Day One Hundred and Twenty-two

Feest Isolation Days – 14 July

I hope you enjoyed my great nephew’s post as much as we did.  If you missed it, have a look at yesterday’s post, Day One Hundred and Twenty One.  Fun and insightful.  Excellent work for a twelve year old!

Well!  Our world is opening up! Yesterday we went further than we have since all this began.  We headed to Exeter and saw the family in the garden. No hugs, and we were all so careful to socially distance.  That didn’t matter. It was a joy to see them in their home and the sun shone.

We didn’t stop on the way there or back and the car parks at each service we passed were full to overflowing. Planning loo breaks has become an essential part of going beyond our home.  Apparently we are not alone.  This is an issue for many of us, and timings of drinks before leaving has become a crucial element of travel these days.  Who knew?

Next stop was Exmouth where we visited old friends.  They have a magnificent view of the sea beyond their flourishing gardens.  We needed the sun shade up as the sun was beating down on us while the seagulls squawked away. 

It’s been a very long time so you might not remember the story, but I take a little Teddy Bear when we travel and photograph him in the locations we visit. I then send this to my friend who lives on Cape Cod and no longer gets to travel far at all.  Even Teddy wore his mask!  What is Michael Gove thinking when he says everyone will do the right thing and that wearing masks in shops should not be mandatory. A day later and Boris says he thinks we all should wear masks in shops and he will explore in the next few days “whether or not tools of enforcement” are required. Is there any wonder people are confused about what they should and shouldn’t do?  I for one will see what Chris Whitty has to say.  Without regular Downing Street briefings, it is hard to find the latest from the Scientists. We will just have to trust Boris…or maybe our instincts.

Our friend took matters into his own hands when Ted took his mask off!

Lilies are currently out in our garden and they are a delight.  They might be my favorite flowers.  The only downside of a lily is the yellow stain that they can leave on clothes, tablecloths and other items where they may drop their stamens. If you have never learned the trick of dealing with this yellow menace, you are about to learn something that will have you praising my name when you next save your favorite cloth item.  Take a bunch of sticky tape and pat the yellow powdery stuff with the sticky side of the tape.  It will adhere to it and hey presto the cloth item no longer has anything yellow staining it. Whatever you do – don’t put water anywhere near it. Simple as that.  It’s like a magic trick that you will never forget once you have tried it.  Enjoy those lilies, and don’t forget to make sure you have some sticky tape in the house when you do.

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Where will you go when you head out into the world again?  If you are one of my kiwi friends, I’m not sure I want to know. You guys can go anywhere in your country.  And stay overnight. And go to concerts, and restaurants, and cafes and you don’t have to wear masks.  Am I envious? Of course!  And also delighted for you all. Enjoy New Zealand those lucky enough to be there.  For the rest of us, we will carry on enjoying our carefully planned travels.  Lockdown it would seem, is slightly easing. Stay safe.

With love

Kathy x