Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 20 December 2020

I thought I posted this but it seems to have disappeared.This just arrived in my inbox.

Thought you may enjoy

T'was a week before Christmas,
And all through the town,
People wore masks,
That covered their frown.
The frown had begun
Way back in the Spring,
When a global pandemic
Changed everything.
They called it corona,
But unlike the beer,
It didn’t bring good times,
It didn’t bring cheer.
Airplanes were grounded,
Travel was banned.
Borders were closed
Across air, sea and land.
As the world entered lockdown
To flatten the curve,
The economy halted,
And folks lost their nerve.
From March to July
We rode the first wave,
People stayed home,
They tried to behave.
When summer emerged
The lockdown was lifted.
But away from caution,
Many folks drifted.
Now it’s December
And cases are spiking,
Wave two has arrived,
Much to our disliking.
It’s true that this year
Has had sadness a plenty,
We’ll never forget
The year 2020.
And just ‘round the corner -
The holiday season,
But why be merry?
Is there even one reason?
To decorate the house
And put up the tree,
Who will see it,
No one but me.
But outside my window
The rain gently falls,
And I think to myself,
Let’s deck the halls!
So, I gather the ribbon,
The garland and bows,
As I play those old carols,
My happiness grows.
Christmas is not cancelled
And neither is hope.
If we lean on each other,
 I know we can cope 
 
Keep it going!
(Copy&Paste)

Lindybird - remember doing a trip to Cadbury's World, many moons ago. Fascinating and as you say, the smell of chocolate dominates of course..

Thank you all for your news. Went up to Nottingham today - well actually a service station so we could meet up with our sister in law and exchange gifts. She is the one that lost her husband just before the spring lockdown. Nothing to do with Covid 19.

It will be very poignant for a number of folks who have lost a loved one or know of someone who has, to this illness.
Wishing all as possible a peaceful Christmas and New Year.

That's a great poem, SunnyKate. Of course there is hope when we realize what we truly celebrating - the hope and light of the world.

A flood of χmas cards today, actually three. One was posted 2 Dec in Canada. She sent it “early” because she moved to a retirement home in August. Alas all incoming mail is vetted in Sydney for drugs, etc, also our posties only deliver alternate days, ie 5 deliveries a fortnight. 20 days! What is slower than snail mail? Answer: Aussie Post. To brighten my day I cleared my email spam. Two (!) messages requesting donations for an election in Georgia!!!

All my life I thought air was free. . . until I bought a bag of chips.

The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one. [Erma Bombeck]

No decision should be made on an empty shopping bag. [Donita K Paul]

Good Morning. Still dark here: I awoke over an hour ago, much too early but that seems to be a pattern now.

Thanks for the poetry, SunnyKate!

Spent yesterday tidying up all the debris after emptying many boxes of decorations - house is now a Winter Wonderland! Last night I crept downstairs after we'd gone to bed, to tend to the washing machine, which had ceased work late on. I wanted to empty it so that some trousers wouldn't crease. In the dining room, t here was a heavy, pervading smell from a bowl of pot pourri I'd put out. I moved it into the sitting room so that the dog wouldn't have to suffer with her sensitive nose. When my OH went down this morning, he found the dog shut in the sitting room with it!!!!

Just been going back through recent posts - I seem to be all over the place, not surprising as its the same at home. Annette: Meant to say that Pearl the puppy looks cute, but I'm sure she's full of mischief. Hope you don't find any more dead critters in the garden.

Its brightened up here, and my OH has not returned from the golf course to say its shut or anything, as we have had a good few inches of rain in the last few days and everywhere is soaked. I'm doing all the things which didn't get taken off the list from yesterday!

Now I have a few minutes whllst I drink my hot chocolate drink to relate the Great Custard Disaster!

The Great Custard Disaster, December 2020

I was cooking dinner, and my OH was by my side fussing about whether I was cooking his veggies to the right amount of time. I reached up into the cupboard which I'm sure everyone has near to the stove, with lots of ingredients to hand. When I found what I wanted, my eye was caught by a packet of suet and I remembered that my OH had wanted to have dumplings sometime now we are in the dead of winter. I reached it down and it was out of date - later, the birds really appreciated it! Thankfully there was another packet, in date, next to it.

Next to that, a big tub of Birds Custard Powder: now, my OH loves his custard and all of his favourite puddings except cheesecake perhaps, have to have custard accompaniment. I reached for that, to check that we have enough and did we need to put it on the shopping list? It was right at the top of the cupboard, perched on top of something else.... I stretched and stretched, and just managed to get a finger onto the lid, which is just a push on lid, not a screw top. You no doubt know the rest....

As the whole tub came tumbling down, three quarters full, without the lid (!!!) it flashed before me that this was going to be one heck of a mess!! As predicted, the powder shot downwards and spread out - all over my chest, as I pushed myself towards the worktop to stop it going further downwards, and all over the worktop. And the implements we were using for our meal. And the spice rack I have which is a circular spinning double height one, covered in small bottles. And partly on the stove. And eventually, on my shoes. My OH moved forward and got some on his arm, but it was nothing to the wonderful patch of powder all over me!!

We scraped the powder into a heap on the worktop, and between us, used spatulas to get it back into the tub. Then I went outside and pounded my chest - my top later had to go in the wash of course. We are still finding powder in every nook and cranny near the stove.....

All okay after hospital visits yesterday. My annual visit gets harder every year with my mobility issues, but if all pronounced clear when I see consultant, I shall maybe not need to go again. J had a blood test. If that is okay he will be seen in six months. If any problem, they may need to look again – I do follow the science, but can’t explain it all here!

After the early start Monday and the visit itself, we were all tired so most of the list had to be carried forward (some of it for the third or fourth time, but that is mainly cleaning, so who cares?) We did finish the tree and other decorations, so all the empty boxes are back in the loft. Now, when can I decree that everything gets packed away again?
Plenty to do today but had a really slow start. An easy main lunch (M&S Indian) and quiche this evening so not much food prep. OH will go to Tesco in the afternoon.

LINDA – liked the photo of your tree. Congrats on rolling up your sleeves and getting so much done yesterday. I know what you mean about Christmas pot pourri – always have to avert my nose when we enter garden centres in a normal winter season! Hope Bonnie has no ill-effects. All along the road yesterday we passed flooded fields with burns trying to reach the coast with all the rain from the hills. Our river is running fast, but mostly within its banks. The Custard Disaster was worth waiting for – I had a good laugh at your expense! So easily done. E-E would also pour custard on anything – if it doesn’t get custard it gets gravy – and I don’t like either!

LYNETTE – liked your wee tree too – and the silver and purple theme for the decorations.

AQ – glad you were able to go somewhere quieter to shop – the book sounds lovely – one to dip into for time to come. The story about the old chocolate rang bells with me, as my grandfather still had, during my childhood, his tin from the royals in WW1 with “comforts” for the soldiers. Because of my interest (with my hands) the tobacco etc crumbled, so it was eventually emptied out, but my grandmother and then mother faithfully polished the brass tin for many years.

ANNETTE – thoroughly enjoyed a few visits to Cadbury World, but especially when we took the two Grandsons there when they were staying with us. We took them down that way to see “Uncle J” who was on a placement in Coventry. There are some very interesting buildings in Bournville too, and E-E especially liked the Carillon in the church.

SUNNY KATE – thanks for sharing the poem! A good reminder that better times will lie ahead.