Saturday 29th May 2021 Day 381
Today is to be my last entry into this diary. I would never have believed when I first started, that I would still be making entries well over a year later, starting for many months with an entry every single day, then five days a week and latterly more spasmodically.
With vaccinations and more lock downs we really do seem to be coming out the other side now and getting back to a bit of normality so this seems the appropriate time to finish and to say a really huge thank you to so many people who have been kind enough to read and like and follow this blog over various social media sites. I really do thank you because the diary helped me enormously and I hope gave you the odd smile along the way.
I am going to take the cheeky opportunity to advertise my book ‘A Spell of Thrift and Gorse’ about my childhood, growing up on the most south westerly point of Cornwall, available on Amazon.
8.30 Summer has arrived at last, thank goodness and thank goodness most of all for no chilly winds and rain or frosts which have seen off a lot of my plants. I am only just bringing some plants out of the greenhouse. I am on my way down the garden to feed my ‘foster’ cat who greets me with a yawn and a stretch and takes a swing at Audrey’s nose as he does most mornings with claws in I am happy to say. Poor chap he was due to go weeks ago
but it didn’t work out so I still have him, although to be fair he seems perfectly happy now that I am letting him out during the day. Worry sits sentry at the top of the garden and there seems to be a silent rule between them that he comes no further than the apple tree up the garden.
It seems crazy but it was only a few days ago that I started to venture out without my vest and a jumper and we are nearly into June!
The diary is filling up although as I have mentioned before, probably on numerous occasions, I am very happy not to be running around the countryside all week and it is my intention to keep it down to just a couple of outings. I expect we have changed our views on a lot of things after such a long time at home and the thing that has possibly surprised me the most is that I am actually perfectly comfortable staying at home for the most part with Audrey and Worry for company.
Next week I have been invited to a beach barbecue to celebrate my niece’ birthday and that is something I really am looking forward to, I have missed the sea a lot and I am planning my first kayak trip of the year, I wonder if Audrey would like to ride up front? Probably not.
So with things getting back to normal, with just that little ‘niggle’ re the Indian variant, I shall say goodbye from me Aud and Worry.
Below is the entry exactly one year ago today
Much love
A Trip to the Seaside
Friday 29th May 2020 Day 70
7.15 I’m up and out of bed like a whippet, not strictly true of course, probably truer to say like an elderly Basset hound, I just feel like it was a whippet because I never get up quickly these days. The point is that I have decided I will definitely go to the coast today and I want to go first thing while it’s quiet. Nevertheless, it takes till just after eight before we actually set off, then come home again two minutes later to collect the lead and some money.
8.07 Audrey sits in the boot with her head between the head rests, looking expectantly at the road, she doesn’t make a sound when we drive past the road we usually turn down for wood walks, she normally starts a bit of excited squealing there but she has wind of something different happening today.
8.38 We arrive in Pevensey and park down one of the side roads. The top of the beach looks very pretty as it is covered in pink valerian It is quite windy down here but not cool. The sea looks very tempting, it’s about three quarters of the way in and in fact there is a little group of swimmers in the water; other than that the beach is pretty deserted and we walk along the sand at the water’s edge and eventually Audrey goes in up to her arm pits, I don’t think I shall be joining her, it’s probably freezing cold still. It is just lovely to be by the sea again.
We walk as far as we can before the path is cut off by a private house and on the return there are several more people, mostly dog walking but there is plenty of room for everyone to keep well away from each other although the dogs don’t quite seem to have got the hang of social distancing.
10.00 Time to start back for home with one wet worn out dog, tongue lolling
So from Monday I can have six people come and visit me in my garden but in Scotland I could have eight, different households still social distancing. How on earth do they arrive at these figures? Surely this will now just open the flood gates? And there are still several thousand new Covid 19 cases each day. It seems from my friend in Wales that they are way behind us and not even allowed to travel more than five miles away from their homes, with the majority of shops and businesses still shut. Who is right? not for me to say or know but I feel more inclined towards the attitude of the Welsh for the moment.