Day 7 – Saturday – I think – or is it?

Hi,
4 days of working from home and somehow the days blend into the same rhythm.

Well Ok, not quite the same rhythm: when I came in from the garden this morning in search of a shower and a brew, United Utilities had switched the water off to fix something at the Pumping station. Annoying, but this could have been so much worse, if they had waited 10 minutes until I had the shampoo in my hair. 🙂

Talking about United Utilities can I hand their advice I got last night straight on to everybody else: Please, there are things that belong in the toilet (used toilet paper for one) and any amount of things that don’t (as Virgin trains have informed us for years). Apparently, we keep forgetting and the good people from United Utilities can barely keep up with clearing the obstructions all around us. So let’s keep the babywipes and kitchen roll etc out of that system – the black bin works much better.

Life without pubs…the first day

There seems to be also a certain mood in the town this morning now that the pubs and restaurants have shut. Suddenly, there seems to be very little space to meet people any more, and with the Gyms also now closed, even less room to get out and do stuff. Last night and this morning, I saw a few people getting a good jog in, while they still can, and the local dogs, like the cutie featured above, which Lata Anderson met yesterday in Summerfields are enjoying all the walks they are currently getting. I haven’t been, but I guess the woods around Quarry Bank are pretty busy today, too – even without the coffee. The National Trust has promised to keep them open for as long as possible.
Please, please, keep your distance though, you will be glad for it in 2 weeks time.

There is, however, no reason not to be a bit sociable with friends.

This afternoon in Sommerfields there at least two Social distance parties going on (and Lata Anderson will be at one of them): people will sit out in the Close, having the chance to have a good chat, and we have been promised videos, if there are sudden outbreaks of singing.

We are also hearing about a couple of virtual pizza parties (thanks to some of the sixth formers at Wilmslow High) later tonight. Don’t know what that is?
Get your friends to arrange a time. Then order your pizza and arrange for a meeting on Skype and you can sit in your own sitting room and still have a good night out with your mates. If you have a gifted teenager/young adult/member of the Wilmslow IT-crowd around, you can even stream it to your large TV, just make sure your phone can still see you, so that the others know that you are still there.

Unfortunately, it is also becoming clear that we are pretty good at destruction testing the internet and especially Netflix and Prime. Let’s hope we won’t find out where the limit is, before I get to the end of the Man in the High Castle and Picard, that would be a disaster at this point. 🙂

Kids’ corner:

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Time to make a really nice card (if you have not already) and failing that get Mum something nice as a present.
I have sent my mother some self-made flowers, which I found at the Make it Mania blog. They look really nice, but you can easily make just a single ring of petals, like a daisy, which looks really nice, too. Why not try it?

Seriously, however one of the best presents you can give your Mum this weekend is probably a nice long lie-in in bed. You may have noticed that a lot of the grownups have got a bit cranky in the last few days. That’s because they are all stressed out, they miss their friends at work (just like you), they are a bit afraid (just like you) and they are either a little bit bored (just like you) or have far too much to do and worry about it and nothing they need to do, goes the way it is supposed to (just like for you).
So, everybody gets a bit shouty, when something goes wrong. Well , we all know that sometimes it helps to be able to sit for a bit quietly with your favourite teddy (or with your Dad or Mum) and cuddle.
So, make sure tonight your Mum has her favourite teddy and then give her a bit of time to herself tomorrow morning, while we all do quiet things. Do you think you can manage, just for tomorrow, because it is her special day?) You can all show her all your pictures and presents and the beautiful breakfast you made for her after, when she has finished talking to Teddy.

Teenagers/Young Adults

As already mentioned above, we thought the virtual Pizza parties rock. Thanks guys, brilliant idea, also thanks for the numerous tutorials to various community groups on how to work some of the trickier social media and smarter functions of our smart phones.

And to the guy who went by earlier on his bike and five (!) shopping bags delivering to various people in the area, thanks for reminding me to get my own bike fixed ready for action and absolute respect for the contribution.

Exercise:

Today’s exercise tip comes from my cats.
Apparently, as a human you should in regular intervals get up and throw the ball/catnip mouse up the steps and then wait for it to be caught, before getting up the steps, collecting the toy and going down again and starting again. My cats reckon 20 times is absolutely fine with them.
Yep, I bet they do. 🙂

…and finally:

Photographic evidence has reached me that some of our pets are putting their own slant on the concept of social distancing in the house: