Lest we forget

 I am not a badge of honour,
I am not a racist smear,
I am not a fashion statement,
To be worn but once a year,
I am not glorification
Of conflict or of war.
I am not a paper ornament
A token,  I am more.

I am a loving memory,
Of a father or a son,
A permanent reminder
Of each and every one.

I am paper or enamel
I'm old or shining new,
I'm a way of saying thank you,
To every one of you.

I am a simple poppy
A Reminder to you all,
That courage, faith and honour,
Will stand where heroes fall.

They shall not grow old as those who are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them or the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Lest we forget

(found on Facebook)

Wednesday

 Good morning!

A pleasant day yesterday with plenty of sunshine after a dampish start.  The days are starting to assume the same low key and slightly subdued vibe as last lockdown which is OK by me.  I like a peaceful life.

We had another go at a chat, Dad and I, and this time it was successful.  Dad's obviously taking this seriously; he has always liked a challenge and has never taken kindly to being beaten by a machine!  Through the rest of the day I received several invites to chat as he played with the system and get more to grips with it all.  Fortunately, he had warned me so I wasn't alarmed!

What else?  Well, the shelves didn't arrive so I expect they will be here today.  I did a bit of housework and quite a lot of stitching and, all in all, it was very pleasant.

Today is mostly more of the same.  I have a scheduled chat with Val this morning, followed by an online personal training session with Lindsey.  After that the day is my own.  I will watch Bake off, which I always record, and then whatever I fancy as I read, stitch and knit.
If the shelves come, that's quite different, of course!  The day will be a fair bit more active.  I just don't see the point in clearing cupboards out to create a pile of stuff somewhere else, so I'm waiting until the storage is sorted.
Sensible or lazy?  Well, maybe both!

Have a great day and stay well.  xx

Tuesday

 Good morning.  We've had rain overnight as I found out when I started to go to the shed barefoot.  It's still a bit damp but today's forecast looks quite pleasant.  Excellent.

When I went into my mailbox yesterday morning, there was a message from the shelving company, apologising and asking to see the photos I had taken.  I fired them off and within the hour back came a message letting me know that they were sending replacement shelves out right away.  Two hours after that I got a link to the tracking service thingy and they will be arriving today.  Really great service and I have sung their praises in my feedback.

Dad and I tried another chat but hit the same problem as the first time - he could see me (and himself) but I could only see me.  I could hear him but his box was blank with his name at the bottom.  Really weird and we honestly don't know what the issue is, especially as it was OK over the weekend.  Then his doorbell rang so we shut down and will have another go tomorrow.

Can anyone help?  The camera is obviously working, the audio is fine, he says the video button is not crossed out, what on earth is the problem?

I popped into school to leave some forms that I completed ages ago and then forgot about.  I found them under a stash of paperwork waiting to be filed so, when I got home, I set to and sorted out all my filing followed by sorting out my car file which had stuff going back years and years.  It's still a bit chunky as I like to keep all the service stuff but it is better than it was.

That took quite a while and I was just wondering what to do next when a couple of packages arrived.  A few weeks ago I looked for some Christmas Cross Stitch kits and ordered three, one not being Christmas related.  Two of them had arrived so that was the end of the clearing out.  I spent the rest of my free time starting one of them and enjoying myself very much.  I've always enjoyed counted cross stitch.

This is the one I've started.  Apart from the fact that I love owly things and I love Christmas so this is combining two separate loves, I thought each individual owl would make a nice Christmas card for next year too.  It's been a long time since I did much of this and it's about time I started again, I think.

This will take some time and probably won't get finished this year!  Not a problem.

Here's the not-Christmas one.  I got it because I just loved it!  No idea where it will go but it will go somewhere and it will be such fun to make up.

I have promised myself that by next Christmas (2021) they will all be finished and framed, always assuming the local framing shop has survived the lockdowns, of course.

Today the diary is blank apart from another attempt at a vid chat with Dad.  We will get there!  There's a bit of housework, some work to get together for my eleven plussers (something the parents have requested) and a cupboard to sort out, not to mention two shelves to put in the right place when they arrive.  Then I will finish putting the garage stuff on the shelves and sort out one specific cupboard before I settle down with my knitting, my Kindle, the Christmas Good Housekeeping that I treated myself to the other day and whatever is on the telly.

It sounds like a very cosy day, doesn't it?  Fingers crossed that it all pans out.  Also fingers crossed that your day is just as pleasant, if not more so.

Take care, be safe and have a happy day.  xx

Monday

 Good morning, everyone.  It's a bit too early to tell what the weather is like, just that it seems dry, but the forecast is for a mostly dry but cloudy day.  I can go with that as I have plenty to do inside right now.

When Beth came round yesterday, we had lunch and then got going with the last of the shelving.  A couple of hours and a few breaks later it was all done and dusted apart from just one thing.  The very last unit had two damaged shelves.  I think the corner of the box got bashed at some point.  I fired off a message to the company via Amazon so I hope to hear from them today or tomorrow.  

I'd found an old DVD of Alex in his first Christmas show at the special school he attended when he was narrator in a nativity.  How he enjoyed having control of the mike, especially during the two carols!  There was quite a scuffle when they needed the mike back again and Beth and I were in hysterics!  He was a very cute little boy dressed up in a choirboy's costume!

Today I have a scheduled chat with Dad in the afternoon and the remainder of the time is going to be sorting out cupboards and moving stuff around.  This house is surprisingly well endowed with storage, the flip side being that there's a lot of turning out to do.  
I'll get there.

It should be a very positive day and I hope yours is too.  Be happy and stay safe.  xx

Sunday

 Good morning, everyone.  Sorry I'm a bit late; for once in my life I overslept!
It's misty and dull outside but perhaps the sun will break through later on.  Hope so anyway!

Yesterday was nothing like I had planned.  Beth wasn't feeling so great so I said we'd cancel and, I hope, she is coming round for lunch today instead.  So much I said about yesterday applies to today instead which is going to make for a shorter entry!
(did I hear a few cheers?  lol )

I did get into town though, to pick up my meds.  M&S was completely open including clothes, Holland and Barrett was open and the pen street market food stalls were all going great guns.  I was surprised how many people were out and about too.  Not as many as one would expect on a Saturday morning but it wasn't empty by any means.  

I found I was running out of my favourite vegetable stock powder, Marigold, so I put together a short list and, late afternoon, I popped round to Morrisons.  No crowds, no shortages, no gaps in the shelves - I don't know where all this panic buying in going on but it is certainly not in Mid-Essex.

To my delight, Dad has totally taken to Zoom now.  I sent him a link to a 'How to . . .' site after he asked how one starts a Zoom chat and yesterday evening I got an invite from him, just to check he'd got it right.  Well done, Dad.
(He doesn't read this so I've said it to him elsewhere too!)

Today, after a late start, I'm doing very little until lunch time.  After lunch (fingers crossed) it is shelf building and then I'm doing nothing again.  Well, nothing that could be seen as 'work' anyway.  I'm looking forward to the Strictly catch up.  I know who I think should go but you can never tell with Strictly, can you?

I'd better go and get myself sorted out after my oversleep.  See you all tomorrow xx

Saturday

 Good morning!  Another cold start to the day but not quite as chilly as yesterday.  There's no frost and I doubt that any will develop now as dawn is breaking.

Yesterday went according to plan.  To my delight, the washing did dry outside, helped by a bit of a breeze, which made it all much easier to iron.  I got all of that done so I can feel smug as I walk past the ironing basket each time.

Both my scheduled chats came off.  The one with Jackie ended with us arranging to have another one same time next week and the one with Dad was fine and I think I'm converting him.  Both sound and visuals were appreciably better on the desktop so the webcam has already earned its cost as far as I am concerned.  He's also suggest a regular time each week, much to my delight, and is finding out how to do the inviting himself.  Three cheers.

Out in the garage, it didn't take long to get stuff sorted out so that we can put in the last two units.  All three walls will have shelving units along them by the end of the afternoon and it looks a bit like a warehouse but that's the idea.  It has been a long, long time since I put the car away so it was, really, wasted space but no longer.

The whole project won't quite be finished.  I have some high cupboards that I can now sort out, both in the kitchen and in my bedroom, so I will start them today and, I hope, finish them tomorrow.

The cleaners did, indeed, turn up and I disappeared into the garage as planned.

Today also feels a bit busy although it isn't really.

First of all, I need to go into town to pick up a prescription from Boots and I can take the opportunity to see what is still open and what isn't.  For instance, I wonder if the M&S food hall will be open.  There should certainly be no problems with parking whereas, by this time of the year, usually the Christmas shoppers are out in force and one may need to queue to park.

Once home again, I will start the high cupboard sorting and then Beth's round for lunch before we do the last two units.  After that I will probably crash in front of the telly with my knitting and wait for Strictly to start.

Should be a good day - stay safe, well and positive, everyone.  xx

Friday

 Good morning.  It's another very chilly morning with a bit of a frost so I am hoping it signals another lovely, sunny day.

Christmas is one more step nearer.  Yesterday I bought this year's Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar.  I think I've bought it every year now since they first started so it is very much part of my countdown.  Already there are games to play so it will certainly liven up lockdown.

A screen shot

Beth came round for lunch and then we assembled two more shelf units so my first task of the day is to get more stuff off the floor and onto the units.  Definitely on the last lap now, thank goodness.

Slimming World on Zoom was good.  There were eight of us will more coming next week.  Some of the Thursday people went to the last face to face meeting on Wednesday evening but will be with us on Thursday next week.

Today I have two chats scheduled!!

The first is with my friend, Jackie, this morning and as I haven't seen her since before my holiday, we have a lot to talk about.

The second is with Dad because the web cam arrived yesterday and we want to check it works.  That one should be quite short.

The rest of the day will be filled with the usual - washing, drying and ironing, tidying the house for the cleaners and carrying on with sorting things out.  On second thoughts, I won't start on the garage this morning, I will wait until the cleaners come and then I can get out of their way by disappearing to the garage.

There's plenty to do, anyway!

Take care and have a great day.  xx