Happy New Year!! And here we are again in lockdown number 3.
Its been quite some time now since I last wrote a blog, not sure if I can remember what to do!
So how are you all? I would say we are 'ok'. It just feels like its never going to end, but I know it will eventually. I am sure in years to come we will look back at it and wonder how we got through it. I also think that maybe it has made us all stop and take stock of our lives. It always felt like we were moving at a million miles an hour when we should really have been thinking about what we were doing and thinking of others. I know that there are many thousands of people that are key workers and work on the front line every day and I bow down to you and appreciate all you are doing.
I have to say it does feel tougher this time, probably as its winter and we aren't using the spare time outside. I haven't been sleeping too well, have a cold (where that could of come from who knows), sore throat, headaches and just generally feel fed up. I know it will end and we are very lucky that we have a garden and plenty of areas to walk, but you know... I feel like I am driving myself a little mad. I will have to find more cupboards to clean out - there are still plenty of them and some I have made messy again since the last lockdown.
So what have we been up to? Probably the same as most of you trying to find things to do. We were planning on having Chris parents for Christmas Day and my Dad and Lu over for Boxing Day, but we cancelled all those plans. We just didn't feel it was worth the risk having anyone here for one day. We had a quiet day of drinking, eating and playing games. It was really nice as I do wonder how many more years of having the boys here we have. Matthew only has one more year after this at school and Simon only has two more years. I would like to think that they would continue to come home for the holidays. I think Teddy has his eye on one of their bedrooms! 😂
The boys are both at home doing live lessons until at least half term and could be for the whole term the way things are going. Their school has come up trumps and keeping them busy, which we are just so grateful for. Simon has had his exams cancelled for this year, like Matthew last year. Matthew has had his AS exams cancelled. Hopefully, they have done enough work for them to grade them on - I am sure Simon has, but Matthew has only been doing his A levels since September. I have to keep telling myself that everyone is in the same boat. I do feel for parents with younger children of varying ages that they are having to home school, it must be very stressful. I have got it rather easy - the only problem we sometimes have is our internet - me working from home and both boys on live lessons, it doesn't work well with a slow connection.
We have just started decorating the last room in the house.... only started all the decorating last January! The lounge is having a makeover. Its been a few years and when we last decorated we kept the same colours as previously. As I started this blog on Friday evening and just finished it on Sunday, I can confirm that we have now finished the lounge. My back is telling you it is definitely finished as it's not happy this evening. I will post some pictures later. I am really looking forward to it as it was getting really tired and I want to move the room around a bit, although we are not sure how to achieve that as the room is long and thin.
We have been going on a daily walk still with Teddy. He got a lovely present in the post today (Friday) - a friend sent him a new coat. He wore it out on his walk today as it was just so cold. It needed a bit of a clean when we got back but at least he was kept warm. He has to have a shower every day lately as the pathways are just so wet and muddy. He still loves jumping ditches although when we went out for a walk Christmas Eve there had been so much rain, the ditches were so full and moving so fast we thought he was going to be swept along. He has been going and seeing some friends twice a week for a while now and absolutely loves it. He gets collected and taken to a paddock 5 miles away and runs around for about an hour. He did get into trouble one week when he pinned down another dog - apparently, that was a one-time thing, it hasn't happened again since. He is a little monkey, he really is. Teddy has turned 2 since I last blogged - picture below of him opening his birthday present.
I was lucky that my Birthday was when we were able to do more. We went to the local restaurant/pub for an amazing meal at the weekend before and then went out to Prezzo on my actual Birthday and had a few cocktails. We managed to get to Felixstowe for a walk along the front and the Christmas lights were all on. Many years ago my parents used to drive us into London to see the Christmas lights on my Birthday, used to be one of the highlights.
We have been trying lots of new recipes out again lately. We still have our subscription to BBC Good Food Magazine and this months edition has some delicious main meals. Matthew has still been baking a little, but since Christmas has given himself a rest, so I have had to take over. It does feel like that's all we think about - what are we eating for tea or what can we make for pudding. We tend to have a pudding every night, which we didn't use to do.
Along with Teddy's lovely coat I got a card from my firne and in that card was something that she had also seen and passed on -
Not Everything is cancelled
Love is not cancelled
Relatives are not cancelled
Reading is not cancelled
Naps are not cancelled
Devotions are not cancelled
Music is not cancelled
Dancing is not cancelled
Kindness is not cancelled
Conversations are not cancelled
Hope is not cancelled
Makes you think doesn't it!
As you can see we have put our Christmas decorations away and the tree has had its cling film treatment! We have been putting it away like this for the last 4 years and really does save so much time each year and doesn't feel like such a task to put all the decorations up.
Here are a few photos from what we have been doing recently - as you can see not a lot!!
I hope you all stay safe and well. We all need to be sensible in order for us to get out of this sooner.
Love, Nikki xx
