Day 86 - Saturday 13th June
I haven't slept well but I have a lot to do today so I'm up early to prepare. Today is the day we start to socialise again - so exciting! We have our daughter and her family coming for a barbeque this evening and my side of the family in two groups tomorrow - the weather forecast is on our side, warm with sunny periods, typical English summer in fact. I start by having a bit of a freezer clear-out, labelling and re-organising the contents so that we can find them easier. We have a lot of mystery items which are never going to get used unless we know what they are. Then I do our online shop, which is due for delivery on Monday but needs to be confirmed by this evening. I haven't heard back from the plumber - that will have to wait I guess.
Late morning my son appears. He hasn't managed to sleep and seems very awake and a bit anxious. He's concerned that in his sleep-deprived state he won't be able to complete his remaining maths paper to a high standard. I ask when it's due in and he says 5pm tomorrow - that's Sunday, so I ask if he's sure. He checks his phone and finds it's actually due Monday. His relief is palpable. I offer him food and he goes to get me a cold drink while I cook. It's almost noon when we sit down to eat together and while we're still at the table hubby gets up.
After lunch, my son and I go outside to put up the gazebo. I am still in my pyjamas but, as my son pointed out, nobody can see into our garden. It's sunny and warm with a gentle but slightly gusty breeze. I shower after, and then go back outside to complete preparations. I arrange the tables so both are in the shade, put cushions on the chairs, tidy up my potting table, clean and commission the outside fridge and hide the rat trap (the rat that caused it to be placed has never rematerialised). Hubby is keen to tie back the brambles that are overwhelming a bay tree we planted; armed with a rake and some rope we manage to tame it. The quantity of blossoms promises a bumper harvest, and the pollinators are busy doing their part.
I am happily pottering back and forth to the garden putting the finishing touches to preparations when the gazebo topples. It was secured with pegs and weighed down with sandbags against the growing breeze but three of the legs have bent just below the canopy, which is now acting like a giant sail. I quickly start to release the canopy to alleviate the strain; the sandbags are doing a good job of holding down the legs so far, but if the canopy catches the wind the gazebo will blow on to the house and could do some damage. Hubby happens to come out and begins to help. We have to break off three of the legs in order to collapse the frame. At this point I was due to be finishing off the salads so I'm behind the curve now. Hubby tells me our daughter is already on her way.
We've just finished clearing up the ruins of the gazebo when they arrive. I grab a picnic blanket and some toys and put them in the shade of the tree for my grandson, then leave my son to entertain them while I finish preparing the food. My grandson is just coming to find me when I finish; I love to hear him say "Nana". I watch him play as I cook and then we sit down to eat on the veranda. He's such a happy chap, challenging us to constant games of peep-bo and finding our efforts hilarious which, of course, makes us laugh too. It feels so good. After dinner I read him some stories and we play for a while. He's fascinated by the steps up to the veranda which means that he constantly needs an adult in tow to help him up and down them.
As grandson's bedtime grows near they pack away his things and we say our goodbyes. He leaves with a wave and blown kisses and no tears. Hubby and I clear up, finalise our online shop and sit down to watch TV - it's only 9pm so there's time for a film. We choose Hearts and Bones, mostly due to Hugo Weaving, and it turns out to be a quietly thought-provoking movie about love and war. Mid-way through, one of hubby's friends calls to say that another friend has had a serious stroke and isn't likely to survive. He's visibly upset, but decides to return to the movie for distraction. He has already had one friend die during lockdown - from cancer, not the virus. I feel for him.
The news today is disturbing; there have been BLM marches and protests - including a sit-down protest in a local park that seems to have been managed very responsibly - but the far right have now got involved and there has been violence in London. Statues of controversial historical figures have become the focus of an increasingly polarised debate. It seems that not even the threat of a deadly pandemic can curb some people's determination to sow conflict and division.
Tonight I am grateful to have spent a lovely afternoon with family.
Late morning my son appears. He hasn't managed to sleep and seems very awake and a bit anxious. He's concerned that in his sleep-deprived state he won't be able to complete his remaining maths paper to a high standard. I ask when it's due in and he says 5pm tomorrow - that's Sunday, so I ask if he's sure. He checks his phone and finds it's actually due Monday. His relief is palpable. I offer him food and he goes to get me a cold drink while I cook. It's almost noon when we sit down to eat together and while we're still at the table hubby gets up.
After lunch, my son and I go outside to put up the gazebo. I am still in my pyjamas but, as my son pointed out, nobody can see into our garden. It's sunny and warm with a gentle but slightly gusty breeze. I shower after, and then go back outside to complete preparations. I arrange the tables so both are in the shade, put cushions on the chairs, tidy up my potting table, clean and commission the outside fridge and hide the rat trap (the rat that caused it to be placed has never rematerialised). Hubby is keen to tie back the brambles that are overwhelming a bay tree we planted; armed with a rake and some rope we manage to tame it. The quantity of blossoms promises a bumper harvest, and the pollinators are busy doing their part.
I am happily pottering back and forth to the garden putting the finishing touches to preparations when the gazebo topples. It was secured with pegs and weighed down with sandbags against the growing breeze but three of the legs have bent just below the canopy, which is now acting like a giant sail. I quickly start to release the canopy to alleviate the strain; the sandbags are doing a good job of holding down the legs so far, but if the canopy catches the wind the gazebo will blow on to the house and could do some damage. Hubby happens to come out and begins to help. We have to break off three of the legs in order to collapse the frame. At this point I was due to be finishing off the salads so I'm behind the curve now. Hubby tells me our daughter is already on her way.
We've just finished clearing up the ruins of the gazebo when they arrive. I grab a picnic blanket and some toys and put them in the shade of the tree for my grandson, then leave my son to entertain them while I finish preparing the food. My grandson is just coming to find me when I finish; I love to hear him say "Nana". I watch him play as I cook and then we sit down to eat on the veranda. He's such a happy chap, challenging us to constant games of peep-bo and finding our efforts hilarious which, of course, makes us laugh too. It feels so good. After dinner I read him some stories and we play for a while. He's fascinated by the steps up to the veranda which means that he constantly needs an adult in tow to help him up and down them.
As grandson's bedtime grows near they pack away his things and we say our goodbyes. He leaves with a wave and blown kisses and no tears. Hubby and I clear up, finalise our online shop and sit down to watch TV - it's only 9pm so there's time for a film. We choose Hearts and Bones, mostly due to Hugo Weaving, and it turns out to be a quietly thought-provoking movie about love and war. Mid-way through, one of hubby's friends calls to say that another friend has had a serious stroke and isn't likely to survive. He's visibly upset, but decides to return to the movie for distraction. He has already had one friend die during lockdown - from cancer, not the virus. I feel for him.
The news today is disturbing; there have been BLM marches and protests - including a sit-down protest in a local park that seems to have been managed very responsibly - but the far right have now got involved and there has been violence in London. Statues of controversial historical figures have become the focus of an increasingly polarised debate. It seems that not even the threat of a deadly pandemic can curb some people's determination to sow conflict and division.
Tonight I am grateful to have spent a lovely afternoon with family.
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