The Distancing Diaries - Day 88 & 89

I woke on Tuesday morning (day 88) to find Frank snuggled up in bed next to Jon, he was obviously feeling better. The lads and I went outside and they sniffed around the garden for signs of visiting tom cats while I cut down the rhubarb and harvested the red and blackcurrants growing in chimney pots on the patio.

Where's Dad gone?

After I'd stewed the rhubarb ready for breakfast I did my daily Wii Fit session and had just about caught up with blog comments when Jon got up and joined me for our fruit and yoghurt. Running short of a few provisions, Jon went out shopping and, as it was another dry & warm morning, I pulled on my bikini top & denim cut-offs and loaded the washing machine. The council had resumed the garden waste collection three weeks ago and tomorrow it was due to revert back to the fortnightly collection. Although the bin was almost full from Jon's epic hedge trim I managed to squash down the contents and cram more of the accumulated waste inside.

Next, I removed the cloche from the top of the garden & dug up the last of the Oriental leaves and lettuce in there - giving some to Jacob and putting the rest in the fridge. I filled a wheelbarrow with compost from the bins and sat on the grass sieving it into a bucket, reminding myself that in normal circumstances I'd be trawling the charity shops and despite many reopening yesterday I couldn't be happier doing what I was doing.

Jon arrived back with supplies and I helped him unload the van. In addition to Morrison's and Pets at Home, he'd popped to the garden centre and bought three bags of compost to complement our homemade stuff, he'd also attempted to get us some printer ink but the queues outside PC World were bordering on the ridiculous so he ordered them online when he got back. He'd taken advantage of the chemist in Morrison's being empty and got some antihistamine tablets as his arm had swelled to an alarming size following the wasp incident.

After a coffee, Jon put the shopping away and mowed the overgrown bit outside the gates, I forked over the soil where the cloches had been and dug in my sieved compost.

Oriental leaves, Iceberg lettuce, Black Simpson lettuce, radishes, beetroot and snowball turnips

I went inside sorted through the seeds. Just as I was about to start planting the rain started and I had to grab the washing and hang it up in the utility room. I wasn't unduly bothered about getting wet so proceeded to plant them.

We took a break for noodles then dared to venture into Jon's patched up shed, which had stood up to last night's rain with no leaks. Once he'd determined there were no wires in the wall, Jon hung the newly painted cupboard while I mopped the bathroom and bedroom floors. Once he'd finished I filled it with the books, pickles, oils and dressings that normally live there.

Our friend Jolene called to see if we were up for a visit as she was walking past. As if we needed to be asked! I threw something on over my bikini and Jon put the kettle on.

WEARING: hand-crochet halterneck top (bought from the roadside in Goa, 2017), organic cotton, block-printed maxi skirt (Cotton Cottage, 2017), block-printed maxi waistcoat (eBay)

We sat outside chatting to Jo for a couple of hours until the distant rumble of thunder threatened to turn into a full-on storm.

As it was nearly 6.30pm by the time we'd showered, tea was shop-bought pizza with sweet potato chips. We tried to watch the last episode of The Salisbury Poisonings but were forced to pause it when the storm that had been imminent for hours finally broke, with huge hailstones, forked lightning and deafeningly loud thunder. At one point the avenue looked like a river. By 9pm it had abated and we were able to watch A House through Time with just the odd rumble of thunder & a sporadic flash of lightning.

WEARING: Vintage hand-embroidered Mexican tomato dress, block-printed maxi length waistcoat (both eBay), silver belt buckle featuring Hindu deities (gift from Liz, 2015) 

This morning (day 89) after I'd dragged out the bin, I checked the garden. The cornflower seedlings had taken a severe battering but everything else appeared to have survived. After my Wii Fit session and our fruit and yoghurt breakfast Jon took my photo, as yet more rain was forecast later. You'll be pleased to know that his arm had returned to the normal size and the itching had all but stopped. Bastard wasps!

When I mentioned the My Hermes driver paying us a visit on Monday I neglected to tell you when he was delivering. It was this Indian block printed maxi waistcoat I'd spotted on eBay last week. I'd no intention of bidding but in the dying seconds of the auction noticed that nobody else had placed a bid and won it for the start price. Considering I wasn't going to buy it, I've worn it twice in 24 hours!

 My first task for the day was to wax the chest of drawers in the kitchen as it was starting to look a bit sorry for itself.

Bought from a car boot sale five years ago for a couple of quid, it's been made from old packing crates and after researching old advertising logos it dates from the reign of George V (1910 -1936).

  When we're not storing keys, batteries, shoelaces and drawing pins and glue in the drawers, I use them to display accessories at vintage fairs (remember them?)

Next, I went outside and sprayed our tired plant pot metallic gold. You may recall me doing the same to its twin a fortnight ago.

After considering it for a few days Jon decided to go for it and paint the kitchen radiator matt black.

While Jon got the noodles ready I browsed eBay and fell in love with these vintage Indian display shelves, thinking how good they'd look against the arsenic green of the kitchen walls but at £225 it wasn't going to happen.

After lunch inspiration struck, didn't our Edwardian wine rack have a similar arched look? Couldn't I make it look a bit more beaten up and Indian inspired? Wasn't there a half a tin of turquoise paint leftover from when we decorated the lounge in our previous house in the 1990s?

In his recent DIY show, Jay Blades had shared a tip for making your own chalk paint by combining baking soda with emulsion so, after I'd sanded the cupboard down to remove the wax, I experimented with different mixes until I found the right consistency. I applied a couple of coats of paint. Once dry, I sanded down the areas which would get the most wear with everyday use and then applied a coat of beeswax.

Meanwhile, in the bushes.....I'm on a bit of a creative roll at the moment and my head is exploding with ideas. This morning, I'd suggested to Jon that we repurpose our Indian coffee table into something more useful as it's been wrapped up in tarpaulin and hidden under a tree in the garden for years. To my surprise he loved the idea and got stuck in. This was called to a halt when, yet again, we were treated to torrential rain and another violent thunderstorm.

Today's spray-painted pot now houses the massive spider plant in the bathroom and is a vast improvement on the tiddly little saucer it has replaced.

Tea was grilled Halloumi with roasted red and green peppers, onions and potato lattices accompanied by a bottle of beer. 

Tonight we've got the last 25 minutes of The Salisbury Poisonings to catch up on after we had to pause it due to not being able to hear the telly due to last nights' deluge. There's also The Great British Sewing Bee and, as it's Wednesday, a few cheeky rum & colas.

Stay safe and see you soon! 

PS. Apologies for not replying to all your comments or visiting your blogs, I promise to catch up in the morning.