The Distancing Diaries - 20th & 21st December, 2020

 

Jon was up first on Sunday and brought mugs of tea up to bed where we lay and read till 8.30am. We watched The Andrew Marr Show and had toast for breakfast. Mindful of an imminent lockdown I dragged out the donation bag from the depths of the cupboard of doom along with a box we'd filled with stuff we'd never put back in the kitchen after we'd decorated and dropped everything off at the charity shop. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted two bolts of vintage upholstery fabric - a candy striped canvas and a turquoise Mid-Century weave and snaffled them both. 

I'd seen a pair of rather snazzy red pony skin ankle boots on Friday but was so hot and bothered I couldn't be arsed to try them on. They were still there on Sunday but they didn't fit. Jon was much luckier, spotting a pair of tooled leather Western boots in his size. 

Our next mission was B&Q where I'd seen an ideal gift for a friend last week. I've no idea why I didn't buy it when I saw it but it had since been reduced by 50% so subconsciously I must have known! We'd also been admiring some spotted leaf begonias and found a bedraggled one sitting on the clearance shelf for a couple of quid, which obviously it had to come home with us.

Begonia Maculata

Back at home I soaked the begonia in water before repotting it, Jon polished his boots and we had noodles. 

WEARING: Vintage Indian-made embroidered crushed velvet maxi dress (eBay), River Island velvet boots, Missoni scarf, a 1970s pixie jacket and an Aldo felted wool hat (all charity shopped)

Just by way of a change I painted my nails on Saturday as opposed to my usual Sunday, this week's colour is Barry M's Blood Orange and to confuse myself even more I washed my hair.

January will be the first time in years Jon & I won't be travelling to India and, without our annual escape to break it up, winter will feel like an eternity so this year's Solstice feels like a real celebration, the beginning of the end of the long dark nights and the knowledge that Spring is just around the corner. In line with ancient tradition, I brought evergreenery into the house. 

In ancient times evergreen trees and bushes were believed to harbour the spirit of summer life and growth, branches were cut and brought inside to shelter over the winter, ready to be reborn in the spring. I'm doubtful that mine will last that long but it's pretty while it lasts.

After a veg paneer rogan josh, accompanied by a cheeky glass of wine, I had a bit of a blog catch up while Jon played around in the music room. We'd started watching German crime drama, The Nordic Murders the previous evening and continued with our viewing.

On Monday a combination of the rain pattering on the windows, Stephen running up & down the stairs shouting and Jon and Frank stealing most of the duvet had me admitting defeat and I got up at 5.50 am. I did a load of washing, wrapped the weekend eBay sales, did my daily Wii Fit Workout and by 7.24 am I was sitting in front of the PC with a mug of tea watching English Heritage's live stream of the sun rising over Stonehenge. 

After our fruit and yogurt I sat at the kitchen table writing Xmas cards. Jon had noticed the pressure dropping on the boiler and rang the plumber who'd installed our radiators a fortnight ago. He was working around the corner so popped round within the hour and gave everything a tweak, refusing any offer of payment. Aren't there some lovely people in this world? I checked the fridge and larder, Jon scribbled a list and left to do a post office & grocery run.

Despite media reports to the contrary, Jon observed nobody was stripping the supermarket shelves like locusts and that it was surprisingly quiet on the roads.

As the rain had finally eased off we took the opportunity to snap a couple of photos of my Berber waistcoat.

I haven't worn this me-made Afghan-inspired dress in an age, the bastard lovechild of two vintage embroidered skirts and the off-cuts from a charity shopped kurta. I feel like I should chuck on my white sheepskin hat and ride a camel across the High Atlas mountains, not that there's any chance of that happening, us Brits are now considered pariahs and banned from travelling almost everywhere on the planet. I'll have to make do with chasing cats up and down the lawn instead.

Richard the postman arrived with some wool I'd ordered on Friday, ready to crochet into a few gifts, along with our plastic free &keep order (sharing 'cos I love them) which included some replacement coconut scrubbers, cellulose sponge cloths, dental floss refills and the wonderful Ocean Saver cleaners. The biodegradable tape is a brilliant alternative to non-recyclable Sellotape (and others of the ilk). I'm excited to try the Hydro Phil natural toothpaste, packed in a sustainable tube made of wood.

After our noodles Izzy, the postman with the van, arrived with the presents I'd ordered from the antiques & salvage website. I was so impressed with both the goodies and the way they were wrapped that I had to phone the company and tell them. I think I made the girl on the switchboard's day! I'll share when Xmas is over.

I spent the afternoon in the lounge with my crochet whilst Jon did some musical stuff in his room. 

If you're wondering about the illustrations (click on them to see them better), they're from a book I pulled from the shelf on Sunday. As children this was our Christmas Book, a precious heirloom we'd only be allowed to look at once a year.

Printed in Bavaria, it belonged to Mum's mum, my grandma Joan's middle sister, my Great Auntie Maud. 

Marcus and I weren't interested in the wholesome-looking children playing nicely together, as a naughty boy & girl who spent vast parts of our lives beating the sh*t out each other, we were far more concerned about The Black Hole, which Mum was always threatening that it was where we'd end up....

After an afternoon of following our own pursuits we had a catch-up in the shelter over a beer and toasted the Solstice.

Tea was a salad with homegrown winter lettuce freshly picked from the garden. Yum!

I'm off to watch more of The Nordic Murders. Stay safe and see you soon!