The Distancing Diaries - 20th & 21st March, 2021

Saturday heralded the equinox, the first official day of Spring, and also marked a year to the day when we went into lockdown and I'd started my Distancing Diaries (part one HERE). Jon got up, made tea and brought it back to bed although we couldn't lie in for long as we'd arranged for a painter and decorator to call at 8.30am and give us a quote for painting the new window frames. I stripped and changed the bed, loaded the washing machine and swept the upstairs rugs whilst Jon and Stuart chatted about what we wanted.

Frank hung out with his best friend, Kitty from next door. The neighbours say they sleep together on their bed during the day.

After our sausage sandwiches and buoyed up from last night's Gardener's World, Jon continued to clear the area which was once planted with bamboo whilst I followed him, bagging it up and sweeping the path. Once we'd filled three sacks we moved the geraniums we'd left over-wintering in the shelter and watered them, had an alfresco coffee and then went on a litter pick around the block. 

For those worried about it, Jon had managed to repair his grab stick.

Back at home, I replaced a button that had popped off my waistcoat during the morning's exertions, filled in the census online ready for submission on Sunday and, after a mug of tea and a biscuit, spent a pleasant couple of hours stitching in the company of 6Music.

Wear:Sleep: Repeat saw the return of Friday's quilted waistcoat, worn with a matching Phool midi skirt and my Armor Lux aubergine & navy Breton top (eBay).

The details: Vintage Indian screen-printed silk scarf (charity shop), Ilse Jacobsen handmade rubber boots (retail), detail from my waistcoat, beaded earrings (present from G'n'T), retro sunglasses (Jaded, London sale 2018)

Tea was a broccoli and cauliflower balti with wholemeal basmati rice and a few sweet potato chips on the side. Later we watched Grayson Perry's Art Club and a couple more episodes of Amsterdam Vice and had a few glasses of rum.

On Sunday I was up at 6.30am. I submitted the census, did a load of washing, pegged it outside on the line and brought mugs of tea back to bed where we lay and read until 8.30. We had toast for breakfast, I painted my nails and we watched The Andrew Marr Show.

It was a dull, cold but dry day and Jon set to work on attaching the netting to the trellis on the garden fence in a bid to make it litter-proof. It took the best part of the morning but next time a scumbag tries to jettison their trash through our fence it might bounce back and slap them in the chops. 

Meanwhile, I took stock photos in the garden and uploaded my listings to eBay.

After a break for noodles, I wrapped the eBay weekend sales and Jon planted the echinacea bulbs we'd bought from Wilko last weekend. I put the ginger root we'd bought the same day in some warm water to soak ready for planting on Monday. We sign-bombed the fence outside the cricket club as it's an area where we're always having to litter pick and got the thumbs up from our neighbours, Surinder & Tim, who joined us for a walk around the block.

Wear:Sleep:Repeat meant I rewore Saturday's Breton top, this time beneath the Hmong dress I'd bought from eBay last week. Any dress that I can wear with a woolly hat and my wellies is a winner in my book.

The details: African brass bangle (belonged to my mum), Frida earrings (festival friends & neighbours, Shilpa Silver), vintage high heeled wellies (jumble sale), Kashmiri papier mache bangles (India)

Knackered from his adventures in fencing Jon suggested a simple tea of Ryvita, cheese and pickles, something I was more than happy with. 

It's the new series of Line of Duty tonight, we've been on countdown since the BBC announced it was imminent a fortnight ago. We might try & squeeze an Amsterdam Vice in beforehand.

Stay safe, happy & healthy and see you soon!