It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written a weekly update post, mostly because not much had been happening, well apart from work and they started to feel a little same-y. Then the week before last we went away, and while it wasn’t comparable to a pre-Covid break, it was our first proper break since March.
And it was good, to get away. To stay somewhere we knew, yet was completely new to us. We were lucky with the timing given London’s move to Tier 2, and luckier still that we didn’t chose November for a break.
That week was far from same-y and yet there was still no post. I’ve no idea why, maybe it was enjoying time away from my screen, maybe something else, maybe a way of dealing with the recent round of changes.
We had a pub Sunday lunch in a pub close to us to make up for the family Sunday lunch we’d to cancel thanks to our tier change, which felt slightly galling when checking the rates of those we were meeting with, which were higher than our London borough. But our compensationary (yes, I made that word up) as a welcome distraction.
Back to work, and I vowed I’d make the days shorter somehow. That didn’t happen, though by Friday with an optician appointment and plans to meet work colleagues in the pub (well five of them outside) I probably managed it, though not entirely the way I imagined. I welcomed two new colleagues, got loads (but not as much as I wanted) of stuff done, and sat in front of the rugby for most of Saturday, while awaiting Boris and his announcement that he managed to squeeze in between the end of the England game and Strictly. I didn’t have him down as a fan of the latter, I must admit.
So here we are again facing a second lockdown, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that. I’m frustrated at how the communications were leaked, rushed and delayed; frustrated that it’s happening again, even though we knew it was likely. Annoyed by those who think the virus has gone, or will somehow skip them, and concerned for how a lockdown in winter will play out, as I don’t really expect it to end on 2 December, surely no one sensible does?
But these are things I can’t universally change. I can only change how I react to them, and how and where I spend my energy, so that’s where I’ll start. Slowly, and one step at a time.
And so, I’ll share some pictures from our Norfolk trip. The cottage we stayed in was tiny, but divine, the beaches at Hunstanton just as I remembered them, and just as ‘watchable’.
Holt made me smile inside and out and staying close by was just what we needed, just as much as a penguin carrying drinks, oh hang on…
Getting out and about in the walled garden and grounds of the Blickling Estate was good for the soul too, as was the brief spot of sun. Less so the day full of rain, but then you can’t have everything, can you?
The Anish Kapoor exhibition at Houghton Hall made me realise how much I like circles, which given the design of our grass, shouldn’t really have been that much of a surprise. The gallery exhibition in the Stables reinforced that, with this mussel shell art catching my eye. MOH saw the price and quickly shooed me along!
At home we’ve had ‘experiences’ shall we say. There was the noisy washing machine incident, which was tortuous to sit, and work through for us both. We thought it was going to be expensive, but it turned out to be an escaped underwire which managed to lodge itself in the drum.
Thankfully the washing machine has recovered, my bra less so, and annoyingly I’d only had it since June. But lesson learnt and two new bras were quickly shopped for.
I’d also been toying with buying a slow cooker, and this weekend have taken the plunge. Weirdly prompted by moths. Taking some time to repack a wardrobe in our spare room, and failing to get everything that had come out back in, I checked the other half of the wardrobe only to discover that our years old, full length winter coats seemed to have attracted moths.
MOH’s was clearly their favourite as his had been well and truly nibbled, passing over mine for the good stuff. Neither though were rescue-able and not fit for a charity shop donation. The wardrobe was emptied again, clean Ed and restacked - and it still didn’t all fit in - and some moth repellent was purchased. Along with a slow cooker, not the most usual companion choice I’ll admit.
BKUE MOON MARTINI
And after all that, we needed a drink.