Lockdown W/E 1st May 2021

It's hard to believe that we're in May already.  Another couple of weeks and we'll be virtually out of Lockdown again. I haven't done a Lockdown weekly post for a couple of weeks, mainly because there hasn't been a whole lot going on here.

I've mainly been focusing on getting back into a work routine and have been pretty tired on my days off, so much so, that I haven't really been very productive. I'm starting to feel a bit less tired as the weeks progress and I get used to work again and I'm hoping to get around to doing a bit more cleaning, as there's still a couple of rooms I haven't tackled for a while.

Earlier this week on Monday, we took delivery of our new armchair and footstool for the living room.  We'd ordered it from John Lewis before Christmas, but had to wait as they ran out of the fabric we'd chosen, which caused a delay. We weren't in a particular hurry, but it's nice now that they have finally arrived. Here's a photograph:

The new chair is slightly smaller than the previous armchair we had, which is good as it takes up less space. It's always a bit of a squeeze in our narrow reception rooms, so every little thing helps. We're now thinking of getting rid of one of the sofa's in the second reception room and getting another (different) new arm chair to replace it, which will give us even more space. We don't really use the sofas in there much, so a chair to sit and read in would be much more practical in the place of one of them these days.

In other home news, I ordered some narrow picture shelves for the second reception room this week from eBay.  At £18 for three 91 cm in length shelves, I thought they were quite good value and I have a very specific use for them, something that I've been meaning to do for a while. I'll post when they are up and utilised for the purpose I have in mind.

I still haven't visited any shops (other than supermarkets and local shops) since they opened on the 12th April. I just haven't felt like going out shopping at all, unless there was something specific I needed.

OH, as you can see from the photo above, has been busy in the garden sewing lots of plants from seed in the last few weeks, for the allotment.  They are getting quite big now, although it's still way too cold to put them in the ground. He's currently hardening them off a bit in the greenhouse. I've been loving the sunshine we've been having, but not the cold. I feel I want to get outside and garden, but the cold is putting me off big time.  

I did venture out on Monday this week and potted up my dahlia tubers. It's too early to put them in the ground, but they should be okay in pots in the greenhouse, to help get them off to a good start.  They all (but one) seem to be sending of small white shoots at least. I'm hoping that they produce lots of lovely flowers this summer, so that I can cut them and bring some into the house. I just need to watch out for slugs and snails.

The allotment is looking good and is currently planted up with potatoes and shallots, which are now coming through quite well. OH has also sown beetroot and lettuce seeds, which have germinated. He seems to be well ahead of the game this year. I took a photo through the fence today on my way to work, just to give you an idea of how it looks now.

Instead of heading out to the shops or spending time outside, I've been staying inside reading fiction books, watching TV and resting on my days off.  I've started to enjoy being at home again which is good. I do have to say that I am more introverted since having been in Lockdown. I wasn't an extrovert before the Pandemic, and I'm even less of one now. I'm sure it's the same for many people.

On Tuesday I was back at work, a very busy day, so when Wednesday came around I was looking forward to taking it easy. The day didn't start well though, as I suffered a nasty fall down the stairs to the kitchen. One leg was stretched out in front of me, the other bent back like a hurdler. I ended up in a mangled heap on the floor at the bottom, hoping that I hadn't broken my leg. Luckily, after a few minutes to steady myself, I was able to push myself back up the stairs on my bottom and then stand up.

I felt a bit sore and my knee and ankle felt a bit twisted, but the dog still needed it's walk and I was worried that if I sat down and didn't keep moving, I would just stiffen up, so despite an offer from OH to walk the dog, I took her out myself. I then called at the shops for a few top up groceries on my way back, just in case I didn't feel able later in the day.

As  the day wore on, my leg did get a bit more swollen and stiff. I just had to keep dosing myself up with ibuprofen and also applying ibuprofen gel to my knee. It did help when it came to moving around and getting comfortable.

It's very scary when something like this happens. It makes me feel quite vulnerable, but I appreciate that I was incredibly lucky that I didn't break or fracture anything. It was pretty sore for a few days and  wasn't able to go to work on Thursday, as I needed to rest it. My Manager was very understanding, but it's not a great time to take a day off, as the stockroom is so full of donations that need processing. There's nothing much I could do about it though, but try to recover as quickly as possible.

In more positive news this week, I started using the new set of facial care products I bought online the other week.  They are in the Q&A range and are natural products not tested on animals. I've been using the hyularonic face serum, seaweed peptide eye gel and collagen face cream and I'm loving all of the products and my skin immediately felt more hydrated and plumped up. I'm definitely happy to have bought them.

On Friday, I woke up after having a much better night's sleep. After walking the dog, I had to go out and do a food shop, as we were almost out of most things we eat regularly. OH volunteered to come with me on this occasion, which made a nice change. It was helpful on account of my knee. I did a big shop as it was my first time back in Lidl for 3 months and I got overexcited putting lots of things into the trolley. Should keep us going for a couple of weeks bar topping up fresh veg/salad.

Once I got home from doing the shop and had put the shopping away, that was enough wear and tear on my knee, so I spent the rest of the evening with it up and resting ready for returning to work on Saturday.

I was a bit worried how it would go when I got back to work, but it was actually okay. I caught the bus in to work, which felt strange, and despite being on my feet all day, my knee didn't feel too bad. OH came into town in the car later to take me home, which was a treat. We stopped off at a pub around the corner from the shop and had a drink. It was pretty busy, but we were lucky enough to find a table outside.

It was good to get home and as I'm not at work again until Tuesday, I can enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend.

Hope you have a great weekend.