Day 92 - Friday 19th June
I wake up at 6.30, earlier than I wanted, so I listen to podcasts and doze until 8. First job is to bake the sourdough. Breakfast, and then some final promotion for the Fathers Day offers on my web shop. I avoid Facebook with the campaign, as my friend lost her Dad this week and I feel it would be callous to put the message where she might see it.
I have a morning Zoom call with a contact I've been introduced to by somebody in my network. She's involved with Extinction Rebellion in Henley and is also trying to get the wider town engaged on climate change, although she's an executive coach by profession. She tells me about her work in Henley and I explain what we're doing at the climate change partnership. She outlines the concept of Climate Emergency Centres, including a funding model we may be able to use in Reading.It's a good conversation and I think we'll be able to co-operate.
At lunchtime the charity I chair has a networking call for its members. It's Covid-related but in a loose way, just sharing our experiences and observations. It's good to have a more informal and sociable meeting. There's quite a lot of that today - I arrange a coffee date with my deputy chair and catch up by email with another couple of contacts who are suggesting that we meet at some point for an al fresco coffee and a chat. Life seems to be opening up again, at least in some sense. My son is still not up.
Mid-afternoon I go for coffee with a friend in her garden. We've timed it to avoid the rain showers that have been frequent this week, and we sit under a shade sail in her garden, her labradoodle at my elbow. She's debating whether to keep her shop open - she's a milliner and has been closed during the peak season, with the prospect of re-opening during the slow season. She's had a six month rent holiday fortunately, but has not had the chance to build up reserves to see her through the lean times. Currently she's opening on Saturdays to the public and on other days by appointment only. Unsurprisingly, demand for occasion hats remains low. She and her partner are renovating their cottage with a view to moving to the country and Covid has reframed those plans. They're comfortable financially, but these are big decisions.
I leave just as it's beginning to rain and it has stopped by the time I get back. Mum is due for a cup of tea but I had promised to take my son to the BP/M&S garage to shop for fathers day and hubby has asked for steak on sunday. Son gets what he needs but there's no steak and with Mum due we don't have time to go elsewhere, so I will have to go back out later. The alcohol shelf has the shutters down and a sign saying that due to excessive shoplifting it's necessary to ask staff to get needed items.
Mum is late, so we could have tried another shop for steak. She was delayed by calls from friends and bumping into our daughter at the end of our street, which I'm sure cheered her up. We drink tea and chat - she's really interested to hear about son's experiences at uni and it's lovely to see them enjoying each other's company. Hubby gets back from meeting his friend in the park and joins the conversation. The skies are getting darker and Mum leaves just as it comes on to rain.
I get hubby's coq au vin underway then pop out to look for steak. The little Tesco has sold out but it's a couple of hours since I went to M&S so I go back in case they had put more stock out. I find a single steak on a shelf that says some items have been removed due to shoplifting and to ask staff for them; I don't remember seeing that before. Back home I prepare cauliflower mac and cheese for my son and I - definitely one to repeat. Tonight I am grateful for having had some good meetings, both on and offline.
I have a morning Zoom call with a contact I've been introduced to by somebody in my network. She's involved with Extinction Rebellion in Henley and is also trying to get the wider town engaged on climate change, although she's an executive coach by profession. She tells me about her work in Henley and I explain what we're doing at the climate change partnership. She outlines the concept of Climate Emergency Centres, including a funding model we may be able to use in Reading.It's a good conversation and I think we'll be able to co-operate.
At lunchtime the charity I chair has a networking call for its members. It's Covid-related but in a loose way, just sharing our experiences and observations. It's good to have a more informal and sociable meeting. There's quite a lot of that today - I arrange a coffee date with my deputy chair and catch up by email with another couple of contacts who are suggesting that we meet at some point for an al fresco coffee and a chat. Life seems to be opening up again, at least in some sense. My son is still not up.
Mid-afternoon I go for coffee with a friend in her garden. We've timed it to avoid the rain showers that have been frequent this week, and we sit under a shade sail in her garden, her labradoodle at my elbow. She's debating whether to keep her shop open - she's a milliner and has been closed during the peak season, with the prospect of re-opening during the slow season. She's had a six month rent holiday fortunately, but has not had the chance to build up reserves to see her through the lean times. Currently she's opening on Saturdays to the public and on other days by appointment only. Unsurprisingly, demand for occasion hats remains low. She and her partner are renovating their cottage with a view to moving to the country and Covid has reframed those plans. They're comfortable financially, but these are big decisions.
I leave just as it's beginning to rain and it has stopped by the time I get back. Mum is due for a cup of tea but I had promised to take my son to the BP/M&S garage to shop for fathers day and hubby has asked for steak on sunday. Son gets what he needs but there's no steak and with Mum due we don't have time to go elsewhere, so I will have to go back out later. The alcohol shelf has the shutters down and a sign saying that due to excessive shoplifting it's necessary to ask staff to get needed items.
Mum is late, so we could have tried another shop for steak. She was delayed by calls from friends and bumping into our daughter at the end of our street, which I'm sure cheered her up. We drink tea and chat - she's really interested to hear about son's experiences at uni and it's lovely to see them enjoying each other's company. Hubby gets back from meeting his friend in the park and joins the conversation. The skies are getting darker and Mum leaves just as it comes on to rain.
I get hubby's coq au vin underway then pop out to look for steak. The little Tesco has sold out but it's a couple of hours since I went to M&S so I go back in case they had put more stock out. I find a single steak on a shelf that says some items have been removed due to shoplifting and to ask staff for them; I don't remember seeing that before. Back home I prepare cauliflower mac and cheese for my son and I - definitely one to repeat. Tonight I am grateful for having had some good meetings, both on and offline.
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