Real change in the weather today; although there have been occasional bursts of sun, it has been mainly wet and cold – so much so that I had to turn the heating on again. I have hardly been outside, and it seems unlikely that I shall fulfil my quota of 4000 steps – the first time for over two months.
This is partly because I’ve been feeling quite unwell over the last day and a half, and am on Paracetamol for the first time sine the coronavirus scare started. I feel very tired, my head is stuffed, and I have had a dodgy throat – though that seems to have improved this afternoon. I also have a sore foot, though that must be a side issue – or possibly a foot issue. Dot seems to be fine, thankfully.
Over the last few days we have watched two full seasons of Cardinal, which is set in Algonquin Bay. Very well acted and plotted detective series, though on the minus side it’s extremely gory. We started watching it on iPlayer because a new series has started this week, and we thought we ought to see the earlier seasons. We got about an hour into the first one before realising we’d seen it years ago. I don’t think we’d seen the second one, though.
Our weather is not being reflected in Canada, where the sky is blue and the weather warm. It was like that here last Sunday, and we had lunch outside after St Luke’s Zoom Service for Pentecost, for which Dot and I shared a reading. Afterwards we went up to the Rosary, noting that there were more people around. Then there was St Augustine’s Zoom service , which ran rather late, partly because Howard, who was hosting it and therefore had a pivotal role, was late. He had been laying a patio. Vicky was also late. Afterwards we watched Great Expectations, during which I fell asleep two or three times. Old film, rather badly miscast, except for Mr Pocket.
Dot put some new soil down on Monday. It came from Matt and Angela (No 7), and they have since supplemented it with more. Had lunch outside, and had a lie down afterwards, followed by a walk to the Cathedral. Saw the Dean and said hello.
Tuesday was quite busy. It was still warm, and Anne came round in the morning for coffee in the garden after a walk with Dot up to the Rosary. I walked up on my own later and found some gravestones I’d been looking for which marked a train crash at Thorpe Station in 1882. At tea time we had a FaceTime meeting with Julia and Allen Higbee, during which I suddenly developed hay fever, which is odd because awe were in the living room at the time. It may be that that led to my feeling ill yesterday and today, but it had subsided by the evening, when I led a Cake and Compline session. Our tech expert David A completely lost track in the middle, and I had to take over as host, which was the first time I’d done it.
Hello Fresh arrived on Wednesday, and we began to catch sight of baby blackbirds being fed. Dot and I walked around the new development at St Anne’s Wharf, which is very nice if you have a flat looking on to the river, and I developed a pain in my right foot for no apparent reason. Not quite gone, but much better. David FaceTimed us in the evening: actually he FaceTimes us a lot, but I don’t always mention it. Really nice to be in contact with what’s going on in Canada.
Yesterday Dot did quite a lot of work in the garden, clearing out a new area under the hedge, and I had a very long phone conversation with Matt, followed by a short walk during a sunny break. Wasn’t feeling very energetic and went to bed early.
Felt pretty rotten first thing this morning, but took Paracetamol and had a bath, after which things improved. Caught up with e-mails. Dot did a lot of DSSO work, partly on computer and partly on the phone, and we spoke to David and Chrissy on FaceTime. More baby blackbird incidents. Evening wine in the street session cancelled because of the weather. Apparently Peter Stibbons is not well and has been in bed today.