Saturday: Day 25

Firstly, just want to reassure my few readers that Ian and I are still feeling great, we potter along, we read the papers, attempt the crossword and sudokus, Ian has been gardening, I crochet, we sleep well and long, at least eight hours.

 Just now Ian made two palm crosses, we used the leaves from a palm type tree, the stems grow over our front fence from the neighbour's garden, we used to put the fallen leaves back over the fence as the law commands, we were told not to do so.  The crosses are for tomorrow’s Palm Sunday service which will be streamed on Facebook, a tutorial was posted on the church’s FB page for those who didn’t know or had forgotten how the make the crosses. It was planned that those who wished could join the residents of the care  home opposite the church building to make crosses, it is always a riotous and jolly occasion.

Last Monday we joined the WhatsApp group for our road, well it is an avenue, in name and fact as it is tree lined, we joined in the clapping on Thursday, today it was suggested we have afternoon tea at 3pm out the front of our properties.

Garden table and chairs with hidden crochet cushions, on tray teapot with Earl Grey loose tea, Emma Bridgewater mugs, coconut slices, serviettes and cake forks. These in honour of 4 year old grandson who insists on using one when cake is served, at least in our house. All this on the driveway outside garage doors!

I’d made the cake earlier in the day, old fashioned creaming method to produce this:-

As we will not be going away for some time I have decided to use up the contents of the tiny travel bottles, we have many small size toothpaste tubes, shower gel,  hand cream which is much need as the backs of my hands are sore with all the hand washing.

Earlier in the day we had a delivery from the small local greengrocer,  the dozen eggs in brown paper bags had been removed before the photo was taken.

Even the post arrives early, I think it was around 9am, perhaps before but so much better than around 2 pm which has been the norm for some time here. 

Day 18

I must be so unusual, staying home for the last 18 days has been calming, relaxing and enjoyable. There’s a little guilt in that I don’t achieve what’s on our to do list, but so what - the ironing can wait another day, we have enough clothes, one shirt or dress waiting doesn’t matter. Neither of us is going anywhere nor seeing anyone for perhaps months as we are self isolating until it really safe to emerge from Pixie Towers. The blanket for DiL is growing, have been able to sit outside and work on it when the wind wasn’t too fierce.

Ian reading his new sour dough book, part of a kit from Sous Chef received for his birthday from DD and SiL. My gift to him has had to be postponed, it is to be the Art Pass so we can visit even more places than Kew Gardens, V & A, Royal Academy or National Trust to which we belong already. 

Much work has been done by Ian in the garden, pots moved around, beds dug, potting up, just tidying up after winter so this was the view when I sat outside in the sunshine. 

We have been advised not to cut the grass until March has gone, so we won’t, especially as the forecast is for colder weather again. 

We have been following our church’s FB live video of church services,  evening prayer tonight, tomorrow it will be Eucharist from the vicarage study. One is reminded that it is now “where one or two are gathered in my name” . We are finding it strangely comforting, no distractions whilst the service proceeds yet one can tell that others are ‘in church’ too. Truly our church is not a building anymore but the many who connect online. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/story/reader/?page_story_id=1505695996158083

If this doesn’t work, the FB page is SS Philip & James Church Whitton. There was another first, our vicar was installed virtually as Priest in charge of a neighbouring parish, again this video is online.


https://londondiocesanfund-my.sharepoint.com/personal/archdeacon_middlesex_london_anglican_org/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Farchdeacon%5Fmiddlesex%5Flondon%5Fanglican%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FVideos%2F2020%2003%2025%20Licensing%20of%20David%20Cloake%20as%20PinC%20St%20St%20Hounslow%2Emp4&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Farchdeacon%5Fmiddlesex%5Flondon%5Fanglican%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FVideos&originalPath=aHR0cHM6Ly9sb25kb25kaW9jZXNhbmZ1bmQtbXkuc2hhcmVwb2ludC5jb20vOnY6L2cvcGVyc29uYWwvYXJjaGRlYWNvbl9taWRkbGVzZXhfbG9uZG9uX2FuZ2xpY2FuX29yZy9FVHBWV1NPajZ3QkZwelhhR3RLY1doY0JqY0dveWp3NmpMWnNGZmdweDNrMXBRP3J0aW1lPUllOXlhbXJUMTBn


Not sure whether this will work, would be interested to have some feedback. I try and respond to to blogs but Blogger makes it difficult for me, I’m a bit naughty, I read a blog, not only on Blogger think I must go back and comment on that and then don’t.

We have it easy here, thoughts go out to everyone struggling with isolation and the difficulties caused by this virus.