2020 be gone

I have spent a very quiet day knitting. It was too cold to venture out though Peter did. He sent a picture of the Hemingford to Houghton meadows, which is a huge change to a week ago. Pathway now accessible again

This came in the post today, oh how I wish we could dare to dream. Is anyone actually booking holidays?

Last night I decided I needed something else on my needles so fished out all my odds and ends of sock yarn, weighed and divided it and we will see what we get! I could have started some new yarn but decided to use up my oddments first, I like a challenge. 

All that’s left is wishing you all - family, friends and reader friends a very happy and healthy New Year’s Eve, however you plan on spending it. We are cooking Chinese, well duck and pancakes and dim sums, maybe a bottle of bubbles, but I doubt we will wait up to see the back end of this year. 

See you in 2021 🎉🍾🎊🥳

2020 December 30

Good day, firstly thank you for the kind messages and comments from yesterday’s post. It seems I speak for lots of us out there. Good to know I’m not alone. 

We had a walk into St Ives this morning (still flooded) and I thought this afternoon I’d do a run down of this very different and difficult year.  

2020 

you started off with such promise, so much to look forward too!

January - we actually started the year with heavy colds but still managed a trip over to France

February - excitement is building for our trip but also the first mention of the COVID-19 virus in China.  We left the UK on the 16th for Singapore and then on to New Zealand. You can read about our trip by searching Retirement Trip or looking through the blog posts for April and May

March - happily travelling around New Zealand whilst the world is turning up side down. 

April - instead of meeting with friends in the USA we found ourselves in lockdown at home. We kept busy with projects in the garden and also making scrubs bags and mask minders for the NHS. The weather was amazing and we were able to spend lots of time outdoors 

May - lockdown continued and so did the good weather. We took to baking and also refurbished our utility room. Hair grew longer as we went without haircuts.

June - we were finally able to return to France with the help of a letter and attestations. So good to see part of our family again. At the end of our time there I had a fall and damaged my knee which put me out of action for a while.

July, Aug and September - found us back and forth to France - having to quarantine for two weeks each time on our return.  In between times we got to spend time with our other daughter and grandchildren, arranging socially distanced walks and picnics. Haircuts! Visit to the coast. 

October/November - another two week national lockdown - then another trip to France so we actually managed 5 trips in all this year plus another two week quarantine

December - this brings us up to date. I feel thankful that we have the technology that allows us to be in contact and interact with family and friends, I cannot imagine the alternative 

I have achieved so much knitting this year, you can check out on my knitting page above - over 50 items plus the 48 mask minders! 

I’ve read numerous books. Walked miles and miles. Ate far too much. Drunk a lot of gin.  Have tidy cupboards. Weed free garden. Started playing Pokémon Go!! I know it started with Rufus and now we all play it! Watched lots of Vlogs. Spend too much time on Instagram. Miss hugs. Hate face masks. Fear crowds. Have dry hands. Got back to blogging.

2021 is just around the corner, we all hope and pray that this ends soon and we can get back our old lives. I think for some it will look very different. I for one will be very happy to have the vaccine as soon as my name is called, if it means I can live a near normal life, besides we still have that USA trip to get back too, lots of friends to meet with and more importantly I want to give my family a HUGE hug  

A big thank you again to those of you that take the time to read and comment on my posts. I’ll be back tomorrow hopefully xx

2020 December 29

We are in that in between Christmas and New Year time, when the days seem to meld into one. When it seems to involve trying to clear the fridge. No routine, not that routine figures much in our life these days. Wake up, have coffee, read, get up, breakfast, fill the day, bath, bed, read, lights out. Most of ‘fill the day’ is walking and knitting with meals, laundry, cleaning thrown in the mix when I feel like it. Nothing to look forward to, no one to meet, nothing to plan until life finally becomes ‘normal’. I shouldn’t complain we have our health, we are able to get about but I miss normal. I miss impromptu meetings. I miss my family. I miss hugs. It all just seems like it will never end. We talked to the girls again this morning, but it’s not the same. 

I didn’t actually set out for it to be a moaning post but that’s how it’s turned out, so sorry. 

The river is slowly going down, still running fast but definitely down. You can see signs of the river bank appearing and the water line on the submerged trees visible. 

Another grey drab day, not quite as cold as yesterday. I had new wellies arrive this morning so I was able to stomp around without getting mud on my jeans or worry about water going over my walking boots. Quite liberating, though not really suitable for a long walk. 

I promise I’ll try to be more upbeat on my next post. It would be good if I actually had something exciting to share but ...... x

2020 December 28

I bring you a bit of brightness today. I finished up the Reyna shawl last night.  Pastels really aren’t my style, but this actually turned out better than I thought it would. I don’t plan on keeping hold of it though as I’m sure I’ll never wear it. I have someone in mind to gift it too. 

As you will see below, no two days are the same around here we exchanged yesterday’s blue skies for freezing fog all day. It really was cold out. The river is still running high and the water meadows are full but our side is still ok thank goodness. 

I started a new project this afternoon - Honeycomb cushion covers - I plan on two, one for each of the carver dining chairs. 

The jade yarn (3 skeins) has been languishing in my stash for 10 years!!! Bought in Chicago just after Rufus was born. We went for a concert - as you do, and I know it was touch and go as to whether I went, as he was 10 days late. I had planned to knit something for him but then realised after my daughter ruined a hand knit by putting it in the dryer that maybe I wouldn’t use this 100% pure wool (and quite expensive too) for a baby knit + new mum who didn’t have the time to hand wash. Hence the reason it’s still in the stash along with 3 more skeins in a different colourway. It’s a very simple pattern and looks very effective 

I may well use the rest of the yarn for hats or scarves, something that doesn’t need to go into the wash too often .....

2020 - December 27

After a wild and windy night we have had a beautiful day.  I could have done without the disturbed night, rain banging on the windows and wind howling round the house.  No damage though so that's a blessing. We received a further flood alert at 7am, but having walked down to the river this morning it is still well below its peak on Christmas Eve so I think we are safe enough.  The weather has certainly turned colder but I'm happy with that if it brings the blue skies back.

We managed to get across the common, but had to dodge the boggy bits

The pathway through to Godmanchester was further underwater today, most cyclists were avoiding it

Luckily the water still has a fair way to come to reach the common

We clocked up 5.1 miles today.  I must admit being limited in what you can do has made us walk more, just wish that translated to my waistline! No amount of walking changes that. But I suppose if I sat around and just ate it would be worse.

I shall do a rundown of the year in the next few days.  I have updated my knitting and travelling pages recently.  If nothing else, Covid has got me back to blogging this year and I must admit I enjoy it.  Thank you, to those of you that read and comment on my posts, not that many of you, but as I always said its more of a reference for me than anyone else.

December 26 - Boxing Day

So how was it? How was your Christmas Day?  

As predicted ours was very quiet. Peter’s 93 year old mum and her partner joined us for lunch. We have an eight seater table so we were spaced out nicely. They were so pleased to leave their home after weeks of confinement and just have a little change of scene for a few hours. Rachel called and FaceTimed with them which was good. Once Peter had taken them home and I cleaned up, the rest of the day was spent knitting and just being. 

I received a good pile of books and a jigsaw puzzle for us to do, along with lots of other goodies. 

Today we went out to assess the floods and get some air and exercise. The river has gone down slightly from its peak on Christmas Eve but we have since received another flood alert for tomorrow due to a surge coming down from Bedford. Plus Storm Bella is heading in with rain all day Sunday and high winds. We’ve worked out a plan should we need to take action, but we are hoping that we are just high enough from the river!!  Only time will tell  

Of course we are now in tier 4 lockdown, so actually life won’t change that much for us  apart from we can’t meet with Rachel and family even outside now though we can meet one on one. At least we both had a recent haircut and a visit to the pub.  Our daily walks will continue and there’s  enough food in the house to last some good while!

We had a FaceTime chat with Rebecca and the boys this afternoon, they are doing ok. Sad that we won’t be able to visit for sometime especially as they had jobs planned for us to help with, which they will now have to try and complete on their own. Let’s hope it’s not too long until we can go again 

2020 December 24 - Christmas Eve

 I just wanted to pop in and wish you all 

the best Christmas 

you can have in these turbulent times

May you find peace in your heart. 

With love from our home to yours 

Merry Christmas 

2020 December 23

 Tier 4 from Boxing Day - Happy Christmas to you! We knew it would happen and at least now we know we can’t go anywhere even if we wanted too or could.

Missing these guys - they are holding their masks down by the way 💕💕😢

2020 - December 22

As you can see it’s was another damp and dreary day. We went and did a food shop and then out for a walk. It was good to get out and we risked the outskirts of the common which actually wasn’t too wet. 

We decided that we would treat ourselves to lunch in the pub before the whole country goes into lockdown again, which I’m sure it will. The news makes for awful reading and Covid has finally touched people we know. We hope and wish that they make a speedy recovery and that the wider family is spared the virus. Thinking of you all xx

It felt good to feel just a bit normal 

Homemade fish finger ciabatta for Peter 

And Turkey, stuffing and cranberry for me

We have spent a quiet afternoon, cosy, candles and tree lights lit. Not hungry for dinner, maybe just a sausage roll or mince pie later.  

Still no movement on the borders to France, I feel so sorry for all the truck drivers stuck, worried that they won’t get home. If a negative Covid test is what the French government want  then I can’t see them getting back for Christmas given the time scale. What a mess. We have all resigned ourselves to a Christmas holiday at home, at least we can meet with our younger daughter and her family outside. Looks like it will be February half term before she can try and get to France again.......

PS - update on that border issue - looks like we won’t be going back to France anytime soon. Thank you Brexit/Covid 😢😢😢