Weekly Blog W/E 4th September 2021

With three days left of self-isolation, this week got off to a quiet start. It being a Bank Holiday Weekend, it was very quiet in our neighbourhood. Both sets of neighbours were either away or out for the day, so I took the opportunity to get out into the garden and get some fresh air. You just don't realise how much you take it for granted until you're couped up in the house all day everyday.

I had a big pile of dirty plant pots from this year's seedlings and pottings on and I'd been meaning to wash them for a while. I was waiting for a sunny day, but in the end a cloudy, grey one sufficed. It felt good to get them all clean and tidied away, ready for next spring and just to spend some time outside.

As it was almost the end of the month, I did some month end paperwork too. I haven't spent as much money this month, mainly because of the virus, which is one positive outcome at least. I can hardly believe that we're now in September, which in the shop means the start of the run up to Christmas, believe it or not.

OH decided to purchase an electric bike on Sunday. He's been thinking about it for a while. It's for all of us to use; me for work, him for getting about town when necessary to meet clients, LB if she wants to use it. It folds up apparently, so is easy to take to meetings, on public transport, etc., although it's too heavy for me to carry. It's quite exciting. I'm wondering how much time it will shave off my commute, but I'm a bit wary and will need a bit of practice before I head off to work on it. 

Bank Holiday Monday was another quiet day at home. LB was working again. OH and I decided to clear out the garden shed, which was another long overdue job. OH did most of it, as I was too scared of coming across scary big spiders. We managed to reduce the amount in there by quite a bit and created a pile of stuff to take to the tip. Another satisfying job done and ticked off the list.

I spent most of the rest of the day reading, finishing off another book. I had to break the news to my Manager on his return to the UK, that I was off work with Covid. He seemed pretty chilled about it. The weather here has been cold and grey all weekend. It suddenly feels very autumnal.

Tuesday, was my last day of self-isolation. I can't wait to burst out of the house tomorrow and take the dog for a walk. This will then be followed by a a grocery shop, as we're running low on a lot of things. I wrote out the shopping list in readiness today. I also had a chat with my Manager. I should be returning to work on Thursday, all being well.

The electric bike arrived today and OH set it up and charged it ready for me to try it out. It's exciting, but also a little scary.

I emptied the ironing basket today, in readiness for heading back to work and then spent most of the rest of the afternoon reading. Looking forward to getting busy again.

On Wednesday, I was finally out of self-isolation. I took a lateral flow test before leaving the house and was happy to see that it was negative. First job of the day was to walk the dog. It felt so nice to go out for a walk with her for the first time in 10 days, breathing in fresh air, throwing the ball for her. I think she was happy that I was out and about with her again too.

Later, I had some lunch and then went out to do a grocery shop, as we were running out of food. I wore a mask and  gloves and was very careful not to get too close to anyone, as I felt very conscious of having had the virus recently.

When I got back I felt quite tired. I spent the rest of the afternoon binge watching Marie Kondo's new series on Netflix. There were only three episodes, so I watched them all. I didn't get around to trying out the electric bike as I didn't want to go out again. 

On Thursday, I headed back to work. I took my bike, as I couldn't face wearing a mask on the bus. My legs felt a bit wobbly at first, as I hadn't done any exercise for two weeks, but it didn't feel too bad. Work was busy, there were lots of donations to sort and clothes to price. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before I get caught up with the backlog. I did my best for my first day back, but didn't overdo it. I'm going to take it steady, as I still feel pretty tired after having had the virus. It was good to get back though.

Friday, I was off work again and all I had to do was walk the dog, do the washing up, do some banking, a bit of laundry and try out the electric bike. I did all for the first four things in the morning and then I felt really tired and spent the afternoon in bed. I guess it was the previous day returning to work catching up with me.

Saturday, I got up and got showered and ready to go back to work again. I was feeling less tired today, but I still decided to take it steady. As quick as I'm clearing the donations, more are coming in. I don't personally care. I can only do so much, hence we'll catch up when we catch up. 

I'm starting to feel like I'm getting back to normal, which is a good thing. It's been a horrible few weeks, but at least I should now have some natural immunity for the next few months, on account of having had the virus and I should be unlikely to catch it again for a while.