crossing just next to where the kids went to school.
Again now part of the C2C cycle route.
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It's ok, they've gone, along with a couple of others that were also well past their sell by date. All new fresh stuff now as we went shopping this evening, and not a queue anywhere. Things were in a bit short supply but we got virtually all that we were after. So that's us for another week, with plenty in reserve, although I doubt that we could satisfy your culinary idiosyncrasies, WN.
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I have just had an email from a women's clothes store offering me 15% off my 'weekend wardrobe'. 🤔 Just at the moment I dont have a weekend wardrobe. I am not even sure when the weekend is 😂😂
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I think I've had that one and lots of similar ones! Got to give them top marks for trying 😂
I bought a new short sleeved dress just before this began - not sure when it will be admired 😉. Delighted I hadn't bought an outfit for niece's wedding at the end of May, still not sure if it will go ahead............ If it does I have the dress I've just bought which I can tart up or something else I'm sure. What's important is that we can witness not what we wear!
Stay safe
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It could be the VERY first time that you answer the OH question 'When did you buy that?' with the retort 'I bought it ages ago ..' and it will be true!
Steve
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Hooray! I managed to get bread flour from our local farm shop today - nothing anywhere else, it seems. Thought it seemed a tad expensive at £3 for 1.5 kg, but needs must!
When I got it home I spotted a previous price label under the current one. Peeled it back to see £2.50. So a 20% mark up! Only to expected I suppose, but no way to encourage future custom when the supermarkets are back to normal.
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OH has been keeping an eye on the Matthews Cotswold Flour place to see if we can place an order sometime, there is none in the shops here either, but their store has been closed for quite a while now as they are apparently overwhelmed with orders.
We still have at least 10kg of various flours "in stock" as we made a scoop purchase of Allinson's Strong White when it was on special offer at Tesco, just before the panic set in, but we have offered to share that with DD if they run out, so our stock will only last 4-6 weeks if they need some.
Hopefully some normality may return before then!
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I ordered Matthews bread flour several weeks ago and it still hasn't arrived.
I've got some old flour lurking around but I've also got a stock of supermarket bread in the freezer to finish but it's the type of bread I'd normally not buy. I can get bread from our local farm shop, a local baker bakes for several shops around here but it's not that tasty, unlike the home made loaves. Good to hear Moulesy can continue with his baking, why didn't I get OH trained up!?
Using up some old bananas today, a banana loaf/cake emerging soon from the oven. Apparently banana loaf recipes have recently been down loaded the most often. 🍌🍌🍌
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I've been trying to book a slot with Shipton Mill (you have to give them your email address and they will contact you when a delivery slot becomes available) but I've just noticed that even that's now been withdrawn.
Doves Farm do a baking box for, I think £11 for 8 kg, but it's a mixture of flours and seemingly no guarantee that you'll get the sort you really want.
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Seems its not only the supermarkets that are having supply difficulties.
Ambled round ASDA Crewe and , later, M & S Food Hall for urgently needed calories,
, and got everything on my shipping, no no, that should read shopping list today. Slow queues gently marshalled by security at both stores, no obvious gaps on shelving, so it looks as though the 'Pandemic Panic Push' is over till at least the next pension day !! Well, I got home stocked fridge and freezer, had a bite for lunch then came onto this machine. Grrrrrrrr !. Tried to order preferred bird foods, but quite a lot is " out of stock at present " -- how long that situation lasts will be interesting to note . Not worrying tho' it could stop the daft feathered things from pooping in the bird baths and on my motor as well == no sense of fair play some of them .Do so hope you lot manage to get your preferred loaves if not flour to Do 'Em Yourselves
Camilla the Chicken is surely the most under-rated Moppet, oops, Muppet character
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