Weekly Diary W/E 6th June 2021

It was a very quiet start to the week this week. OH was away cycling until Tuesday, so I was home alone for most of the Bank Holiday weekend. On Bank Holiday Monday, I had a long walk with the dog, then came back for lunch before heading out again to go for my 2nd Covid vaccination. I was happy to get this done, but I was a bit unsure as to how I'd feel afterwards, as I felt quite unwell after the first one. 

I was without the car all weekend, as OH took it, so I had to take the bus to the vaccination centre. I arrived half an hour early, but was able to be seen and vaccinated within minutes. On the way back, I popped into a local Crisis charity shop and bought a plant pot for £1.50. I then paid my first post-Lockdown visit to our local Primark. I managed to spend £27 on two pairs of trousers, two black t-shirts, some hair clips, face masks and cotton wool pads. I also picked up some fruit and veg from a market stall before catching the bus home, which made it a worthwhile but spendy little trip out.

I felt fine all evening after my vaccination, absolutely no problems this time around, which was a relief.

On Tuesday I went back to work. I had a pretty bad journey in, as the bus I was on broke down and we had to get off and get onto the next one, which then became very full, which was not ideal. For some reason I was very clumsy today and kept knocking things over, breaking the odd thing. Maybe it was tiredness, although I didn't feel particularly tired.

On Wednesday, I was finally able to meet up with some friends from the gym, for the first time in over a year. I had to do a weekly shop before meeting them, as there was no food in the house and by now OH had returned from his cycling trip. I also did a lateral flow test, which was negative.

It felt good to get together again in our favourite restaurant and catch up with each others' news. I took a bottle of Prosecco with me, as you could pay corkage in the restaurant (they don't have a license to sell alcohol) and one of my friends and I shared it. (I was on the bus!)

On the way back, I needed to stop off at the local Primark again and take one of the t-shirts back that I'd bought the other day, as it was too oversized. I got a new bra instead, which was only £6. It was a bit of a gamble really, as I've never really bought bras from there before and I paid nearer £40 for a new bra last month elsewhere, but this Primark one actually feels more comfortable. I may go back and get a couple more at that price, as most of my old M&S ones are virtually shot and not feeling very supportive.

When I got back, I popped to the allotment with OH for half and hour before heading out to walk the dog. It is now almost fully planted up. We're just waiting for everything to grow, which feels very satisfying.

I didn't sleep well (hardly at all in fact) on Wednesday night, so on Thursday I felt exhausted going in to work. In the end it wasn't too bad when I got there, but thankfully I caught up on my sleep on Thursday night and felt so much better.

On Friday, it rained most of the day. An Approved Food order I'd placed last week when they had a free delivery offer arrived, so I unpacked it and put everything away. It was mainly snacks for us and the dog and tinned items that we use regularly. Many of these things will come in useful this month and particularly next week, as I have to take my own food and drink whilst on Jury Service.

Later, I had to go to Poundland to get some last minute bits for work, so I took the dog with me and left her in the car whilst I went in to do the shopping.  It wasn't hot, so she was okay in her cage whilst I was in the shop. On the way back we stopped off for a very wet and rainy walk, after which I was glad to get home and get some lunch, knowing that I didn't need to go out again for the rest of the day. Lunch was my usual salad, but using salad leaves from the garden. For the first time in years, the lettuce has grown well for us and we've got lots to keep us going over the summer.

On Friday afternoon, I decided it was time to tackle the huge ironing pile that had built up over the last couple of weeks, so I put on a movie on Netflix and got stuck in. I was thankful for the rain for cooling the house down, as I would have struggled to iron if it had been hot outside.

Saturday, was my final day at work for two weeks. Although I'm not really relishing Jury Service, which starts on Tuesday, I am looking forward to a break from the shop, as it's been a bit intense, especially with my knee being so bad. This week it has been feeling a bit better and I feel like I am slowly getting back to my normal self and it is starting to heal. For a while I was struggling and thinking that it never would get better. As a consequence, I've been feeling a bit low and grumpy for weeks now. I think it was a mistake to rush back to work so quickly and not rest it for at least a week, but I can't change what I did. Two weeks of sitting down whilst on Jury service should rest it sufficiently. I'll just have to remember to exercise it out of sight, to build up some strength. I'm now starting to think about what I'm going to wear next week. Apparently, you can wear jeans, but no shorts or beach wear!!

Anyway, my last day of work for a while was a busy one. After humping a shopping bag full of hand wash, cleaning products, paper towels, toilet rolls and biscuits to work, I did as much as I possibly could to leave things in a good place before I left. I don't know what it will look like when I come back, I'd rather not give it any thought.

Hope you had a good week.