Day 132

Day 132...

And the day started with our meat delivery...yep we use a butchers in Scotland and about every 6 weeks or so have a delivery of top quality meat.

It arrives in refrigerated packaging and then we have the job of splitting it in to manageable portions that can then go in the freezer. When the parcel arrived this morning I had to get it over the doorstep by rolling it and then relied on Molly being able to pick it up and get it into the kitchen...just a tad on the heavy size!

All wrapped to keep chilled

And we're in...

So we had angus beef burgers, steak mince, bacon, chicken, sausages and sirloin steaks...I think it's fair to say we are definitely a carnivore family.

It must have took me and Molly about an hour to split it all into portion sizes to then go into the freezer. We have been really pleased with the meat from this butchers (Rendalls) and having a large order delivered every month or so saves me having to worry about getting it on my weekly shop and the quality is great, plus I get to support a UK smaller business.

We took our usual walk out at lunch time and although it was very windy it was sunny and relatively warm and we managed another couple of miles.

The first part of my afternoon was actually taken up with pre-school work as I'd remembered I needed to send my team their wage slips as it was pay day. I then also had a few emails to respond to and took another phone call from a parent looking for childcare starting this September.

My next job was to tackle the bench we'd brought home yesterday as all the ironwork and wooden slats needed sanding down before we can re-paint it and breathe some new life into it. So after a quick lesson on using a mouse sander from Simon I set to and although I didn't get it all done today I am probably about two thirds of the way there. When I looked at the clock and saw it was 7pm I thought I'd better stop for the day!

And that was today...short and sweet and productive.

Take care out there, stay safe and wear a mask.

xx

Day 34

Day 34...

First job of the day was to dig out my slow cooker from the back of the cupboard and figure out how to work it. Ashamed to say after initially using it quite a bit it got pushed to the back of the cupboard and forgotten about. But after asking for some input on meal suggestions this week and Molly repeatedly asking for Beef Bourguinon 'like you used to do' I thought I'd better make the effort.

So with that all set up and filling the kitchen with yummy smells I got on with some pre-school work. A few emails to chase and information to get out to parents along with some other admin bits and pieces.

We took another walk out at lunchtime, this time just under 2 miles in about 39 minutes. It was another bright sunny day but still battling against the wind for most of the walk and today we took a hillier route!

I made some more progress reading Dr Shawn Baker's book The Carnivore Diet while I sat outside with a coffee soaking up some more vitamin D. Definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their health, speaks so much sense and is delivered in a very easy to read and easy to understand way. I've got two more books lined up after this one; Dr Paul Saladino's Carnivore Code and Ted Naiman's The P:E Diet. I figure at this point in time anything I can glean from these books that help to keep us healthy and bolster immune systems is a good thing!

A little at home workout later this afternoon while Molly and Simon went 'down the gym' preceded the eating of the beef bourguinon which I have to say was rather yummy and a success all round...will have to see what other dishes I can cook up.

A short post today as we become used to this new way of life; I started writing these posts to document the 'lockdown', to be a reminder of what we endured and how we got through it. We can do no more than just get on with and accept the situation that we are in. We can but hope that those in charge can come up with sensible plans to get us through this and out the other side. That they hopefully recognise that this is a marathon and not a sprint and that perhaps just taking things at a cautious speed may stop us from being in a cycle of repeated lockdowns. There is so much information flying around out there, so many different points of view that it's difficult to know how to react to it all. All I know is that the sacrifices we are making now by staying home must be worth something, they cannot be in vain.

xx

Day 33

Day 33...

Today would have been the start of our Summer term at pre-school but instead we remain closed and are doing our part by staying home. We know the lockdown is in place for at least another three weeks, and I would guess probably longer, and when it does get lifted we have no idea yet how that is going to take place. Lots of unknowns and all we can really do at the moment is keep on keeping on.

The day started with a very productive morning of collecting the shopping, wiping it all down and packing it all away and that always takes way longer than you think it should. Although me and Molly are getting it down to a fine art...bit of Disney music blasting out and we just knuckle down and get it sorted!

It was another beautiful day so that meant another walk out in the sunshine with another 2 miles completed in 39 minutes; although it felt like it took us longer as we were walking into a very strong headwind on the way back which really took it out of us!

The afternoon turned out to be a very relaxed affair. We had coffee sat out in the garden and did some reading; I'm still digesting Shawn Baker's The Carnivore Code and Simon has just started reading Ted Naiman's The P:E Diet. Anyone would think we are interested in living the healthiest life that we can. Decided to take a few photos...

 I then received a delivery...

...so two new jigsaws to do, just got to decide which one to do first!

I also had another go at doing some drawing...decided to take a couple of 'toys' and use them as reference...

 ...the Donald Duck toy was from Disneyland Paris and was a special gift left in our hotel room the year we celebrated Ethan's birthday there...so this must be about 16 or 17 years old now!

Don't think I did too bad...Mickey probably came out the better, but at least I had a go!

So another day done in this bizarre situation that we all find ourselves in, but one that I think we are adapting to as the days go on, settling into a routine and accepting that this is just the way things are for the time being. It is going to be really interesting moving forward to see how this all unfolds, how it leaves us all feeling once we get to the other side and whether we ever truly return to life as it was before or whether we learn to live in a new evolved world...only time will tell.

xx

Day 30

Day 30...

Another bright day here today but definitely a cooler day. The day started with an impromptu podcast recording session with my fellow Disney Dream Girl, Michelle. We have a number of our listeners who support the show financially through Patreon and we try to record a special show just for them every few weeks. Today we chatted about online Disney shopping, Disney + and how this current situation is affecting our plans to visit the Disney parks.

Michelle has a couple of trips lined up for the early part of this Summer and so it is looking extremely unlikely that these will now happen. We had been in the process of thinking about booking to go to Walt Disney World. We had been chatting about when we should go, which resort we would like to stay at, whether the kids wanted to come with us and more, but had thankfully not taken the plunge to book anything. After 7 years away from Walt Disney World we are more than ready to get back there. It was great to get to Disneyland Paris last August but Walt Disney World is what I would call my 'home' park. The last few years have not been conducive to planning a trip; there were financial considerations, the impact of family members illnesses and demands and then my own brush with breast cancer all just added up. Finally we find ourselves in the position to actually book something and then this comes along - really?!

I know that going to Disney is not the be all and end all of everything and that us being together as a family all fit and healthy is so much more important but I still can't help feeling that someone is playing a cruel trick on us. I don't wish to sound all 'woe is me' but we have scrimped and saved and endured a lot over the last 7 years and we really didn't think it was too much to ask to just get to do something that we have been dreaming about for so long. I know will we get back there one day but at the moment that one day feels an awfully long way away.

This week we should have been having new wardrobes fitted in our bedroom so that's not happened and we have no idea when that will happen now. I had an email today to say that a concert we were booked to see in May, that had initially been postponed, had now been cancelled and a refund was being issued. We have also had a burlesque evening in May and a comedy gig in April cancelled as well. Oh and my latest tattoo's should have happened at the beginning of April so they are on hold too. I think seeing things that you had planned just get scribbled out on the calendar can be a very sobering moment.

The rest of my morning was spent doing some research for an upcoming Disney Dream Girls podcast and then we took our usual 2 mile lunchtime walk in just 38 minutes - beating our best time by 2 minutes!

I did some more reading today as I got further through The Carnivore Diet and took advantage while the sun shone and sat out on the patio while I read, figured best keep my vitamin D levels topped up!

There was also another little attempt at drawing...

So there we are, another day done with a new day tomorrow. The days may not be panning out as they were planned but we are here, we are healthy and we are together and that's all that really counts at the moment. Yes it can be tough some days, yes it can be repetitive and yes it's hard not knowing what the long term effect of all this is going to be but all we can do is keep on keeping on. We can support each other, we can stay home and support our health service, we can be on the other end of a text or call when someone needs it and most of all we can be united and know that by being united we can forge a way through it all.

xx

Day 29

Day 29 and I could get used to this blue sky and sunshine filled start to the day.

The morning consisted of getting a few mundane around the house jobs done like the ironing! Followed by a little admin work for pre-school; we received some more information today about our governments 'job retention scheme' which meant an email to my wages person along with some calculated figures so that we can move forward as and when the scheme goes live later this month.

We had our usual lunchtime walk and managed another couple of miles in just 40 minutes and only saw one other couple walking; the same couple we had seen a few days back with their dog in a pushchair!

This afternoon I should have been at Derby hospital having my first annual mammogram since my lumpectomy last year but due to the current situation this had been cancelled. So instead I thought I would make the best of such a lovely day and top up my vitamin D supply by sitting outside in the sunshine enjoying a book.

Sun's out so legs are out!

I am currently reading The Carnivore Diet by Dr Shawn Baker and it's absolutely fascinating and a great read. I'd started it a little while ago so it's been great to pick it up again and read a good chunk of it. I've also got The Carnivore Code by Dr Paul Saladino to read as well - anyone would think I'm interested in all this eating the right stuff and staying healthy malarkey. I listened to a great podcast today by Ivor Cummins talking about our immune system and how the standard western diet is leading to all sorts of problems with insulin resistance which in turn is affecting the ability of our immune systems to work as effectively as they should; which seems very pertinent at the moment.

I also had another go at drawing today with an attempt at a landscape...

This evening I became slightly distracted by watching Harry from White Lies live on YouTube as he hosted a session about playing guitar...no idea what he was chatting about but he was very nice to sit and watch for a while! I think Molly needs to sit and watch it now as she is a budding guitar player and as the supportive parent that I am I would be happy to sit and watch it with her!! Have I ever mentioned that I love White Lies...

That's Harry in the middle, next to me!!!!

It's times like this that being a bit daft and holding onto memories becomes all the more special. As the UK government announced at least another three weeks of lockdown being able to reminisce and enjoy those moments as well as being a bit silly at times is, I think, what will help see us through all of this.

xx