Hello everyone, quick check in as we are very busy at work. Happy Friday

Happy belated birthday Thin!

Neil, so happy about your bike

Cinque, sorry to hear about the terrible time with your cleaner and I agree that you should write to the council and ask them to better organise the service.

I couldn’t face a FD this week but have been eating sensibly (ish). However the scales are slowly creeping up and it has to stop. Next week (and yes I know I say that all the time).

Betsy, enormous congrats an getting back to your lightest from last year. It’s all one way down from here.

Enjoy your NFD today LJ after yet another successful FD. Hooray! I hope you get your planting done on the weekend. What a lovely garden you have.

OK, back to my evil spreadsheet. It is evil because it is really complex and doing my head in. But I am so very thankful to have a good and interesting job so I will not complain.

I hope you are ok G’day and can find some work soon. And very glad you job situation is more or less settled Quacka and you are feeling better after being poorly for so long.

Take care all

Betsy, that’s great, now you must get below that 10kgs so that you’re beyond your loss of last year (sorry, poorly constructed but ‘well done and keep going’!)

Anzac, you too!

Cinque, how awful for you. And as that is the only downbeat thing I have ever read from you in the approximately five years you’ve been posting here, I can only imagine how utterly devastating it must have been for you. I spent ages preparing for a repairman to come and look at our washing machine the other day. You can imagine that social distancing is not exactly possible on a 6ft wide boat. I removed objects and disinfected surfaces in his path for his safety and ours. I’d worked out a whole strategy for communication so we needn’t be on the boat. And then it started working again and he wasn’t needed …… but I totally understand your fear and frustration. Big virtual hug to you. And thanks for the birthday greetings.

We did have a visitor to the boat last evening though. Fortunately, there was no need for him to board. I sold the four old domestic batteries on gumtree. Hurray for getting them off the boat.

LJ, good grief, you now know more about me than I know about myself! For how long have you been at your ‘new’ house? It seems like yesterday that you were preparing soil and planting your first garden there.

Penguin, are you recovering OK?

Thin, I have been debating how up-front to be about my health, but I shouldn’t dodge a straight question. When they fixed the Gall Bladder they found a more serious problem. In a couple of weeks, when the Jaundice has fully gone, I start a three month course of chemotherapy. This is almost certainly going to extend my self isolation until August. I shall spend the time with my painting, music and in the garden. There are some things I’ll miss, but there are worse ways to live. We had a Zoom birthday party with one of my grand daughters yesterday so we know that the technology can keep us in touch with the family.

Whilst all this is happening I’ll follow the thread, but probably won’t have much of interest to report.

Morning all

Ah yes, I remember Chaucer from my Varsity English days “Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour;” down here in NZ were still split in half. North Island still warm and dry, South cold and wet. Sorry you’re health is not good at the moment. It must be hard not being able to see others in the flesh, but you’re right that technology has allowed us to be much more connected than we used to be.

Good morning everyone.

ANZAC day, I went to the end of the driveway, knowing our street might not have much community happening (factories interspersed with flats) and I was glad I did as there was just one other person, a fair way up the road, out at the end of their driveway with their lamp. But there were also lots of lights on in apartments and we could hear the bugle playing on the radios in people’s homes.

Penguin, thankyou for being up front about your health, it is awful news, but I am so glad to know. And how are you expected to get through chemotherapy without a flow of good wishes coming in from the southern hemisphere? Come on. 🙂
Plus we will always be interested in how it is going, even if you post ‘Another !#@*% of a day’.

Anzac, things have been chaotic for you, working from home (with Maxx) big work challenges to get your clever head around, the neck pain, and ofcourse everything going on outside.
So glad you are feeling you can get some fasting in place next week, I do hope things are settling so you can look after your health well, while you are working from home.

Betsy, ha, I think the hospital scales are the ones I use most consistently, once a year. But yes, it is my clothes that make me feel I haven’t put on more weight, or lost much.
Is winter a tricky time for you re fasting? I know it was mainly stress from your study, but does cold weather complicate things further? I wonder if your fixed ducted heating will make this winter easier for fasting. Especially if you are going back to study soon, you need to have everything in place to make 5:2 possible and easy.

Thin, I am so glad you got your batteries offloaded in such an excellent way! And hooray for the washing machine fixing itself.

Cali, haha the birthday message for Thin. I am glad that your stress is less but sorry that there is enough to get you overeating. Sigh. Hooray for 5:2 to deal with that problem. Was it hard getting back into fast days?

Thankyou so much people, for the kind responses to my homehelp problem. Cali you are exactly right that our current low transmission rate probably does mean that there was extremely low risk, so thank goodness I am just addressing principles and protocols (fingers crossed).

Penguin, those climate changes are so clear now, aren’t they. Your garden sounds wonderful though. Mine is doing well except for the white cabbage moths everywhere, and whatever ate most of a pea seedling. My two butternut pumpkins are pretty well ready to pick and I think they will both be ripe, and the big one is a beauty. (Wouldn’t win the competition though Thin ;). )I’ve got lots of different greens coming on, parsley everywhere, a little crop of coriander and still picking basil leaves. a dozen broad beans are up and looking so strong and happy and I am also still picking strawberries. Ooh yes and some tiny broccolini seedlings that are slowly getting bigger.

Day before fast day for me. Sending out best wishes.

PS Heard Major Tom’s song this morning, very touching, made me sob.

P.S. Captain Tom has raised £35m for the NHS. Slightly more than his goal of £1000.

Sunday Fast Day for me!

Hungry but determined.

Thin, I do hope DD wins the pumpkin contest, since a little bit of cheating is part of the fun.
What a great year to be back in the UK, for that 64 reunion.
I bet you have found that Captain Tom song, since it made a news item here because it got to top of the pop charts!

LJoyce, I am so glad you had such a good ceremony to farewell your dear uncle. Such a hard time for your aunt, thinking of her.
And a lovely neighbourhood Anzac ceremony too.

Is it the same pneumonia bug that stays in your lungs and keeps coming back? Hoping it goes quickly (and completely?)!

Oooh I should have thought of planting parsnips, I love them so much and they are so expensive.

I am using up the last of my veggies before venturing out to shop again. Mostly pumpkin and frozen peas left!

I made an excellent stew yesterday as, along with our compost swap (she fills compost buckets that I feed to my compost bin) my daughter gave me some failed barley and lamb stew. As I guessed she had put in too much barley (first time trying it) and so it was stodge with that flattened flavour too much barley can give. I don’t think she will try it again for a few years!

But I had my cooking mojo and made a gorgeous stew of pumpkin and tomatoes adding some chickpeas and the last of my celery for different textures, and some good bright spices, so that when I added a couple of cups of her stew it made it hearty and comforting. Lucky it worked since I made a huge saucepan full.
And I put the rest of her barley stew in small containers in the freezer to use later on.

I’ll have a small bowl of the stew I made for my fast day meal.

Sending good wishes to you all.

LJ, wow, thanks for the compliment and the birthday wishes. Lovely that you got to celebrate the Anzac service in your PJs. That might be the next thing to catch on after the Aussie bin night dress ups. We had a neighbour in Perth who was regularly seen in the front garden in her dressing gown. Good that you had some closure for your uncle’s passing. Hope you feel better soon.

Betsy, thank you too. I hope Wilbur feels better soon. Maybe he’s having a FD. I, too, wondered about Neil’s impressive ability to quote Chaucer. The domestic batteries are ‘leisure’ batteries. Separate from the single engine battery. The buyer is going to put them in his campervan which he uses for work. They’ll get charged as he drives. It’ll be a better application for him as he’ll be driving anyway, whereas we have to run the engine in order to charge them on the boat – whether we’re cruising or not. We decided it was too hard to try and ‘nurse’ them when we didn’t know their age or life and better to start with a known entity. We charged him a fraction of their RRP as we just wanted them taken away, so he was a happy camper.

Cinque, yes, I found the song. I was bawling by the end of it! It’s just such a fabulous story. He and his family must be exhausted with all the international interviews, recordings and now his birthday celebrations. I love it so much because he encapsulates that WWII spirit and has brought it all the way to 2020. What a great example he sets. I’m fasting with you today. Crept up to 58kg but that’ll be sorted out by tomorrow.

Have a great week all.

Good morning,
Got through my fast day no worries, and ooh breakfast 🙂 🙂 🙂

Betsy, thinking of Wilbur, he does sound crook. Sending good wishes.

Oh dear re the Haigh’s seconds last year. I can well imagine the temptation. Well I hope that is easy to avoid this winter.

Yes re the veggies, I did a big veggie shop three weeks ago as I figure going shopping three times less often, gives me three time less opportunities to catch the virus, and three times the chance to keep shopworkers safe. And ESPECIALLY to avoid getting up early in the morning to get to the shop in its first hour. (Very pleased with the quality and quantity at the time though!)

But what a challenge! Pleased to say I kept veggies well wrapped up in cloth, and then in plastic bags, in the veggie drawer of the fridge, and managed to cook things in sequence of how well they last. But I did buy a few extra veggies when I did a supermarket shop a week ago. (Milk, doesn’t it keep us popping out!)

It will be so exciting to go and buy more though! Mushrooms! Corn! Eggplant!
I will go veggie shopping again tomorrow morning, I think.

Thin, I am also a neighbour people see out in the garden in her dressing gown. I do have a range of gorgeous dressing gowns like Chrestomanci. (I wonder if anyone knows that reference).

<3 the song.

Big wishes to everyone for a good day today and a great week ahead. Quacka, how are you feeling? LJoyce, hope you are okay too. And everyone else.

Neil, just saw your post. Ha re Chaucer sticking in your head, that Middle English does sound so different. Enjoy your day in the office tomorrow and that last 27k topping off your bike ride tally.

Neil, thanks. Enjoy your return to work and completing your bike riding goal. Yes, the canal water must have a lot of nutrients – one morning I scooped up a teeny yabbie form – although I don’t think they’re called that here. Chillis have been hopeless, they’re so easy to grow that I’m thinking the seeds must have been duds. I’ve started again. At one time, I could quote ‘Macbeth’ in its entirety, having studied it in Eng. lit for ‘O’ level. Now, my memory has been reduced to “out damned spot, out I say”.

Sunflower, a lot of us have continued 5:2 long after reaching maintenance in order to allow for the odd indulgence like a restaurant meal (back in the old days!).

I have trained myself to go all day without food now, dispensing of my old 2pm feeding. Yesterday, it didn’t even feel like I was fasting at all, yet I’m 700g down again this morning.

Cinque, I empathise with you using food items via triage, the term you coined earlier. In a senior moment, I made a double batch of Mexican Chicken Soup for my FD yesterday but still only counted it as servings for 4 instead of 8. I now have all that extra soup, three chicken breasts and a freezer surprise (a curry of some sort) plus some leeks that need to be used in a frittata – all at a time when we’ve discovered a fish and chip shop that’s OPEN! One good thing about England’s obsession with packaging is that fruit and veg also have a ‘use by’ date as a guide.

There is some minimal light at the end of the tunnel for Britain wrt lockdown. Boris returns to work today. The media can only focus on the failings, banging on every day and seemingly hoping against all hope that the government doesn’t reach its stated testing target by the end of this month. So tiresome and boring. I wish someone would hold them to account to take better care of their rubbish editing.

Ok Monday fasters, over to you.

Good morning everyone,
Thinking of you Neil going so happily off to your office.

Sunflower, happy morning after fast day! I hope you are feeling lovely and light.
Growing herbs is a great idea. Do you have favourites?

Thin, fasting queen!
Oh dear re double Mexican chicken soup, that is exactly the sort of thing I do. Well it is feast time on the narrow boat. Chips!

Lindsay, I am so happy to hear from you. You might be doing too much thesis reading to be able to cope with pages of this forum.
How awful that zoom meeting must have been, my heart goes out to all the casual and sessional staff.

Ha, Spot the cat is such a brilliant name.

I also did Macbeth at school (and Chaucer, except I don’t remember any of it). Macbeth, the bit I remember is ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day…’ Which is exactly what school felt like at that time.

Penguin, are you recovering nicely from your hospital procedure? I hope you are doing lots of gardening and painting. And best wishes to Mrs Penguin too.

Betsy, I am wishing no news is good news, but I am worried it is the opposite. Thinking of you and Wilbur and sending good wishes.

Cheers to everyone for a good day.

Hi all, day one in the books. I took my bike in to work and had a lovely cafe coffee to celebrate my newfound freedom before I started this morning. It was really eerie at work because I was the only on on my entire floor and I only saw 2 other people in the building the entire day. I got through a fair amount of work, including cleaning out the fridge at work, which was not the most plesant of jobs as there was some pretty nasty lunches that had been sitting there for 5 weeks in various states of decay. I kind of need to work from the office because I need access to the hard copies of the files I’m researching and digitising and access to the A0 size scanner to do the large format plans.

I was kind of disgusted with the talk on the news about many people wanting to work from home after the lockdown finishes because they’re more productive at home. I wasn’t disgusted with them wanting to work from home, but the statistic quoted that the average worker is only productive for around 3 hours a day. That means there’s a hell of a lot of people that are chatting on facebook, mucking about on their phones, watching videos or online shopping while I’m slogging my guts out trying to get through my workload.

Well tomorrow I’ll be weighing in and then back in to cafe for another coffee before work. Bliss.

Have a great day everyone.

Hi everyone, and good evening.

Sorry not to post yesterday. My Sunday morphed into a NFD as I polished off a 130 gm Easter egg and half of another – then threw out all remaining similar temptations! A bit annoyed with myself, but it just shows how easily I succumb to temptation when feeling stressed. I was not only concerned about Wilbur, but also – can you believe it?! – stressed about making my tuna casserole (still not cooked). The longer I put it off, the more it’s been bothering me. Sigh! Anyway, Wilbur was his normal self by yesterday, so my suspicion is that he had a furball and passed it, or had a minor tummy upset. So pleased I didn’t have to take him to the vet! 🙂

Cinque, I won’t be tempted by Haigh’s chocolate factory seconds this year as I’m not going to Adelaide, which is where the chocolates are made. I’m sure there are stacks of other chocolates which will tempt me, but ….. not the factory seconds. The problem with them is that they are so cheap compared with the normal ones in the shops. But, I won’t be in Adelaide, so no temptation.
By the way, what I remember from Macbeth is the famous “Lead on MacDuff” (I think from there?), as well as the two you and thin quoted.

LindsayL. I would concur with being a “work in progress” with the weight loss; unfortunately, I also qualify, considering Sunday’s blowout. Is retirement now gaining in attractiveness, with the work situation as it is? I’ve mulled several times re a ?return to work as a casual after June this year, and the more I consider it, the more I think – yes, I can do the work; no, I don’t think I want to return there. At 70, I think retirement suits me better. You may find with time that the actual thought of returning to work becomes less and less attractive to you.

Thin, zoom meetings are really neat. You can set it on “speaker view”, when the person speaking is the main person seen, with a few smaller squares at the top with a few of the other people in them. Speaker view means it will move from person to person depending on who is speaking, putting them in the centre. Or you can look at the screen with up to 25 small frames with people in them, and move to the next page if more than 25 people attend to see other faces. The most practical is to have it on speaker view so the face of the person speaking is prominent. Usually if you’re not speaking you will mute your microphone so there are no coughs, etc., in the background. It works much the same as a Skype meeting with several people. The free zoom mode allows meetings to last up to 40 minutes; paid zoom meetings can last longer, as long as necessary. My college pays a subscription to zoom, so I will use it to meet with my supervisors in May.
Thanks for explaining re the batteries. I was wondering why someone would want to buy them unless they were rechargeable.

Neilithicman, you are certainly coming very close to your goal distance – will you be doubling it for the rest of the year?
Sympathies re the fridge clean-out. Yuck! I can imagine the smell. You wonder why folk didn’t remove their food before they started WFH.

Anzac65, great that you’ll soon be able to see your Dad again in person. He’ll be happy, too.
I was very pleased to read that your neck has now been manipulated back into place so you are painfree. Sad about your physio’s marriage break-up. It happens, sadly.

Sunflower1, great that you’re getting deliveries from your local greengrocer’s. And good that you’re settling into this WOL.

Who was it said their chilis didn’t sprout? thin? Good luck with the next lot.

LJoyce, hope you’re doing okay and fighting the infection. How frustrating to be ill so early in the cooler weather.

Good night all.

Good afternoon all – quite humid today and still loving mid-twenties temps but there is a cold change afoot. Friday is forecast to be a maximum of 16!

Cinque, you are correct that I haven’t been posting every day. I won’t completely blame work as I also tend to shy away when I’m having a bad time with food. I feel unworthy of everyone’s attention and of course not a little embarrassed.

I’ve mentioned in the past that I am clumsy and forgetful. So, since ISO began, i have managed to lose a credit card, my one and only good pair of glasses (my spare pair is in my desk drawer at work) and now today my Huawei fitness band. I bought a lot of shopping at Coles and had bags hanging off my wrists and they must have pulled it off. I’ve just been back up at the shops back-tracking but no luck. I fear OH is very frustrated with me but he said nothing except “give it a few days and see if anyone hands it in otherwise we’ll get you a new one”. GAH

So very glad Wilbur is ok Betsy. It is so awful when a fur child is unwell because you just wish they could talk and tell you where it hurts. I think I mentioned that Maxx had an infected ear but he was able to communicate it to us by scratching it and shaking his head.

Hi Sunflower, very glad to hear you are doing well with this WOL. Keep it up and keep us posted with your progress please.

My hairdresser didn’t wear a mask Thin but I felt safe. Where we live there are hardly any cases so it would be very unlucky to catch it now I think. She and the salon manager were very diligent with wiping everything, washing their hands and they even put plastic clingwrap on the credit card machine for when I had to put my pin in.

I’m not getting much time to read your blog Thin but what I’ve read so far has been so enjoyable 🙂

My friend Sue who has Cystic Fibrosis is SO excited that we can visit legally soon. She said the first thing she wants to do is come to our place for some yummy food. How nice 🙂 She and her hubby don’t really cook much and love our food. It is so satisfying to serve a meal to people who smack their lips constantly and mumble ‘mmmm yummmm mmmm’ throughout the whole experience 🙂

Ick to work fridges at the best of times Neil but ugh – 5 weeks of festering must have been pretty seriously disgusting. Good for you for doing it and I”m glad you are happy to be back in the office.

Lindsay I’ve had a couple of zoom meetings with some labrador friends forum members recently and it’s been so amazing. Our dogs were of course part of it and Maxx was sitting quietly on a chair next to me watching the whole thing like a really good boy. The other forum members were berating me for telling them what a naughty minx he is and they will no longer believe me. I later posted a video of me sitting in the lounge chair with my legs out straight so they can see the nibbled holes in my ugg boots and as I was doing it he blasted past me with a tea towel in his mouth being chased by OH. So there!

Ok, enough rambling. OH is cooking a whole chicken in the tandoor tonight with Portuguese marinade (just to have a change from tandoori) so I must go and make a big salad to go with it. Take care

Good evening everyone. Good to read the posts. And yes, Wilbur was improved on Monday, his normal self yesterday and today. What a relief!

LJoyce, happy to see your post. Sorry you’re still so ill, but it’s good that you felt well enough to try.

@anzac65, Maxx sounds like children – perfect when they “visit” other people (i.e., on your forum), but a menace at home. How frustrating re lost items. Maybe the stress of that wretched spreadsheet?!

Cinque, Wilbur has never sicked up a furball inside (that I’m aware of) but he often gulps down his food then promptly sicks it back up again, which seems less a furball problem and more him being a guts. Mostly it’s somewhere on the floor, and I infinitely prefer it if he sicks up on the tiled area, but that’s less than half the time (sigh!). I try to brush him regularly, especially when he’s moulting, changing from summer to winter coat or vice versa.
Yes, “double, double, toil and trouble” is another Macbeth quote I remember well.

Ducts news – I phoned and spoke with the company yesterday, and it was agreed that due to the coming rain we would defer the duct changeover until later next week when it might be dryer again. There’s been a lot of rain today, and it does get under the unit, nearly 30 mms by 10 p.m. I initially regretted the cancellation this morning, as there was almost no rain overnight, or first thing in the morning, but then the rain started around 10 a.m., when the workmen would have only been partway through the installation, so it was good they weren’t here. They told me it will take between 4-5 hours to do. Hopefully by Friday of next week we’ll have had a few dry days.

Hi to everyone else lurking. Oh, I actually made the tuna casserole this evening for dinner. It wasn’t the most marvellous dish I’ve ever cooked, but it was reasonably edible. I put in extra vegetables, which changed the flavour, I think. Anyway, I have 2 more servings in the fridge and 3 that are now stored in the freezer. I have GOT to eat some of my freezer food! Maybe not do any shopping next week.

Goodnight and sleep well 🙂

Afternoon everyone.

I forgot to mention that I did get out for a ride on Monday before I started work and did the last 27 kilometers that I needed to reach my 2020 kilometer goal. I’m now sitting around 60 kilometers into round 2.

Betsy, I think we all get that sweet binge now and again. I have fewer temptations at the moment because one of the conditions of working in the office is that I’m not allowed to leave the building once I’ve swiped in until I finish work at the end of the day. While it’s a nuisance not being able to get out and enjoy the sunshine at morning tea and lunchtime, the up side is I can’t just wander off to the café or supermarket for some junk when I feel like it.

Ljoyce, Don’t beat yourself up about your steps. When you’re unwell you need to do what you have to do to recover. I hope your lung infection improves soon 🙁

Anzac, enjoy your meal with friends. We’re only allowed to link with one other household under level 3 restrictions over here, so we’re connecting with my parents. I stopped off for a cup of tea on the way home from work yesterday. Tonight we’re taking a lamb roast around to their place for a decent catch-up. It’s good to have personal contact with them again.

Cinque, isn’t it funny what we remember, I read Macbeth and King Lear when I was in high school <mumble mumble> years ago and there are plenty of quotes I remember from both including “Macbeth hath murdered sleep, therefore Macbeth shall sleep no more” and the awesome storm scene from King Lear “Blow winds and crack your cheeks, Rage! Blow!” Timeless writing that we still connect with hundreds of years after it was written

Thin, I’m also looking at countries easing their restrictions, I really like the trans-tasman bubble idea that has been put forward once we’re both Covid free, but I think it will be a long time before anyone would consider travelling further afield, or have them come over to us.

Well my boy was disappointed last night. He just wanted KFC for dinner, but the local restaurant was closed and the nearest one after that store had a queue of 50 cars waiting to get in. So he had to settle for some Burger King for dinner. I had a burger and chips, which was the first I’d had for a while and I felt awful afterwards, but ridiculously I felt hungry again about an hour later. So I ended up raiding the cupboards and ate some toast, an Anzac biscuit, some chocolate, some crackers, and some nuts. Unsurprisingly I felt the need to turn today into a fast day to make up for it. I skipped breakfast, had just a coffee before work, I took some pickled vegetables for lunch, then tonight we have our roast lamb. If I just eat the meat and non starchy vegetables then I can stay well within 800 calories for the day.

Well last day of work for the week tomorrow and then back home for the weekend. We’ll have to get our firewood stocked up for the next week because we’re supposed to have a cold front hit us on Monday and we’re looking at getting temperatures of only about 6 or 7 degrees.

Have a great day everyone, and a nice easy fast for those of you joining me in a Thursday fast.

Hello everyone, I decided to catch up just before dinner, which should limit me babbling on and on (or not 🙂 ).

Great to hear from you, CalifDreamer, and to know that you’re doing okay. Yes, we’ve been fortunate here in hairdressers being allowed to stay open. Not nail or feet people, or massage, just hair, plus applying social distancing to the customers. Irrespective, a lot of hairdressers have closed shop for the time being. My hairdresser’s number has been disconnected, so I know they’re not there, without even going to find out. I hope with things opening up a bit over your way, that you don’t get another surge of Covid-19 cases. The numbers have been so horrific in the States already.
Yes, cat fur! For Wilbur it’s the move from summer to winter, your two in the other direction, but either way, there’s still fur everywhere. My previous cat was a Burmese, who have a different type of coat, so Wilbur’s shedding was a bit of a surprise to me. He’s just a short-haired ginger tabby, no special breed.

I’ll probably try to buy another Burmese once Wilbur is gone as I love the breed. My doctors might be happier, too. I’ve been tested, and I’m not allergic to cat fur but my doctor and respiratory specialist have both expressed concern that I have a cat who sometimes sleeps on my bed. I kept telling them I had no problem with allergies, but have still had to have various tests a few times. And no, at no time have I had a single positive allergic result, but they persist. Well, I guess I should be thankful for concerned doctors.

Cinque, re the tuna casserole (I don’t think it really qualified as a tuna mornay), my thoughts are – this is okay, I know how to do it now, and maybe in some distant future when I get another hankering for a fish casserole I might make another tuna casserole, someday, maybe. Not hugely enthusiastic, but okay for a change.

Good that you can use up some vegetables and defer doing any shopping till Monday. I think I’ll delay any shopping till the following week and eat up some of my surplus from the freezer. I even have some frozen meat which I can give Wilbur, so no real need to shop, just next Thursday for the Age Green Guide.

Re the ducts, the heating is working okay, I’m just getting some water in when it rains, and the smell comes up into the unit. The ducts won’t be disconnected until the workers come to put in the new ones. And I’m so thankful I still have heat, with Melbourne expecting 12 degrees tomorrow. Brr! Cold for April.

Neilithicman, I chuckled to read of your enforced “isolation” at your workplace for the whole day, not being able to go out even for a coffee. Now provided you resist the urge to take “goodies” into work to eat, you should be right!
Well done on getting to round 1 of your 2020 km goal.
I can see another visit to KFC on the horizon. Your son missed out for his birthday, and while Burger King is an adequate substitute, it’s not the same, so he’ll probably press for a KFC visit some time soon. Interesting the effect the starch had on you, of instituting cravings. I’ve found the same if (when!) I eat something designed to be tasty – even knowing I’m full I can walk around just craving something more.

LJoyce, hope you’re improving now with the antibiotics. You’ll be back to your steps when you’re well; don’t push it.

Anzac65, we’re all struggling at times with our ups and downs. I had a real downer late last year and didn’t post much – and it DIDN’T HELP! I agree with Cinque – fess up and be encouraged by your friends here.

Have a good evening all.

Good afternoon friends (good morning Thin and Penguin and good evening Cali!)

Brrrrrrr….our seemingly endless summer came to an abrupt halt today. The temperature dropped 10 degrees and the wind is icy. Last weekend we were still swimming in our pool and today I’m in warm trackies, a long sleeve top, a fleecy jacket and ugg boots. I took Maxx’s doona out of the cupboard and put it on his bed and before I could even smooth it out he pounced on it and sank like a contented seal with his chin down and I swear he sighed with bliss.

Here is a pic. Excuse the disgusting floor – he sheds like a mad shedding machine and I only vacuumed 2 days ago!
http://imgur.com/gallery/5OIJlp9

I’ve had a better couple of days food wise so am happy about that.

LJ, great to hear from you but sorry you are so unwell. I hope your lung infection clears up soon and you can get back to your walking.

Cali, our hairdressers were never forced to close but mine did by choice. It has always felt rather strange that they could stay open when doing hair is such a touchy-feely process by it’s very nature but that was the rule. I hope you can get yours done soon, it certainly helps mentally if your hair is nice. I hadn’t had mine cut since November and i was definitely looking very hippy-ish!

Glad to hear it is warming up in California. I’m not looking forward to winter at all as I feel like I already had one from our European trip.

Thanks for the flowers Cinque 🙂

Betsy, my cat Oscar was a Himalayan Persian, similar to a Burmese I think. I was so heartbroken when we lost him back in 2011 – the same year we lost our first Labrador Benson and my Mum also left us that year. It was a totally crap year to be honest. Hubby bought Oscar on our first wedding anniversary and we had him for 17 years – he was my best buddy and he and Benson got along so well (provided the dog did everything asked for by the cat of course)

I’m so looking forward to seeing my Dad on Sunday. I’m going to make Paella with chicken and seafood (will take my portion out before the seafood goes in). My Aunt, with whom he has been staying, is very much an old school cook (chops, steak, roasts) so he will be looking forward to something a bit more flavoursome and interesting

It’s nearly G&T o-clock so I’m looking forward to putting the spreadsheet away and relaxing into the weekend. Hope you are all ok and have a great weekend

Cinque. The current lockdown shopping shortages of bread bring Falstaff’s food bill to mind – “not so much as would serve as prologue to an egg and butter”

April having been very dry, it rained for the last three days. Today was sunshine and showers. I spent the morning in the greenhouse sowing herbs in smallish terracotta pots to sit just outside the kitchen and planting on salad stuffs that were big enough for larger pots. Because of the lockdown I haven’t been getting enough exercise so this afternoon I had 30 minutes on OH’s exercise bike.

Thin. I have a detailed brief from the medics next Wednesday and the treatment starts the following Wednesday.

Neil. The way NZ handled the Coronavirus is getting a lot of respect here. We seem to be over the peak and there is some talk about easing the restrictions. There has grown up a convention of going into the street and clapping for the National Health Service on Thursday evenings. Our village street has a small turn out and over the last three weeks those of us who play a musical instrument have vied for eccentricity. Last night I played my Crumhorn.

Anzac. I run my diary on the MacBook but we also have an old fashioned joint one on the kitchen wall. Every month it has a different large picture of a Labrador. May is a smart Yellow lad. I will admit that my preference is for black, but a Lab is a Lab.

Penguin, I had to look up that instrument and, while doing so, lost my post. What tune were you playing on the crumhorn? Our calendar features VW Kombi vans, not that there’s anything to record on its pages. We’ll be thinking of you on Wednesday and Wednesday so keep us up to date if you feel up to it.

Cinque, great names for cats! I think you are so right about people’s confidence in their govt.’s handling. Helen Clark gave a good speech the other day. Places like NZ and Western Australia have the added good fortune of geographical isolation and low populations.

In the UK (pop. 65m), the govt. exceeded its ambitious target of testing 100k pp/per day by the end of April so the defeated media will have to focus on something else. As if there isn’t enough negativity. Obviously, mistakes are made. Maybe I’m naive, but I feel the UK govt. is handling it very well, fully backing the scientists now leading the world in the search for a vaccine. When the ministers speak, they sound credible and focussed. I find it refreshing that, in its daily briefings, the govt. takes questions from members of the public.

Nevertheless, when they start to ease lockdown I, for one, won’t be in any hurry to end self-isolation if 90% of the herd isn’t immune.

Crikey penguin, I’m going to have to look up every other word. I understood the final paragraph, however. If this keeps up, there’ll just be me, Betsy and Cinque fasting here.

Anzac, cute pic of Maxx.

Good morning everyone.

I am almost back to normal health. Still a little bit of lung congestion but no sign of infection. I feel back to normal energy levels finally. I even managed to plant some pea and broad bean seeds yesterday (very easy with the damp soft soil) – the first active thing I’ve done all week.
My eating pattern has been odd. Although I’m normally hungriest at dinner time I found I often didn’t feel like eating my dinner last week and was actually only hungry in the middle of the day (might be because I took the antibiotics half an hour before breakfast and dinner). So despite the lack of activity I lost 0.6kg. I think I might put my anorak on and go for a short walk today. It’s cold out, but not windy so I’ll see how it goes. My breathing will quickly let me know if it’s too soon.

Penguin, I’m glad you have dates for treatment and I’ll be keeping everything crossed that this goes well.
I had a giggle about the dueling instruments with your neighbour. What a talented chap you are.

Cinque, thankyou for the daily flowers. I was especially partial to the lily of the valley. A plant that we rarely see these days, but my aunt has a big patch under her camellias. I also love snowdrops which have a similar look.
I’m sure the soup will be tasty. I’m halfway though a pot of lentil-veg-tomato soup at the moment.
I also had a giggle at your “far out brussel sprout” – I haven’t heard that saying in ages.

Thin, I agree about returning to normal cautiously. I won’t be coming out of isolation and back to normal quickly when the restrictions lift here – which looks like happening Australia wide within the week. South Australia is nearly down to zero cases – we’ve had no new cases for 11 days and have tested 1 in 30 people with testing open to everyone for the last fortnight. Our active diagnosed cases are down to just 12 people who are still sick – none in intensive care. I figure that when those 12 are well again and if we still have no new cases, I will feel better about doing some normal things again, like getting a haircut. Although I might feel differently if they don’t keep our borders with the eastern states closed for a while longer as that seems to be where all the new cases are still cropping up.

Betsy, very glad to hear that Wilbur is back to his normal self. I’ve had several cats over the years. Although none were purebred I had a burmese cross and a siamese cross. Both were great cats and did shed less than normal. When I finally get around to getting a cat it will probably be an RSPCA rescue.

Anzac, hope you are enjoying the weekend reprieve from your long work days. Thanks for the Maxx photo – he really does look very well behaved in most photos so I understand your facebook group not believing the stories you tell.

Cali, Are you still able to get online orders for groceries or do you have to make trips to the supermarket? From the US news I’ve been watching, it looks like wearing masks for outings like that is becoming the expected behaviour there now.

Neil, very happy about your cycling achievement. I’m sure your son was heartbroken about the KFC after all that anticipation. I’m sure he’ll be able to get it eventually. You said you are happy to be back at work – are the kids equally happy to be back at school?

Lindsay, you didn’t say whether you were a permanent or casual. How does the lack of work affect you?

Quacka, I hope your work haven’t changed their mind, yet again, and are still paying you. I also hope that when we able to lift restrictions a bit you’ll be able to see your dad.

Well, I don’t really have any news. Being isolated to the house for the last week means nothing interesting has happened. I have a phone appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon tomorrow – just the annual checkup that I’ve been having since the knee replacement. I also decided to book a massage for Wednesday as my massage therapist has recommenced this at my physio’s premises. As I mentioned before, I was impressed with the measures the physio had taken to prevent infection and as long as I limit the massage to neck, shoulders and back I feel comfortable that it will be safe. My back will be very happy to get back to a normal treatment cycle, which is remedial massage and physio every 6 weeks, but offset so I get some treatment every 3 weeks.

Have a nice Sunday everyone.

LJ, pleased you’re feeling better. That was funny to hear you speak of the ‘eastern states’. In WA, we refer to everywhere else (except NT) as the eastern states! Good news for South Australians. I’m waiting for Cinque to post lilliums, a long-time favourite of mine, although apparently I don’t know how to spell it.

Cinque, the recorder! The only instrument I ever played. London’s Burning! London’s Burning! My brother received all the musical genes, despite my having first choice. Your soup will have a lot of the same ingredients as mine today including black beans, one of my favourite legumes.

Yesterday, we walked to a beautiful farm shop and spent a ludicrous amount of money on some very nice looking produce. It was interesting to note how well people can maintain a 2m distance while queueing outside a venue but completely lose all sense of social distancing once inside. OH couldn’t help himself when he saw a cherry pie. Absurdly expensive, but it’s a much loved childhood memory that his mum used to bake. I could think of far better ways to spend my money and calories but, of course, I had to have some too. We also bought some interestingly coloured cheeses but they’ll have to wait until after my FD which is much needed after that slice of pie.

DD says she’s also frustrated with how ‘thick’ people can be as she puts it. She begins treatment with a phone consultation carefully explaining how everything will work with social distancing. It often involves a car park treatment. Extra time is afforded if it’s a euthanasia so people can say goodbye, keeping it as dignified and caring as possible. Then they’re asked to step away so that the vet can administer the drugs – often climbing into the back of a van, taking personal risks. She says she can’t count the number of owners she then finds breathing down her neck in a cramped space to have a look. So inconsiderate. It’s also strictly emergency care only, yet breeders arrive with new puppies for vaccinations.

On that note, the UK govt. dropped a notch in my high esteem when they announced that hospitals and clinics would begin returning to normal care starting with fertility services. Seriously? We want to begin return to normal by bringing new babies into this mess? I could hardly believe my ears.

The weather is not being kind today. It rained overnight, is now grey and cold and forecast to stay that way. After a day in the garden yesterday, I am having a slow start. I am currently sitting drinking coffee looking out at the Greenfinches in the garden. I think I saw a Yellowhammer earlier, which would be unusual. They don’t normally come into gardens but we have fields behind us. I need to hear it’s distinctive song to confirm it “A little bit of bread and noooo cheese”.

OH and I have decided to have a day off, we will both do some drawing or painting.