Weekly Blog - W/E 14th November 2021

This week started is it's usual slow and chilled way. I got up, showered, put on some washing and then took the dog out for a long walk. When I got back I made some lunch and watched a few YouTube videos. Quite a few people I follow post on Sundays, so there are always quite a few to catch up on.

After lunch, I decided to head up to the sewing room and try to machine sew the chair cover that I'd been working on the day before. It took quite a few hours to complete, approximately 4, because I made a few mistakes and had to redo bits of it. Eventually though, it was finished, which felt very satisfying because it's the first time I've ever made anything so complicated without a pattern.

I used some crimping shears to cut any excess fabric off the inside edges, crimp them to stop them fraying and to reduce bulk and then I put it back on the chair to check that it looked okay, which it did. There's just a few loose threads to finish off and some velcro to sew on to it so that it fits more snugly and then I need to make the cushion cover to match. I'm hoping to have it finished before Christmas, as we're probably going to move back into the back reception room where the chair is this winter, as it is much cosier and has the wood burner (although we're not intending to use it much because of the pollution it causes).

For supper, OH went out to get us a takeaway, which was a very rare treat and he also picked up a few bits of shopping that we needed.  After supper, I did the washing up, which had been collecting for a couple of days, hung out some laundry and then OH and I finished watching a film about Anti-slavery campaigner Harriet Tubman on Netflix, which was very good. There seem to have been lots of new things added to Netflix this month which is good. We shall enjoy watching many of them.

Monday, was a pretty normal unexciting day too. Zumba in the morning, weekly shop, the usual. In the afternoon, I had every intention of doing some ironing, but felt really tired, so I had a nap on the sofa before taking the dog for a walk.

When I got back, I got myself into gear and cooked up some offal for the dog, made some pickled red onion for my salads through the week and then peeled and froze some shallots that we grew on the allotment. After doing all this I cleared and washed up and then sat down to watch some TV. OH and LB went to the local cinema to see Dune, but it wasn't my kind of thing, so I stayed home and had a very chilled evening.

Tuesday, I was back at work. I took the electric bike. I was disappointed that it only knocked 10 minutes off my commute, but I was a lot less tired after riding it, which is probably more significant. It can really whizz up an inclines, which is fantastic. I'd put aside a special saddle bag type thing at work to see if it would fit the electric bike, but unfortunately the rack on the bike was too wide, so I'll need to carry a rucksack to work for the forseeable, at least until we get some sort of bag that will fit the rack.

There was lots to do when I got to work, especially as I hadn't been there for three days. I just got stuck in and got through most of what I wanted to achieve. 

On Wednesday I was due at the doctor's to have some blood tests at 11.10 am, so I walked the dog and then headed there. I had to fast from waking up because one blood test was for cholesterol which required it. However, when I got to the doctor's surgery, I wasn't booked in for this test and was told I had to get the doctor's permission to have it. I was not pleased having fasted for over 12 hours. The HCA said she did take the test, so hopefully that, at least, was one more thing done from my to do list. This one's been on there for a good six months.

For the remainder of Wednesday, I did more of the ironing on my ironing pile, which was quite large. I watched an Xmas movie as I did so, which made it more bearable.

Thursday and I was back at work, my last working day this week as I took Saturday as time in lieu for the extra hours I did whilst the Manager was away. I did so because OH and I were going to Cardiff for the weekend.

Work on Thursday was okay, but whilst on my way home on my bike I witnessed the aftermath of some sort of accident on my cycle route. Not sure if it was a pedestrian or a cyclist that was lying in the road being attended to by paramedics, but it was a horrible reminder of the dangers of cycling. I hope they weren't too badly injured.

On Friday, I spent the morning packing for our weekend away and tidying up the house before we left. We set off after 1pm, taking the dog with us. We were staying in a hotel opposite Cardiff Castle, in the centre of Cardiff for two nights. OH was attending a track cycling event just outside of Cardiff and we decided to make a weekend of it. We didn't realise that our weekend coincided with a big Wales rugby match on the Sunday, at the Cardiff Arms stadium a stone's throw from the hotel, so the city was very busy.

On Friday night, we took a walk around the part of the city centre and ate at an authentic Indian street food restaurant which was nice.  A bit too spicy for my taste, but good. We then had a drink in the hotel bar before retiring for the night.

On Saturday morning, we headed off to the velodrome where OH was competing and I stayed to watch some of the races. He then took me back to Cardiff centre and returned alone for the afternoon session. I then took the dog on a walk around Bute Park, opposite our hotel and found a few charity shops that would allow her in, so I could do a bit of shopping. We caught the bus back to the hotel though, as by the time we had finished, we were both very tired.

Later, after OH got back, we had arranged to meet up with a friend of his from University and went out to an Italian restaurant in a quieter part of town, where we had a lovely meal and a good catch up, as we hadn't seen his friend for a good few years. This was followed by a drink in a local bar, before heading back to the hotel.

On Sunday, we got up early and took the dog for a walk around the perimeter of the walls of Cardiff Castle before heading to breakfast.  We had to check out of the hotel quite early, as the roads get closed off for the rugby match and we didn't want to get trapped there whilst crowds of fans descended. We headed off home, making a couple of stops on the way. One to walk the dog along the beach of the estuary under the old Severn Bridge.

The second was a bit of a diversion to the Oxfam Superstore in Oxford, which I've always been curious to visit. It's a new concept large charity store, housed in a purpose built warehouse type building on a business park, with a cafe and vast sales floor. It was interesting to see it and of course, I couldn't help but buy a few bits whilst I was there.  We also had some food in the cafe, which was very tasty and reasonably priced.

After this second stop, we headed back to London, happy to be home again after a busy weekend.