Day 274 – Reflections on Lockdown

I am super tired this evening, I was up late researching and writing yesterday’s blog (Day 273) not getting to bed until 2.30am!

I then had to get up at 7.30am, to walk Honey, have breakfast, etc…and leave at 8.30am as the hire car was parked outside on the Pay & Display, which stopped being free at 8.30am.

It was frosty this morning (blog cover photo)

Thankfully this evening, I have found a place to park the car which is free and so can have a lie in 🙂

However, being up so early, meant I could go to ASDA before all the shelves were empty, as they were yesterday and buy some food for Christmas. I spent ages debating whether to get Chicken or Turkey, the price difference was massive (Turkey a lot more expensive), so I went for Chicken !

I spotted some new Covid signs at ASDA and Antimicrobial handles on the trolleys 🙂

I was also surprised to see a ‘Challenge 25’ style poster as I was going in, but was saying you may need to remove your face-mask to check your age if buying alcohol.

I caused havoc, spotting this and then going back with my trolley to get a photo, not spotting folk behind me with their trolleys trying to get in. I wonder if folk ever wonder, why I am obsessed with taking photos of Covid signs 😉

Then I went to the flat and cleaned up a lot of the painting mess, before starting painting for most of the day. I was glossing (egg shell) all my doors today, with a primer first.

I took Honey to Mo Beans Coffee Shop this afternoon, as she was looking bored with me painting and I started to worry the paint fumes may affect her. She spent the afternoon, with her Labrador friend Nuno and I am sure sitting starring at customers eating food on the hope she may get some 😉

Then back to the boat, which was 4 degrees centigrade when I got back, although now a lovely 29 degrees, it feels great! It only took 60 minutes to get up to 20 degrees.

Yesterday I chopped a load of logs with the axe, which I haven’t done for a while, which makes it so much easier to keep the fire going. The wood burner is very small and the logs are too big for it, so they get wedged and once the fire burns down, the wood can’t burnand the fire goes out. Once it goes out, it’s a real hassle to light it again.

Mainly because the wood is still smouldering and so giving off lots of smoke – my smoke alarm is really sensitive (which I guess is a good thing) and also very loud! When it goes off my neighbours come to check if I am OK (which is great). It also goes on for ages (also good). It can get set off by cooking too, but I have learnt to open the door if I am cooking and there is steam.

So when re-lighting the fire, I only have seconds to sort it, before having to shut the door again, wait a few minutes and try and sort again.

This evening, I watched the first 30 minutes of the first Christmas Special of Gavin & Stacey, which I downloaded earlier when at the flat. I have watched the whole series about 3 if not 4 times, but very happy to watch it all again 😉

A lovely sky this morning on our morning walk, so I took this photo 🙂

Lockdown Restrictions Corner

Too tired to do lots of research for this today.

An update from yesterday’s blog (Day 273)

News reports now say 50 countries have now closed their borders to the UK.
Northern Ireland agreed not to close their borders to Scotland, Wales and England.
EU countries being encouraged to live UK travel bans, although ultimately it their choice, as they are in control of their borders.
Travel to France is resuming tomorrow, if had a negative test in the last 72 hours – currently just French Nationals, EU Citizens and people with residency in France trying to get home for Christmas Plus people doing essential trips – health staff fighting Covid, fishing crew, bus/train drivers.
There has not been any decision yet on what happens if someone tests positive.
2850 lorries have been stuck in Kent since Sunday (Day 272).
Food has been limited – some lorry drivers only got given a breakfast bar. There are no toilets and many just digging a hole on the road side.
Tesco has put limits on certain foods (mainly for panic buying) – including – toilet roll, eggs, rice and hand wash.

Why people panic buy toilet roll, I don’t know?! Saying that I got 48 rolls in February (before the pandemic) from Who Gives a Crap and still have a few rolls left, so I’ve never had the fear of running out!

As I come to the end of this blog, I am aware that I have missed out lots of sections today, but I am too tired to try and find things to include – I need to get to bed!

Today the weather has been cold, but dry.

Good Night!

Jim x