Monday 14 September 2020

The Distancing Diaries - Day 176, 177 & 178

 

On Saturday (day 176) Jon got up first and brought me a mug of tea. We lay and read for a while, joined by the lads who were back from their adventures in the garden. Jon went downstairs and started on the sausages while I stripped the bed and loaded the washing machine.


After our sausage & mushroom sandwiches we sat in the sunshine with our coffee watching Frank get off his tits on cat mint. Then I pegged the washing on the line and ironed my holiday clothes.


Nothing new to see here - 1970s gingham maxi dress by Uninhibited (charity shop), an organic cotton block printed maxi (Cottage Cottage, Goa), my 1970s Anokhi block printed midi dress (eBay), a 1970s India Imports of Rhode Island maxi (eBay) and my Dollyrockers maxi (vintage fair)


Vintage Anokhi maxi skirt (Ebay), black & white cotton camis (retail buy), yellow viscose sun top (charity shop), 1970s Indian block printed midi skirt by Papillion (eBay)  

We drove over to Liz & Al's. They'd been away holidaying on the south coast for the past week and it would be our last opportunity to see them for a while as we won't be able to entertain visitors when we're back from our travels. As forecast, the day was glorious and we sat in the garden. Liz recently completed a self-portrait, resplendent in a vintage 1960s trilby she'd bought from us and, as part of a series, she needed me to pose in a hat, which was good timing, my roots aren't fit for polite company.


I wore another of my newly acquired vintage pieces, part of last week's stash from the attic. 


I thought the fabric looked familiar (a super light silk acetate), I bought a dress from a charity shop last year, it's the same.


Back at home we changed into our gardening gear and got cracking in the garden, cutting down the agapanthus, disposing of any tomato plants that hadn't flowered & vigorously pruning the rest, pulling up the last of the lemon cucumbers and the disappointing courgette plant and moved some purple sprouting broccoli plants to the newly cleared area.



Jon made a veggie curry for tea.


Accompanied by rum & cola we watched three episodes of Channel 4's latest Scandi series, Moscow Noir, starring the brilliant Swedish actor Adam Pålsson (Christian in Before We Die).


I was up just after 6am on Sunday (day 177) and it was already tantilisingly warm. I brought mugs of tea back to bed and we read for a while and cuddled with the cats. We had toast for breakfast and then I moved the houseplants, putting some in the bath and the others in the utility room sink and gave them a thorough soaking. There were a few of Shirley's apples still in the veg rack so I made us a small crumble for later and then did my six-weekly eyebrow & eyelash tint.

Jon sowed the grass seed he'd bought a couple of weeks ago while I swept the rugs and mopped the floorboards in our bedroom, the spare bedroom and the landing before pulling on my Diesel cut-offs and India Imports of Rhode Island sun top and joining him outside.

Bare-faced cheek! I can't remember the last time I've not worn mascara and lipstick, probably in Goa back in February.



After lunch Jon sowed broad beans, radish, rocket, two varieties of lettuce, broccoli raab and mizuna leaves. I tidied the potting area and then stripped down to my bikini and spent an hour or so reading on the lawn before Jon sorted out my roots. While the dye was developing I gave the most of the houseplants their fortnightly Baby Bio feed, returned the kitchen ones to their usual positions & put the remainder on trays in the utility room to make it a little easier for our cat sitter, Michelle.

Jon completed the online order for the supermarket delivery which will arrive the day after we get home and completed the online passenger documentation for our trip. I sorted out the rest of my travel stuff.

Vintage Greek tote bag (charity shop), Mexican maze hat (freebie from our festival neighbours, Shilpa Silver), gold chappals (Mumbai street corner), '70s tooled leather belt (charity shop), Lotta clogs (retail), Moroccan raffia clutch (charity shop), sarong (charity shop), recycled paper tote (retail), vintage sunglasses x 2 , Zara bikini & 1970s Slix bikini (all eBay), 1970s crochet shawl (charity shop)

Makeup & jewellery....

Barry M eyebrow kit, nail paint  "The Way You Make Me Teal" and ultra black waterproof eyeliner, Sleek creme blush in Crimson, pencil sharpener and Maybelline Superstay Lip Ink in Romantic & Heroine (the best lipstick ever - always available on eBay for less than half to retail price) 


Also packed - but not photographed - is my Anokhi dressing gown, a beach blanket, army knife, mending kit, a handful of face masks, a torch, an adapter plug, chargers & photocopies of all our essential documents. My camera, Kobo, Jon's phone, hand sanitiser, face mask, reading glasses & sunglasses, guide book, passports, E tickets, cash, Revolut card are all stowed in our hand luggage.

Tea was the other half of Friday's pizza with salad which included our homegrown tomatoes, lemon cucumber & basil.We watched Paul & Bob's Gone Fishing plus another installment of Moscow Noir and ate the crumble.

On Monday (day 178) after I'd seen to the lads (Stephen had been trying to get me up since 3am but I managed to put him off until 6am) I took the remaining houseplants off the kitchen shelf and moved them to the utility room sink for a thorough soaking and a Baby Bio feed. After my Wii Fit session and fruit & yogurt breakfast I hung the bathmats on the line to dry and washed everything in the laundry basket, pegging it out on the line to dry in the predicted 26° sunshine. 

I popped a couple of homemade masks in an envelope for a friend, bought the postage online from the Royal mail and Jon whizzed them round the the post box on his way to stock up on cat food. Meanwhile, after sweeping the downstairs rugs, I applied my eyelash extensions which, with 6Music for company and the sun streaming through the bedroom window made for a wonderfully relaxed hour.

Jon repacked his stuff whilst I sat outside and finished The Given Day (bare nails and no jewellery, a very rare occurrence). When he was happy I added my stuff to the bag, we weighed it (17 kg - the allowance is 20 kg) and padlocked it to prevent any last minute panic packing.

I cleaned the bathroom and the stairs and joined Jon in the kitchen for a salad sandwich - using up the contents of the salad drawer and some so-spicy-they'll-blow-your-head-off Cofresh chilli snacks.


After lunch we put the plants back on the kitchen shelf and lay in the garden with the lads.



I started my next book, managing to get a third of the way through it in hardly any time at all. I'd noticed we had a bottle of beer in the kitchen so we shared it. The decadence, drinking at 3pm on a Monday afternoon!

I won't be posting for a while - if you've followed me for a while you'll know I don't go near the internet when we're travelling - so expect to be bombarded with photos at the end of the month (although I won't believe we're actually going until the plane's taken off).


Thanks so much for reading, commenting and being such brilliant company over the last 178 days. 

Take care, stay safe & see you on the other side.

45 comments:

  1. Bon Voyage! Stay safe and happy trails. xxx

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  2. Hi Vix, I hope you both have a great holiday and I'm already looking forward to seeing your pics. Take care Shelagh xx

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  3. Congratulations for arranging everything and it's so lovely that you are now able to go on a wonderful adventure together xx

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  4. Have a wonderful and safe trip! I look forward to seeing it all when you are back and ready to post.

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  5. Love the final edit of your holiday wardrobe, and I'm pleased to see the Anokhi skirt and gorgeous yellow viscose top made the grade! Liz's self-portrait is stunning. I'm following her on Instagram and she's absolutely talented. Love your dress-from-the-attic, and what a coincidence about that print. Mind you, this happened to me a couple of times as well. You've certainly been using your last couple of days well, cleaning and garden and getting your houseplants ready for your cat minder. Padlocking your bag sounds very wise, I know that last minute panicking very well. Have a most fabulous holiday, Vix & Jon, and I'm looking forward to reading all about it! xxx

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  6. Have a wonderful trip. I'm looking forward to seeing all your photographs when you return. X

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  7. What a whirlwind of activity, made me feel tired just reading about it!!
    Have an ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL TRIP!!! looking forward to reading all about it!!! XXXX

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  8. Hi Vix, I hope you both have a wonderful holiday. You have kept your followers cheerful and happy all through the past horrible months.I am sure we will all look forward to your pics and news, but all in good time. As for now Bon Voyage and enjoy! Brummie SueXx.

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  9. Have a great holiday,Vix and Jon. I‘ll miss the regular snippets from your live every other day. Looking forward to stories from Greece. Barbara

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  10. I am so looking forward to hearing about your holiday. I can almost imagine I am going too. Have a fabulous time and just think how much time you can spend sharing all your photos when you get back. self isolation.. pah, extended holiday more like....

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  11. Have a safe journey my love.
    Whilst every blog you publish is a feast for the eyes, your photo of the holiday jewellery has me dribbling with unbecoming envy . . .

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  12. You look absolutely marvelous with: 1) a big smile on your face with teeth showing and 2) no makeup! Cut-off shorts, little crop top, hair up in a bun, dangley earrings, no make-up = my favorite look of all time. You wear it well, my dear. Love, Andrea xoxo

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  13. So happy that you are getting away at last.
    Enjoy every minute both of you and see you on the other side.
    Much love from us two xxx

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  14. Bon voyage and happy holiday to you both! I will miss your posts and look forward to a catch up on your return. Have a wonderful time.

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  15. It's been a great 178 days, Vix!! Have a wonderful trip xxxxx

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  16. Vix, I have delighted in your blog and the colour and joy you have brought to us over so many days. May your trip be safe and full of happy discoveries. We'll be waiting for you …..

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  17. Have the most wonderful holiday, Vix and Jon. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible. As always, love seeing what you pack for your holidays. I look forward to reading about your trip when you both return. Love and best wishes, Alli xxx

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  18. Looking forward to your return, have a brilliant break, Lxx

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  19. Fingers crossed, toes crossed, good luck and have a wonderful vacation.

    I see you ended up with the yellow viscose top after all - it goes so well with your skirts. Awesome mix of dresses as always, and great admiration for your minimalist packing (it may seem odd, but I'm a very minimalist traveler - I'm just a maximalist in my closet!). Liz's painting is gorgeous - I can practically feel the velvety texture of the felt hat.

    Take care, lads and Jacob, and have a lovely trip, Vix and Jon!

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  20. Enjoy your trip and thanks for keeping so many of us entertained during lock-down!

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  21. Vix and Jon, have a very happy vacation. Can't wait to hear all about your trip when you return. Have enjoyed your blog all summer, always like a breath of fresh air!Have enjoyed your visits of the older estates ya'll have been able to go to in your country, such beautiful landscapes and flowers, especially enjoy all the history you share about them. So glad ya'll are able to get out and about while the weather is beautiful. Take care, have lots of fun, and stay safe.

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  22. Take care and have fun, thanks for the fun blogs

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  23. have a fabulous time, keep safe and take loads of pics (as if you wouldn't!) can't wait to read all about it x

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  24. Safe travels! It looks like you're well prepared, so enjoy yourselves.

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  25. Well Vix and Jon you so deserve this holiday and a break from blogging for us lot lol Vix you have really helped us all though lockdown so you go and relax and have fun. Loved all the shots in today's post as usual big fat holiday hugs Shazxx

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  26. 3kgs under? How do you do it?

    Have the most amazing time. Loved all your holiday packing outfits and items. I'm especially impressed with your capsule jewellery collection!

    Thanks for the heads up on 'Moscow Noir' - I'll be checking that one out.

    Safe journey, stay safe and stay as fabulous as you always are.
    xxx

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  27. Hopefully you're both sitting on a beach in the sun by now. I hope you both have a fantastic holiday.
    Stay safe, have fun and I'm looking forward to hearing about it when you get back. xxx

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  28. Have a magical time. You might not have done the mad dash of running around doing Vintage Fairs, but you've worked like stink in your garden, (which has been a joy to see in your posts). Time to kick back and recharge the batteries. Enjoy!! ZZxx

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  29. have the most wonderful time in greece!!!
    can´t wait to see all the pictures and read about your adventures when you´r back.
    enjoy and relax! xxxxx

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  30. I've totally enjoyed the 178 days of awesomeness on your blog! I love Maybelline Superstay Lip Ink too! I have Romantic and was going to get Heroine next. Bold, bright lip colors are awesome! Have a wonderful, happy, fun-filled, amazing holiday! Looking forward to reading about your adventures. Cheers!

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  31. Have a wonderful relaxing trip. We look forward to your holiday posts too. We are jealous as no overseas holidays for us.

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  32. Have a wonderful, wonderful trip Vix and enjoy the sun, sea and olives! Yum!
    Your new dress is beautiful! I love your current style so much! Aesthetic goals!
    Your packing is excellent! I need to be better at packing like that! Ooh, Spider plants! I definitely want to get a spider plant or two! Good luck on the new seedlings! I KNOW I should cut down my extra tomato foliage (and believe me there is LOOOOOOOOOOOADS) but I remain hopeful that I will be rewarded with loads more tomatoes! Courgettes are funny. I've not had much success with them before this year. Last year, I got a few large ones but mostly only tiny ones as they started to get blossom rot. I'm not sure what I did differently this year. My mum had the same plants as me (she gave me my one) and she's had NO luck with them but I've had abundant courgettes!

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  33. Have a fab trip, I hope you have an extra suitcase for those noodles lol!!😊

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  34. have fun and a wonderful time! :)
    you look so beautiful and i love these dresses! ❤

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  35. Hope you have a fantastic time, one thing's for sure ... you are going to look amazing :-)

    Bon Voyage. xx

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  36. I love seeing all your dresses and clogs lined up like that, Vix. Stunning!

    Enjoy your holiday! X

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  37. By this time I'm sure you are relaxing in the sun by the sea. Wishing you a safe and enjoyable trip, and am looking forward to the photos when you return.

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  38. The newly acquired vintage maxi dresses are gorgeous. I love the one with the statement sleeves. The painting your friend Elizabeth made of your is gorgeous. The pose and the hat - so well captures. It is a lovely art piece.
    Always interesting to see what you have been reading, doing and watching. It's smart to weigh your suitcase before to avoid less minute stress.
    Enjoy your trip!

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  39. Liz's self-portrait is amazing.
    I'm always awed by your packing abilities. Have a wonderful trip, I'm looking forward to reading all about it.
    xx

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  40. Lovely to read that you're going out to Greece as expected!. Great news!
    I've switched on the computer only to read about your travel and wish you a good holiday!.
    And loving your luggage photos and tips, I enjoy so much to see what people put in their cases. So useful!.
    Hope you enjoy a fabulous holiday, lots of sunshine and lots of fun!.
    besos & bon voyage

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix