The Distancing Diaries - 29th & 30th November, 2020

 

On Sunday morning I was first up, seeing to the lads and bringing mugs of tea back to bed where we read until 8.30am. We had toast for breakfast and watched The Andrew Marr Show. I painted my nails with Barry M's Black Cherry.

It was another dull and dreary day. Jon popped out on a grocery run before doing some measuring up for our next DIY adventure. I hand-washed the me-made crochet blanket we keep in the shelter, spritzed a few of the house plants, caught up with Blogland and cracked on with some more crochet.

After our noodles we went for a walk around the block via the derelict Highgate Brewery at the end of the avenue. 

Opening in 1898, at its peak Highgate brewery employed over sixty staff and, by the 1970s, produced over 2,500 barrels of mild a week. After unsuccessful mergers with the Bass and Davenports breweries it closed in 2010 and has remained empty ever since.

The grade II listed building failed to sell when it went up for auction a few years ago. Although trendy apartments seem like a great option, the brewery is sited at the end of a narrow lane in the middle of a conservation area so vehicular access would be a problem. Its so sad to see it deteriorating and I expect, like many of Walsall's historical buildings, it will mysteriously burn down one night. 

How cute is this Sikh musician, one of a pair that flanks the gates of a huge new built down a track off our usual route? Walsall has a large Punjabi Sikh community, hence the reason we've had a guruwada at the end of the street since 1964. November 30th marks Guru Nanak's birthday and normally there's a big procession through the town but sadly not this year.

WEARING: Vintage India Imports of Rhode Island maxi, 1970s suede jacket (both eBay), pom pom hat (made by me)

 

When we got back Jon set to work tuning a couple of guitars for a friend whilst I, finding a couple of episodes of Money for Nothing on the i Player to have on in the background, continued with my crochet.

I bought a couple of balls of this wonderfully lurid Aran wool for 99p in a charity shop last year, I used one ball to make another hat, topping it off with a bastard massive pompom made from the leftover yarn from Jon's beer mittens.

After a tea of baked beans, vegetarian sausages & jacket wedges topped with grated cheese I did a load of washing, hung it up in the utility room and joined Jon in the lounge for a few episodes of The Antiques Road Trip whilst restitching the crochet blanket I'd washed earlier.

Earlier in the day I'd put a snipe bid in for a vintage dress I was watching on Ebay but as there were thirteen other bidders I didn't fancy my chances but, when I went to turn my PC off before going bed, I was excited to discover that I'd won it for significantly less than my maximum bid. My rivals must have been distracted by something on the TV.

On Monday after the first Wii Fit session of the week I wrapped up the weekend eBay sales before joining Jon in the kitchen for fruit & yogurt. After breakfast Jon whizzed the parcels round to the Post Office. My Superdrug order arrived with our friendly MyHermes driver and we had a chat on the doorstep before I unpacked the parcel, giving the contents a wipe over before putting everything away. 

It was another wet, drab and grey day and, with no need to leave the house, I settled into my next project determined that by teatime I'd master the dark art of double crochet.

In the olden days BC (before Covid) Jon & I mostly spent Mondays either tazzing round the chazzas or indulging in a boozy all-dayer down the pub but there's no point in whingeing that we can't do either of them any more. I'm confident that life will eventually return to normal but in the meantime I'm loving having the time to learn a new skill.

 

I'm wearing the 1970s Dagina Indian block printed maxi dress whose zip I'd replaced last week. I've winterised it by adding a recycled sari silk wrap top. 

After our noodles Jon tucked himself away in the music room for the afternoon while I made myself a pair of wrist warmers/beer mittens with the rest of the charity shopped rainbow Aran wool in double crochet! I would have given them a trial run with a walk around the block but it was pissing  down and Jon was in a creative world of his own.

Wool and hooks packed away, I took myself off upstairs for some self-care. Meanwhile Jon prepared halloumi, roasted vegetables and potato lattices for tea remembering to take some bread out of the freezer for our sandwiches - it's National Trust day tomorrow, the highlight of our week.

Stay safe and see you soon!