The wait

The smog has definitely cleared here at least. Over the weekend we’ve had rain. Yesterday when I got up, it was startling just how bright & crystal sharp everything was. It didn’t last long, as the rain quickly returned.

It seems strange looking down the garden without all its trees. A few do remain & are starting to come into leaf.

Halfway down there is some delicate white flowers. I suspect it’s the spiraea coming into blossom. If not, it’s the one remaining cherry tree. It’s too far down, and too wet, to examine quite which it is.

Beyond that the ground is beginning to be covered in a yellow carpet of celandines. At least there is some colour & life in the garden as we wait for the main job to be done in June/July.

The neighbours are still adjusting to the new unexpected light they’ve gained.

The birds seem more distraught. At first our coloured doves pottered around, looking like creatures that had just survived a tsunami. Where was their favourite sitting place, the trellis? And the bird table? Nothing is in its right place. The remaining hedge behind where the greenhouse used to be has now become home to blackbirds, doves, sparrows & tits. They all cram in. I fear war will break out soon. I’m telling myself, once the work is complete they will all soon spread out again & find new homes, new favourite spots to call their own. Meanwhile we all wait.

The sands of the Sahara

I venture out to the bin with some rubbish. The green lid has a gritty orange look to it. Clearly it was smog yesterday with its layer of Saharan sand. At the golf club some people were saying how they had had to resort to more inhalers yesterday.

We met there old friends. Eric & Doreen were still full of the joys of cruising. I’m trying to convince myself there is something to it.

I can’t help remembering our Alaskan sea cruise & the feeling of entrapment on that ship. So much time seemed to be spent at sea. Yes, there were plenty of activities but they either didn’t appeal or tended to be at wrong times for us. It wasn’t helped by the fact it was pretty well a full ship. It was so cold that everyone ended up staying inside with the result you ended up feeling you couldn’t get away from the crush of people.

We’re telling ourselves that on the warmer evenings, as we left & returned to Vancouver, we did begin to think there was something pleasant about sailing along. Maybe if it had been so warm all the time, the people would have been more dispersed around the ship & we wouldn’t have felt so trapped.

Certainly the food was excellent. I should think it was the best consistent week of good food I’ve ever had.

I’m forced too to admit I did thoroughly enjoy our Rhine cruise. The weather was warmer. It was enjoyable just to sit on the sundeck & watch the world gently slip by, with the occasional stop to explore colourful villages & cities along the way.

Maybe we ought to give a cruise another go. Certainly we’ve seen another cruise that does appeal. The only problem is that it is a Nile river cruise & we’re not sure how safe a destination that is to go these days. Maybe we will see that Saharan sand in situ. Who knows.

It's arrived

The world is grey.

I suspect smog has finally arrived in the north west.

It’s a strange light.

It doesn’t look like fog or mist, despite the obvious softness. Equally it doesn’t look like the greyness that so often accompanies rain or drizzle.

I’ve not been outside yet but I half-expect to gag a bit.

It’s a long time since I last saw anything quite like it. I do remember the pea-soupers, the smogs of the 1950s, but that is a long time ago. Then it was so thick you were hard pushed to see your hand in front of your face. It’s not that bad yet, but it is a little disturbing, disorientating. I’m not quite sure what to expect next.

All change

It’s all change once more.

With Angie, our first regular home help, the hours were changed from Monday to Thursday morning. In many ways that suited us fine.

When we changed provider and got our new home help, Linda, we kept the same hour, Thursday, 11am-noon. This has now be extended to 10am-noon as our needs have increased.

Earlier this year Linda asked if she could change it to Wednesday 1-3pm. We weren’t entirely sure as it would tie up part of the afternoon, when we often like to pop out to do chores & see friends, not that that is a chore. We duly changed our regular shopping day from Wednesday to Tuesday. She’s been twice on Wednesday. Yesterday confirmed our dislike of the arrangement.

Now Linda is proposing to change the times once again. This time it will be 10am-noon on Tuesday. We’re happier about the idea of her coming once more in the morning, rather than tying up the whole day. Once more we will have to change our shopping day, once more back to Wednesday.

I just wish we could settle on the time. As things are, I’m not sure whether I’m coming or going. A certain regularity in life is good. I hope this is the last change for a while.

Peace at last

The peace is wonderful! No chainsaws buzzing, just birds tweeting.

The workmen have gone, for the time being at least.

All yesterday we endured the sound of a chipper on the go in the garden. What a racket! Although the workers had ear muffs, we did not. Instead we retreated to rooms as far away as possible. I suspect it is with some relief that the Fox retreated to the hospital for his physiotherapy session, while I remained at home, as the boss man was due & he wanted to sort out one or two things with us. Thank goodness for the Prince of Wales pub in Cheltenham, which I frequented with my jigsaw.

After they had told us they wouldn’t be back immediately and then left, we couldn’t help commenting how exhausted we both felt. It’s all that waiting, that not being able to relax properly. Admittedly I did think these workmen were better than most. They did come with their own drinks & biscuits so we didn’t have to keep running out to them.

How we’re going to manage a whole month of this I’m not sure. I’m telling myself that when they come here full-time then we should be able to establish a pattern whereby we can go out most of the time, especially since it won’t be until the summer, when hopefully the sun should be shining to make outings more pleasant. Maybe it’s just as well that our holiday in Croatia will come before they’re due to get on the main job, rather than before the holiday as was originally planned. At least we should be well unwound before the chaos begins, though I suspect we will be ready for another holiday once they’re done.