New utensils pot = living the dream 😊

Hi, I love my new utensils pot for the newly refurbished kitchen! I’ve been looking for one recently to replace a blue jug and a ceramic pot that looked cluttered and not in keeping with the new grey and neutral colour scheme. I know this was quite expensive, £22.97 including post and packing from Amazon, but I bought it with gift vouchers, it is massive, it holds up to 20 utensils, it is dishwasher proof and….wait for it…. it spins around 🤩🤩🤩🤩. It’s great fun selecting a spatula from the other side giving it a twirl. David is also most impressed. We are very middle aged to get excited by such events 🤣🤣

When I haven’t been playing with my wooden spoons and spatulas, I’ve been busy so far this week working, going to the dentist in Windsor and also taking my Mum to the dentist in Kingston, attending book club at The Swan, reading a couple of books including “The Curated Closet” and this evening watching the film “Operation Mincemeat” at the cinema in Maidenhead which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Tomorrow is my belated birthday lunch in Marlow with Julie and pottery workshop day, wish me luck! Last time I attempted to make a pot was roughly 1980. Just like riding a bike? 🤔 maybe.

So I’ll just finish off my green tea with lemon and polish off a couple more Easter Lindor truffles… then head to bed for a big sleep 😴 hopefully as last night was a 3.30 am awake for ages worrying kind of night which I don’t wish to repeat. I may be dreaming about the magic spinning utensils…. or this pretty blossom below.. Xx

April = garden month 😎

Hi. I don’t have Covid any more 😊. I had my first properly negative test on Saturday, just in time for my birthday and Easter Sunday yesterday.

It’s been a great weekend. Glorious sunshine. Out and about again without the Covid. We’re still a bit tired on and off, David’s ears are still bothering him and my throat is still a bit inflamed, but basically we’re fine now. 😊

I did not expect the first half of April to be Covid month. So let’s draw a line under that now and move on to garden month.

We’ve been to the garden centre and bought herbs for my vertical garden, compost and manure for the veg patch.

Yesterday morning I planted up the herbs. I have rosemary, mint, thyme, parsley and some lettuce. There are a few pots still empty. I wonder what will go in those 🤔

We started this wall in lockdown 2020. It makes me feel happy. The plants are out of the way of slugs but they do need a lot of watering as this is a sunny south facing wall.

Today I also planted some sunflowers in these pots. More happiness to come.

I have weeded and dug in some manure to the veg patch. This was hard work! 😥 my back was aching, but it’s done now. Look at that lovely rhubarb!

I have ordered some Arran Pilot seed potatoes to go in the dug part. These are our favourites. I’ll probably also plant some other veg along the way. I honestly don’t think this saves any money at all once you’ve bought all the compost and seeds etc but I really enjoy this connection to the earth. David has green fingers and really enjoys gardening too, but is limited with his back and neck issues. We pay someone to mow the front and back lawns and to do the pruning of large bushes etc. The veg patch is enough to keep me busy. I love the garden but have so many other interests too.

Here are a few more pics of The Waffle garden today..

The poor camellia did not survive the frost again.

I’ll leave you with the view from my birthday pre dinner cocktails. We went to Roux at Skindles in Maidenhead. The highlight for me were the cocktails on the terrace. Such a stunning view.

You also cannot beat the goats cheese soufflé starter 😋😋😋 OMG this is good.

Bye for now. Have a good week. Only 2 days of work for me this week yippee 😊😎Xx

Life after Covid

Hello. I think I’m post Covid now. Going to test tomorrow just to make sure, although my boss has told me I’m paranoid and shouldn’t be testing any more. I just don’t want to infect anyone. As far as I know I haven’t so far. David and I are both feeling better now, I wouldn’t say 100% and it’s 2 weeks since we first had symptoms, but we’re getting there and a lot happier 😊.

Going back to work on Wednesday and yesterday helped me I think. It was good to get out of The House of Covid where I was becoming an institutionalised ill person. I feel like myself again.

So has it been a Good Friday for you? I’ve had a nice day so far. I unpacked the deliveries of my Mum and my niece’s belated birthday gifts. I didn’t want to contaminate them before. Both look good and hopefully the recipients will like them. I will give my Mum her gift on Wednesday when I take her to the dentist, and Hazel can have hers at the end of April when we visit her in Cambridge.

The rhubarb cake has been going down well. 😋. Last night I made a chicken rogan josh curry from a Waitrose recipe card… chicken, red lentils, spinach, very yummy.

Tonight we’re having something called Chicken Alexander from “Cook”. Just have to pop it in the oven from frozen for 45 minutes. That’s my kind of Friday night meal. I’ll probably also do some oven chips or wedges. Stress free. I’m quite chillaxed. Must be the Spring sunshine and the Easter vibes. It’s also my birthday on Sunday so I’m the Easter birthday bunny and I get to have a whole long weekend off work and reckon I’m allowed to eat as many Easter eggs as I like. By the way, I’m still calling them Easter eggs. I wrote a blog about this a while ago when I noticed some manufacturers don’t call them Easter eggs any more. They have become “egg shaped chocolate confectionery” or some such politically correct rubbish. Don’t get me started on Spring onions, they are now called salad onions, I don’t like that either!

There are some beautiful tulips around at the moment. This yellow one is one of two in our garden.

These white ones are on display outside Maidenhead Town Hall. They’re a bit scrappy now but still very beautiful.

I also saw a beautiful purpley pink magnolia tree outside the town hall and would have photographed that too, except there was a baby having a photo shoot there!

For now I’m off to put the chips in the oven, crack open a bottle of chilled white wine and phone my parents. I wish you a Covid free weekend full of joy and Easter eggs. He looks very cute but I would definitely eat this bunny, ears first! 😎Xx

Last day of resting

Hi. How are you? Unfortunately I’m still positive. I think I’ll stop even mentioning it until I’m negative, it’s getting very boring. Apparently some people are positive for 90 days.

David is out and about doing his normal activities again, although still a little symptomatic. Yesterday he bought a new jacket. David hardly ever buys new clothes so I said he must be ill 🤣.

I’m back to work tomorrow. Hopefully I will manage to stay awake. Tina can prod me with a long ruler if I’m nodding off. Getting up for work time will be a big shock.

Yesterday I made a lovely rhubarb cake with rhubarb from my garden and then forgot to eat it! I mean, how? 🤷‍♀️

I’m going to have a big piece for tea today.

This is the rhubarb plot..

It always amazes me that I planted this little rhubarb plant once, did nothing to it except water it a little in the summer months and it provides me with a massive crop year after year 😊.

I think I’m going to have a little afternoon nap now as it’s my last day of resting. Night night 😴Xx

P.S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HAZEL! Hazel is my awesome niece, 19 years young today. We’re going to visit her at Cambridge Uni at the end of this month, can’t wait!

Resting is so boring

Hi, I’m still positive for Covid. Still jaded and tired. Had a bad neck yesterday and a migraine today. I’m getting so bored of resting and living in the sick bay.

David is maybe negative today. His test looks negative but if you hold it up close and screw up your eyes you can see a little shadow of a T line.

We managed a 35 minute walk today. I quite enjoyed it. We are getting better it’s just very slow… and boring.

These are nice trees from our walk..

Hope you’re all well Xx

Covid – the results are in

I am on the left, David on the right. As predicted both still positive. Both of us have fainter lines than last time we tested on Tuesday, and David’s is fainter than his first positive result a week ago. Does that mean anything, getting a fainter line? I wonder if it might just mean you didn’t swab thoroughly enough, who knows.

I actually felt pretty good this morning. David was not joining in and discovered a new symptom; grumpiness.

I got a bit over enthusiastic and did some chores. Then thought I might not have any energy to prepare the lunch. David helped and we both felt our lunch had not much taste, muted version of what it should be. The mushroom soup quite frankly just tasted of heat. Weird. I’ve never ever lost my taste or smell with a cold whereas David usually does. So this is how it is. ******* Covid!

I’m still hoping for a negative tomorrow. Boris has no rules any more, but I have decided I would like 2 days negative before I return to the office. Grumpy David says “it’s extremely unlikely you’re going to get a negative tomorrow”. Well that’s told me. Time for another nap.. I’ll be dreaming of a negative test. I had a strange nightmare the other day that I was at a party meeting all my blog friends in person for the first time and no-one would come near me as they knew I had Covid. Happy days..

All set for the big day tomorrow

Tomorrow is the great lateral flow test-off David v. Gail. Place your bets please on who is still going to be Covid positive.

Here is a reminder of the situation so far..

David first tested positive last Friday. He had very slight symptoms start on the same day.

Gail first tested positive a full 4 days later than this, on Tuesday, although her symptoms started just one day after David’s.

We are both getting better but still symptomatic, probably on a par with each other. I still had fever last night, my third day of fever, whereas David has felt a bit hot at times but not had proper fever throughout. We both have ear symptoms although his are worse than mine I think. We both have a cough and feel tired and weak. David’s taste has been OK but possibly slightly muted. My toad in the hole last night had a definite essence of metal, definitely not fair my friends as I had made the effort to cook it!

I reckon I will still be positive tomorrow and David probably positive too, although perhaps with a thinner line. Last time we played this game a few days ago we were both horribly ill and David boasted that his positive line was very slightly thicker than mine. This time the winner will be the most negative result, although obviously any double line at all is a positive.

What do you think? A new reality TV show.. ? guess the Covid positive person and win ££££££££££s 💰 💴 💵!?

This is the first time for both of us (as far as we know) having Covid. We are both fully vaccinated and boosted. I had all Pfizer vaccines, David had Astra Zeneca and booster with Pfizer. David is older than I am although I got my vaccines earlier due to my job.

Two lines or one line… we will see tomorrow… for now it’s nap time 😴

House of Covid: Day 5

Hi. Before I had my afternoon nap I wrote an upbeat little blog in my head (yes, I do this, blog in my head, you only see a fraction of it actually published – thank God I hear you say).

Both David and I have been a bit better today 😊😊😊 on Day 5 for me, Day 6 for him. We are starting to look back on our worst moments, hopefully.

I am trying to emphasise to David that we need to pace ourselves and not rush to get better immediately, in case of setbacks. Unfortunately he is not particularly patient and the moment he starts to feel a tiny bit better I hear him doing things like hoovering. “Hoovering? Are you mad?!” I said incredulously a couple of days ago. “You’ll have a set back!”

So the next morning he woke up with a completely blocked deaf ear and tinnitus accompanied by health anxiety regarding the same for which I blamed his ridiculous hoovering activity in the midst of fighting Covid. It may have had nothing to do with it. I’m still cooking, of a sort, and loading the dishwasher, buying food online, putting the rubbish out etc. but I’m not doing extra chores unless they’re entirely necessary to our recovery, that comes first. I know I’m very lucky to have a husband who does the housework unprompted. Knowing David it was probably his particular day of the week when he hoovers that room, and for him routine is very comforting. I just want him to get better. Thankfully, panic over, his tinnitus passed quickly and he has admitted his hearing is actually still there, just quite muffled and blocked, which is probably pretty normal with the amount of congestion going on in his head.

My weirdest symptom, apart from random goose bumps up my arms and legs whether hot or cold, has been an intermittent stabbing pain in the back of my head and sometimes behind my ear. I have self diagnosed occipital neuralgia (🤣). As it feels like nerve pain the Paracetamol doesn’t seem to touch it. It’s not pleasant but I can live with it and it seems to be a bit less frequent today. It’s always nerve wracking (nerve wracking ha ha! just got that) thinking about the possibility of long Covid, which makes me stick to my argument of getting better once, properly, rather than limping along half better for months on end.

I would really not like to go through this alone or certainly not without having had a vaccine.

Omicron, if this is what it is, is not to be underestimated. I don’t remember David and I ever being simultaneously so poorly before in our 20 year relationship. We’ve had bad flu-ey colds that have got us both, but usually one after the other, a few days apart, or sometimes one of us really poorly even worse than this and the other not affected so much.

I hope you are all keeping well and Covid free. One day I may have something more interesting to talk about or some pretty pictures to show you.. for the moment this below is kind of our life.

Covid positive today

I feel terrible as does David but at least now that I have tested positive we can end our increasingly halfhearted isolation within the house. I’m quite pleased it’s a proper positive line, not like the piddly feint line David first got. It’s given me a little boost as we’ve had a cuddle for the first time in days which is great medicine and I’ve put the immersion heater on for a day time bath in “David’s” bathroom which is now “our” bathroom again 😊. Never thought I’d be happy to see the two red bands, but it was a relief and I can stop beating myself up about maybe not doing the test properly.

Interestingly I learned last night that it can be normal in fully vaccinated people not to test positive for a few days, as your initial illness is an immune response without a full viral load in your body which is reduced by your vaccination and makes you less contagious in the early stages. Good news for my colleagues hopefully.

Update from The House of Covid

I am still negative but I must have Covid. I feel terrible and I’m living with Mr thick red double lines today. He only had a feint T Line on Friday.

It’s not fair. I’m sure I am ill enough to warrant double lines, my badge of honour to prove how ill I am.

I have a sore throat, inflamed ears, very slight pathetic little cough, shivering, goose bumps on legs, really tired, fed up, random aches and pains including in the back of my skull but no headache or migraine as such. I made myself sit in the garden for 10 minutes. Then I took my coat off but couldn’t bear to part with my winter scarf. I got into bed with all my clothes on including the scarf. Tell me this isn’t Covid?!

I think David may be slightly better. He is still coughing a lot and he says his chest now hurts a bit. He is not in bed most of the day like he was 2 days ago. I am at that stage.

What’s this rubbish the media is spreading about Omicron giving you only mild symptoms? I know we’re not in hospital but me no like this.

I’m psyching myself up to leave my bed to go downstairs for a cup of tea in a minute. If I had more energy I would stomp downstairs in a grump. I hate Covid. I’m holding Boris personally responsible. What was he thinking of lifting all the restrictions and making me stressed about how many tests I’m using as they’re not free any more and I want to save them for seeing my elderly parents and David’s Mum….?

However I have lots of lovely kind friends and colleagues who have offered to help where they can for which I am very grateful and especially to Tina and Michaela who are working extra to cover me this week. Thank you team. 😊Xx