Back to the Gym

Today, I finally went back to the gym to attend a Zumba class, for the first time in four months. It was exciting to go back and do an actual class along with other people.  The sports centre seemed to be taking the situation very seriously. We had to queue outside the door until the time of our class, at which point the teacher led us all inside (two metres apart).

En route, we swiped our membership cards at the barrier and continued into the high ceilinged sports hall, where 2m squared boxes were taped across the floor, so we each had a box to exercise in. There was the usual hand sanitiser available to use on entry and we didn't need to touch anything the whole way through.

The class was good, and it was so nice to finally be back at Zumba after such a long absence, probably the longest I've not gone to exercise classes in 10 years or more. It felt a little strange and some of the music and moves were unfamiliar and new to me, but I enjoyed it all the same.

At the end of the class, we were all led out of a fire exit and found ourselves back outside, so we didn't even need to pass back through the sports centre, which was good. There were only 11 of us who attended, plus the teacher, although the hall accommodated 35. I'm not so sure I'd enjoy it so much in a full class, but I could cope with this number and it was nice to have a chat with the odd familiar face before heading home.

I didn't enjoy the actual car journey over to the gym, however. As it was a really hot day today and people were out in droves, both in cars and on foot, so it was very busy. I was very happy to get home and just chill for the rest of the day out of the heat of the sun and away from the crowds.

I may try a different class next week as I heard that a friend of mine is attending a class on a Wednesday, so I may book that one and give it a try. That is assuming we still have the freedom to do so, as nothing can be taken for granted at the moment.

Change is in the Air

There seems to be some changes in the air since we emerged from lockdown.

At work, my job share fellow Deputy Manager resigned during lockdown and didn't return to the shop, as he is selling his house and moving out of London shortly. It's an exciting new phase in his life, so I'm happy for him, in spite of the fact that it was a bit of a surprise, to say the least. Interviews for his replacement will be some time in August, the outcome of which will be interesting.

At home, change is on the horizon too, our next door neighbours, who we've lived next door to since we moved here 12 or 13 years ago, are also moving on to pastures new in London, mainly to accommodate more home working I believe. It will probably affect our daughter the most, as she has grown up next door to and gone to school with one of their daughters and although they have different friendship groups, they've always got on well.

It's given me slightly itchy feet, but I'm trying to resist them.

Yesterday, there were lots of comings and goings next door with potential buyers viewing the property. It will be interesting to see further down the line who our new neighbours will be.

Are any changes happening around you at the moment?

Catch Up

I'm off work for two days again, as another working week has come to an end. Work is going OK. We've increased our acceptance of donations to two days per week now the Shop Manager has returned and we are now open for 5 days per week. Consequently, the amount we are taking has increased a little, but it is still a third overall of what we took before lockdown, whilst many of the small outlying shops are doing better than before lockdown. It feels a little demoralising, we have so much good stock, but very few shoppers compared to before Covid-19. I guess it's the turn of other shops to be successful, we just have to dig in and keep doing all we can. I'm sure things will slowly improve as more people go back to work.

I'm still cycling to work and am working on alternate days at the moment, so that I get a rest day in between. I am finding it easier the more I get used to it, especially with the new bike. I took delivery of a padded seat cover and water bottle that I'd ordered from Decathalon this week, so I'm gradually getting better equipped for the journey. Any little thing that makes it easier is so worth it. I still need to buy another couple of pairs of cheap (£5.99) cycling shorts from Decathalon, so I've got a clean pair for each day I ride to work, but they're out of my size at the moment.

Face mask wearing in shops came into operation on Friday and is another thing that we have to try to be mindful of. Most people are very responsible and do wear them.  Some don't and have to be reminded to put them on. In our shop, staff are expected to wear them to make the customers feel safe. I have to admit that I enjoy getting on my bike at the end of the day and not wearing one whilst I ride home.  Being able to breathe in fresh air feels very liberating. If I catch the bus, that's another two hours of the day that I have to spend wearing one. OH doesn't know how I manage to do it, as he hates wearing them, even for short amounts of time, but does where necessary.

I'm finding that I have a little more energy on my days off these days.  I think this is partly because cycling is actually quite energising and also I am working shorter days which helps. I can't say that I'm doing anything particularly energetic on my days off though, but I am finding myself able to keep on top of chores a bit more. My gym has re-opened this weekend, but the classes on offer did not really appeal, so I will just have to wait until they extend the timetable.  It may be a few weeks yet before I return.

Work on the house is plodding on at a very slow pace, mainly because OH is busy with work again now and is cycling much more. Progress is being made though, which is something.

I bought some new cushion covers for the living room from the charity shop the other week.  I like them as they are very colourful. I want to buy a new armchair and have seen a few I like, but haven't really got the money at the moment. We're also looking for a new TV stand/unit, so I've been looking around for something suitable lately too.

OH bought LB a new chest of drawers from IKEA this week, as her old set wasn't big enough and she put them together herself. I helped a tiny bit by screwing a few screws in, something I've never done before, but we were proud of her for being so independent.  Her old set of drawers, I put out on the street and a neighbour took them within minutes which was good.

I am currently reading this new to me book that I also bought from work, called Re-engineering Retail by Doug Stephens. It is a really interesting and timely read. It is about the transformative changes going on in retail at the moment.  It was written pre-Covid, (which has only served to exacerbate further changes and a move towards more online shopping) and puts forward some very interesting ideas of where retail is heading in the future.

This morning, I did some more work on my mosaic bird bath project. Progress is very slow, as I have to be in the right mood to work on it, but a bit of progress was made today. The top of the dish is now ready to grout. Here's a picture:

I don't have any plans for the next two days.  It is near the end of the month and I am trying not to spend money I don't currently have, so it will be a case of pottering at home and doing a bit of cleaning, ironing, etc.  Besides, the weather is very changeable this weekend. It has just started raining heavily as I write this, which although good for the garden and refilling the water butts, is not so good for OH, who is currently out cycling in it.

I hope that you're enjoying your weekend whatever you are doing.

New Post Series - Recent Ebay Purchases

During Lockdown, I've posted a couple of times about how I tended to buy the things that I needed on eBay. I am still continuing to use eBay quite a lot now I'm back at work, as I'm not too bothered about heading out to the shops these days.  As a consequence, I thought I would start a new series of blog posts about some of the kind of items that I buy on eBay.

The items I buy vary widely in their use.  Some might be clothing or accessories, others might be for our home, especially as we're decorating at the moment. I also often buy random things for the garden or vintage items that take my fancy.

On Monday, for example, the postman delivered three items that I'd recently ordered.  None of them were very expensive. First, was this collection of black buttons.  The ones in the photograph are the ones from the order that I liked the best, as they are all vintage buttons.  As I'm often switching out buttons on vintage clothing items I buy, these are very useful to add to my collection for future use. I paid £4 for these, including postage, and there were others in the parcel that were more modern that I have not pictured here.

The second item that arrived this morning, was this lovely gold coloured picture frame. I paid about £6 for this, but it's very pretty. I'm changing over most of the picture frames in our living room, from silver coloured ones to gilt or gold coloured, to fit in with other items in the room. This was one that I found and liked and that wasn't too expensive. I want a mixture of different styles to give a more eclectic look. I was very happy with this one when it arrived and it now contains a photo of LB that fitted the frame perfectly.

The last parcel that arrived today, contained this pair of ceramic keyhole escutcheons, that I bought to add to the doors in both of our living rooms.  We have some already in place, but they are broken and need replacing. I may order one more set of these, as I am still one short. I just bought a set of two to make sure they fitted and they do.  These cost £4.99 including postage and come with the screws to fix them in place.

Finally, I've added one other item to this post, that I bought on eBay a couple of weeks ago, just because I love it.  It is this lovely handmade corsage.  It is so pretty. I bought it to wear to Swing Dancing events, when they eventually resume, as it has a lovely vintage feel about it. I can't wait to wear it, but I fear that it might be quite a long time until I get the chance. This was a little more expensive at about £11, but I think it is worth it and as you can see from the photograph, the packaging was beautifully done.

A Trip to Columbia Road Flower Market

On Sunday, for some reason, I woke up feeling a bit low. Not sure why, I guess the rollercoaster of lockdown still affects you even when you are back at work.  That's what I put it down to anyway.

As a consequence, OH and I decided to do something different. He is normally cycling on a Sunday morning, but this particular weekend he'd cycled on Saturday instead, so it was unusual for us to be able to go out and do something together and we decided to visit Columbia Road Flower Market in East London.

Twenty years ago, we lived quite close to the market and went there a lot, but in recent years we've hardly ever visited it, as it gets very crowded.  We sometimes go when visitors come to stay, but otherwise seldom bother.  However, I had read recently, that it had re-opened post Covid, with a new one way system to facilitate social distancing and was quieter due to the few tourists currently in London, which helped to convince me to give it a try.

It was quite busy by the time we got there at 10.30am, but it was nice to have a walk around. There were only stalls on one side of the street, which made it easier to navigate the market and most people stuck to the one way system.  Social distancing wasn't great as people did gather around some of the stalls, but it was okay. There was a great selection of indoor and outdoor plants, plus flowers and herbs, etc.

I managed to buy a couple more fern plants for the end of the garden. These were much less expensive than the ones I'd bought at the garden centre the other week (£7 less each!), as I got two for £10. These are the ones I bought:

OH also treated me to a ceramic pot for my solar water fountain.  We chose this turquoise fish scale design pot, which we both thought was very pretty. I still need some large pebbles to put in the bottom, but it is relaxing to watch it from the kitchen table.

Anyway, here's a few pictures from the market:

I might visit again before things get really busy, as the prices of the plants sold there are very reasonable.

We finished our morning by getting a bagel from the best bagel shop in East London on Brick Lane. A real trip down memory lane that really helped to lift my mood.

Post-Lockdown Vintage Haul

Today, I remembered that I hadn't yet posted about the vintage clothing I purchased on my first post-Lockdown visit to Mile End Vintage three or four weeks ago. They were having a 'Fill a Bag Sale' for their first week of opening, where you can fill a small bag for £10 or a larger bag for £20. I, of course, filled a small bag, as did LB, who accompanied me on my vintage shopping adventure.

I wanted to wash and iron the clothes before I did a post and that has now been done, so here goes with what I bought.

My first stop was the scarf bin, where I picked out a few scarves. A black and cream polka dot square scarf, a khaki polka dot scarf that I can use to put in my hair and a neon pink polka dot infinity scarf to wear when riding my bike, as it's really bright, but it's been too warm to wear it recently.

The clothing I bought included 4 blouses, one dress and a summer play suit. I also put a sweater for LB in my bag too. I couldn't try anything on, as the changing rooms were not in use, so some things ended up being a little small, but I might hang on to them for a while, just in case.

My favourite purchase was this blue and white seersucker playsuit. I'm pretty sure it must be from the 1950's or earlier. It is just so cute. It fits me around the bottom half, which was surprising and is quite flattering, but the shirt part is a little small. I can wear it unbuttoned though, with a vest underneath and a belt, which looks okay. It is in perfect condition, save for two small white paint marks on one side which aren't that noticable. I really like it. It was such a find for less than £2.

My second favourite item was this very pretty lightweight blouse with a kind of french style print on it. It is so light and perfect for wearing in the summer, plus it fits quite well and is a flattering style.

My next favourite item was a navy sleeveless button through dress. It fits well, possibly a little tight, but when I first tried it on, it had a sewn in lining that made the skirt pucker up. I decided to remove this, which took a little while to unpick, but once I had done it, it fitted a lot better. This too will be good to wear on hot summer days.

I also bought a couple of pussy bow blouses, one in a mustard colour and another in a cream and black polka dot print. Both are a bit on the small side, but could be worn under a sweater in the autumn, hence why I am keeping them for now. They are in perfect condition though.

Finally, I bought a khaki cotton blouse, which also was a little small, but I will keep it for a while, just in case of a miracle, such as possibly losing a bit of weight by cycling to work. You never know.

A good little haul, but just a pity about not being able to try things on. I'd love to go again in a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure if I will, as I have very little room in my wardrobe to buy anything else. I do like the thrill of not knowing what I might find though, as I always seem to come home with a few treasures.

A Free Friday

I had a free Friday again this week, it was lovely to just stay home after three intense days at work.  I cycled to work the first two days and took the bus on the third day, as I felt myself getting progressively more tired and as a consequence the time it took me to ride there got progressively longer.

I didn't have any plans for today, other than to have a rest, but when I got up this morning and went into the bathroom to get showered, I just had to clean it, as it was in a real mess. It was the one room that I didn't get around to cleaning before returning to work, as I ran out of time. I felt a lot better when it was done.

I was able to have a leisurely walk with the dog today for a change, no time limits, which was a lot more relaxed than on work days, when I always have to get  back by a certain time to set off for work. It was a pretty hot day, so it was good that we could take it easy and stay in the shade where possible.

The only things I had to do today were to collect a prescription from the chemist, do the washing up which had accumulated over the previous couple of days and do some washing, so that I had clean bike shorts to wear to ride to work in tomorrow.

I managed all of the above and also had time to play with my new little gadget that I ordered on eBay after seeing it featured in a video on Gardner's World last week.  Here it is:

A solar powered water fountain.

I've wanted a water feature in the garden for a while now, but didn't want the hassle of pipes and electricity supply.  When I saw this, I thought how perfect, so immediately looked for one online. It cost about £10, which although not super cheap, was reasonable.

It comes with 4 different nozzles to get different height and powered sprays and is purported to last for 10,000 hours. I had to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. It will only work in full sun, so if you put it in any shade it won't work, but that's fine by me as we have a south facing garden and get plenty of sun for most of the day. It probably won't be used in this trifle bowl, but that was all I could find to try it out in.

I also received a little freebie in the post today too. This doggie protein strip, sent to me by Tesco, along with a couple of vouchers for other products from the brand.  These will get used on my next supermarket trip, as I've bought products from this brand before.

Tonight, was Pizza night, so I didn't have to cook, OH always takes care of the pizzas. I just needed to iron a few things for work tomorrow, which I did whilst watching Gardener's World, of course.

There's been a definite feminist flavour to TV watching this week. OH and I have been enjoying Mrs America on iPlayer. It's a great series based around the fight to facilitate/prevent getting the Equal Rights Amendment through Congress in the US in the 1970s. Each episode adopts the viewpoint of one of the different characters in the battle.  It is really fascinating and covers a period of history that I had very little knowledge of.

In a similar vein, I recorded a couple of great programmes from the TV this week, the first was entitled Germaine Bloody Greer and was all about the career of the infamous writer of The Female Eunuch. She's probably a bit like marmite, as in you probably love or hate her, but it was a really interesting programme and I admire her for being a female voice of dissent, who highlighted the chauvinism women faced in the 1970's. 

The second programme was all about Virago, the feminist publishing house started in the 1960s or 70s. I've been a big fan of their Virago Modern Classics books for years and have a shelf full of them.  I find them to be some of the hardest books to give away, as I have really enjoyed reading them, so I tend to just keep them and add to the collection. The programme was really interesting and highlighted the company's success from very humble origins. It also cast light on the infighting that occurred at different times in the history of the company, mainly at times when the company had to be sold to survive. I love what they did for Women's literature, which included bringing many novels written by women back into print for later generations to enjoy and it is great that they are still going strong today.

(In case you didn't know, part of my degree at University was in Gender Studies, so the above programmes were right up my street. I wish there were more programmes on TV like these.)

Anyway, I'm back at work tomorrow, cycling in again.  Our Shop Manager should be returning from furlough, so it will be interesting to see what he thinks of what we've done in the shop.  Takings at work are still very low compared to pre-Covid, but at least we managed to open the shop a few more days this week, so we should have raised more money than last week. It seems that the shops outside Central London are faring much better, so it may take a good while for us to get anywhere near how well we were doing before lockdown, if we ever do. For the moment, all we can do is our best.