Back to Work or Not

On Sunday night, I got a message from one of our volunteers informing me that the Prime Minister had announced that non-essential shops can re-open from 15th June.  In all honesty, I'd missed the announcement, so it came as quite a surprise.

I don't think our shop will open as soon as 15th June, but it does signal that things are finally going back to some sort of normality. It got me thinking about what will need to be done to get the shop prepared for allowing customers back in. There will be long lists of things to check and make safe. We will no doubt need to go in at least a week before opening, in order to help make preparations.

If I'm honest, I'm sort of looking forward to going back to work.  I've loved having this time off and I think I've used it quite productively, as well as having taken time to relax and have time out from the busyness of everyday life. I do, however, find my self wanting to get stuck in and get our shop back up and running.

Facing the prospect of possibly going back to work sometime soon, has motivated me to complete more of the projects that I had started and those that I still want to do. As a consequence, the last two days have been spent completing a few more aprons and bags using the new cotton tape I ordered from eBay, which arrived on Tuesday.

By the time I'd finished, my sewing machine had just about packed up, as the bobbin kept jamming, so I had to finish sewing on the cotton tape by hand. Hopefully, it will still be as hardwearing and secure. Luckily, these were the last things I needed to sew for a while.

I also completed half a dozen more masks, but these weren't quite as successful as the first few I made, as I made them a little big. I reduced some down in size and they'll be okay. I can wear them on my bike if I do cycle to work.

Today, I had a Zoom Q&A with work, but to be honest, I was left slightly bemused in terms of knowing what is happening, save that they hope to phase the reopening of most of the charity's shops over the next couple of months.  I guess I'll just have to wait until I hear something more specific relating to our shop. In the meantime, it gives me time to carry on with the things I still have left to do and maybe even just have a little chill time when they are done.

This afternoon, I wasn't particularly productive.  I had a couple of jobs to do in the kitchen, namely make some more dog food and more pickled red onion. I also re-potted a couple of plants, but that was the limit of my productivity today.

Tomorrow, I'm determined to crack on with sanding the chair legs from my upholstery project and hopefully get them finished and ready to wax. I must remember to order some wax on eBay to treat the wood with. That will probably be a job for next week now.

In all honesty, I feel a bit in limbo at the moment, waiting to hear what is happening with returning to work. I'm trying not to let it affect the time I have left on furlough though, as it's been a very rare opportunity to spend so much time at home, something not to be squandered.

This weekend, OH and myself are going to head out to some garden centres and try to get some bamboo plants for the end of the garden. It will make for a nice trip out, providing that social distancing doesn't make it a nightmare.

We have decided to put a hammock up in the space at the end of the garden, as LB wants one very badly and we'll do anything to get her out into the garden. To be honest, we wouldn't really use a table and chairs if we did put them there, so a hammock is probably a better option. That will be an interesting project, as OH is going to build a frame for it. I'll let you know how that one goes!