Day 628

Day 628...

One more Monday and another Monday not working and so a steady start to the day was in order.

We then ventured out of the house to a local supermarket to pick up a few bits and pieces. We enjoyed a quick fifteen minute shop without masks and marvelled at all those wearing masks and how despondent they all looked. We were in the same store this time last week the day before 'mask mandates' were reintroduced for shops when about seventy percent of the people were mask free, today we were definitely in the minority.

But with shopping done we headed home and had an impromptu leaf clearing session; tomorrow sees our last garden refuse collection for a couple of months so we decided to brave the rain and fill our bin with as many of the leaves as we could manage.

After putting the shopping away we headed out for coffee and the last trip out in one of our cars. At the well known coffee shop that starts and ends with an 'S' we marveled at the lack of thought displayed by those around us. Person walks into coffee shop with a mask on, orders coffee, takes coffee to a table and sits down, mask comes off, person forgets something and walks back to the counter without their mask on...just doesn't make any sense to me. If you think masks work why would you be taking it off and on in an open space?  Do they think that the virus will not 'get them' if they're sat down? Do they not realise that the virus could be in the air and could be anywhere inside the coffee shop and wearing a mask to enter and leave and not when sat down makes no difference to the virus? I just don't get the logic, or rather lack of logic being displayed by the public at large. All I see is people blindly doing as they are told and not questioning what they are being told, or is it simply that they just don't want to rock the boat?

We've been doing all these various restrictions on and off for over twenty months and nothing has worked to curb the spread so why would it suddenly start working now? And don't get me started about the studies that have proved masks do not work as we are being told. How about we start treating this like the flu...if you feel ill stay at home and if you get really bad seek medical help otherwise let everyone go about their business as normal without restrictions or mandates. Let us make our own decisions about our bodies and what we put into them rather than imposing, or threatening conditions just for the vague chance we can live a little more 'normal'. We need to stop scaring the public and go back to life...but I fear that is a long way off as it feels like some out there are benefiting from all this scaremongering, from all this fear inducing too much to go back now.

And breathe...

The remainder of the day was mainly spent sorting a few of my kitchen cupboards...I know exciting stuff! But they were long over due a clear out and needed reorganising. About half way through the afternoon the garage we are buying our new electric car from brought us over a courtesy car and have taken our two cars away until such time as we are ready to take delivery of the new car. We have reached out again to the contractor due to carry out our electrical work and are waiting for them to get in touch. I shall be glad when all this is sorted and I never have to hear the phrase 'ground works' again. On the plus side the courtesy car is an updated model of our old cars and is very snazzy although I did have to take five minutes to sit in the car and figure out what everything does!!

The day was then rounded out with a little time spent on my next jigsaw before we headed down our 'gym' for a quick weight workout session.

Monday is done so I will see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 573

Day 573...

Today was another Tuesday and another day with the morning spent in work and the afternoon at home.

The morning was all pretty standard sort of stuff with the usual admin bits and bobs and then it was home to grab a bite to eat before more car research for Molly.

Between Molly and I we had found a couple of cars that were within Molly's budget and so Molly had messaged the dealers yesterday to see if the cars were still available and whether we could pop over to see them. Well one dealer started off all positive but then went very quiet. The other dealer didn't respond initially but seemed to wake-up mid-morning and was happy for us to go and visit...the only problem was we couldn't figure out where they were located as we had two different post codes and then we found some reviews. The reviews were not good and as they were a thirty minute drive away we decided not to pursue them any further!

So it was back to the laptop to see what else we could find. We found a couple of cars at a dealers that were in the right price bracket, the insurance was doable and the write-ups on the cars sounded very appealing. Realising the dealer was only 8 miles away we decided to take a chance and we jumped in my car and headed over there. We found the dealer really easily, in fact they were exactly where I thought they would be...the only problem was that the dealership had closed, the car lot was empty and there was a 'To Rent' sign!

It didn't seem that we were having much luck so it was back home for a coffee and yet more laptop time. Well, we have found a couple of cars, and both are close to where we are. One car won't be available until the end of the week but the other car, after making contact with the dealer, is still available. Molly messaged the dealer and asked if we could possibly see the car today...but then everything went quiet! But about an hour later Molly's phone rang and it was the dealer wanting to chat about when she could go and see the car!. He was very chatty and told Molly a little more about the car and we have now said we will visit on Friday afternoon to see if it's the car for her.

It's all very exciting and now Molly just needs to make sure she can get the insurance sorted at a good price and then just maybe she may have a car to call her own!

We had a quick 'gym' workout this evening before Molly jumped online with her girlfriends. One positive that has been taken forward out of lockdown is the use of Zoom...this means that Molly and her 'squad' can all get together despite the fact that they all now live in different parts of the country because of work and study.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 572 - Success

Day 572...

Today was the day...the day of Molly taking her driving test!

It was an early start as her test was scheduled for 8.57am and she had a lesson beforehand starting around 8am. I'm not sure who was more nervous and anxious me, Simon or Molly?!

As she left the house at 8am she seemed very calm and composed. Being the organised person that she is she had sorted everything that she needed with her the night before and even had a thank you card and present ready for her driving instructor in case all went well.

I on the other hand had had a disturbed nights sleep, my stomach was doing butterflies and I was trying not to look at the clock and find things to keep myself occupied. Then at 9.38am WhatsApp pinged and we got the message we'd been hoping for -  'Passed! On way home'. Yay! We were so relieved and so happy for her as not only did she deserve to pass for all the hours of driving she has done but simply because she is a good driver!

But the biggest thing is that this now means her life can start to move forward as she wants it to. After starting to learn to drive in February of 2020 she then had to cope with the uncertainty that the pandemic brought. After lessons were re-started she really didn't know if she felt physically safe and comfortable starting them again and then when she felt she was ready we were hit with further and longer lockdowns. We were able to start getting her out and about around April/May time and after she passed her theory test in May the earliest date for her practical test was today.

So today has been a long while coming and at the back of all of our minds was the horrible question of what happens if Molly doesn't pass today? The waiting time to get a test date at the moment is horrendous and her driving instructor confirmed that had she not have passed the next date would have been around April 2022! But we don't have to worry about that as she has passed!!!

The great thing is she can now start doing all the things that she wants to do and that being able to drive gives her the freedom to do. She will be able to get out and about under her own steam to take photographs when and wherever she likes, as I know this is something that she has missed being able to do. It also means that she can now move in with her boyfriend and start their life together; we have big changes ahead!

But with the relief of passing we headed out for a celebratory 'coffee and cake' and from there we went in search of a car dealership where Molly had spotted a car for sale that was within her budget. It's a tricky business buying a car when you're Molly's age as not only does she have to consider the cost of the car but also the cost of the insurance which is more often than not more than the cost of the car itself!

We found the dealership but unfortunately the car Molly had seen on their website had been sold and although they had another car of a similar age and price it didn't tick all the boxes for Molly. This meant the rest of our afternoon was spent online searching for suitable cars. Between me and Molly we have found a couple of cars local to us and have made contact with the dealers to see if we can arrange to go view them tomorrow. Molly needs to get a car sorted sooner rather than later so she can keep up her driving and get herself sorted for the next big step in her life.

The day was rounded out with Molly's first kickboxing class of the week for which we had to provide the transport as she is not insured to drive our car at the moment as she is saving her pennies to put towards her own car!

See you all tomorrow.
xx