The Distancing Diaries - 14th & 15th December, 2020

On Monday after my Wii Fit session I swept the lounge rug and then settled down to an epic blog catch up, breaking off briefly for breakfast. It was Liz's mum, Hazel's, 80th birthday, and as she's in their bubble we drove over to Liz and Al's to hand over her present and sing Happy Birthday. They live in a nature reserve which is classed as a public space so we weren't breaking any Covid rules, although we maintained a safe distance and wore masks. A herd of twelve deer wandered past, stopped and stared at us and continued on their way, wading through the lake and grazing on the grass opposite. An utterly magical moment.

MONDAY: Vintage block printed kaftan (my mates, Old's Cool Traders), 1970s suede maxi coat (charity shop), Pompom hat (made by me), beer mittens (made by Liz)

When we watched Mangrove in the Small Axe series last week one of the cast wore the spice coloured version of this kaftan with an identical suede coat and looked amazing, I hadn't thought of combining the two until then.

Back at home, Richard the postman arrived with the vintage kaftan I'd bought on eBay last week. As mentioned in the seller's description, one of the buttons was missing so I rifled through my stash for a similar scrap of fabric and a button and set to work replacing it.

American vintage! I wonder if Rag Dolls was in Haight-Ashbury? It's definitely got the hippie look. There's no care labels and judging by the construction, the hand-loomed cotton and the non over locked seams I'd say it was made in India or Afghanistan in the 1960s.

Last time I mentioned making covered buttons a couple of commenters asked if was a complicated process. Far from it, it's dead easy.  1. Find a button with a shank.  2. Cut a circle twice the size of the button (I use a coin as a template) in similar fabric to the remaining buttons.  3. Using matching thread sew running stitch around the very edge of the circle.  4. Position your button shank uppermost in the centre of the circle and pull the thread, gathering the fabric so it completely covers the button.

We were sad to learn on the news earlier that one of our favourite novelists, John Le Carre, had died. After our lunchtime noodles Jon, who is currently reading The Russia House, decided to search online for any films based on his books that we hadn't seen before and, while he was distracted, I ordered his Xmas present online. 

Sunday's dark skies and torrential rain were truly abysmal so we made the most of Monday's sunshine by going for a walk. When we got back I had a bath using some of the Lush treats Jon had bought me for my birthday and then sat in the lounge and crocheted Tony a hat for Xmas.

Tea was salad with Indian snacks, eaten whilst watching the latest government announcement, discovering that more of England were due to join us in Tier 3 on Wednesday. Later we watched The Antiques Road Trip on catch-up followed by a couple more episodes of The Twelve.

On Tuesday, after my Wii Fit workout and breakfast, I walked round to my GP surgery for my flu jab. I've never had one before but, this year the NHS are offering them free to all over 50s and as we'd nagged Tony who, working in retail is face to face with the general public on a daily basis, into getting one, felt it was only fair to follow suit. It was all very straightforward and I was back home less than twenty minutes after leaving the house. 

As the sleeves offered easy access to my arm, my Rag Dolls kaftan was the perfect choice for wearing to the doctor's surgery - I wore my Afghan gilet over the top and, of course, a mask. Several people stopped and told me how much they liked my outfit.

TUESDAY: Vintage 1960s kaftan (eBay), Doc martens (Facebook selling page), Aldo hat (charity shop) Vintage amulet pendant (Gujarat)

Jon was due at the dentist at 10am and, after a coffee, he headed off. I'd scrubbed the hob, swept the stairs and watered the plants in the bathroom by the time he returned at 10.30. Fortunately he'd managed to save the crown that had fallen out last week and PK, our dentist, was able to glue it back in place, charging him just £22.70.

As a teenager my annual task was to cut down holly, ivy and laurel from the parental garden and festoon the picture frames and mantelpiece to add some Yuletide cheer (like me, my parents didn't do tinsel or kitsch). I also used to make something resembling a wreath to hang off their front door. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to arrangements but it's something I've continued to do throughout adulthood. I won't call it a tradition as I dislike both the word and the weight of the expectation that goes with it. 

I shall adorn my Trechikoffs with some greenery next week. 

After our lunchtime noodles Jon started to paint the inside of the new window frames whilst I embarked on another crochet project but as it's a present I can't share.

Tea was the rest of Sunday's shepherdess pie with a veggie sausage from the freezer, we're expecting a grocery delivery on Friday so we're running down the stocks. 

Stay safe & see you soon!