Home bound (mostly) - week 2

Staying home 24/7 is certainly ensuring I get things done!  I did take Monday off as I was tired but I spent the day having to remind myself that it was my "day off".  By the end of day I felt like a slug and was ready to get to it early Tuesday morning.

The three bedrooms on the main floor are painted, including the trim, and the floors in the spare rooms have been re-scrubbed to ensure there are no spots that I missed the first time around.  The first bedroom (which I posted a couple of weeks ago) contains just the toys that Eli plays with when he is here; the second room shown here is my sewing room.  For the moment, it is neat and tidy because everything is tucked away in the closet.  It won't last. :)

My bedroom is done for the most part, though I'm going to have to buy a quart of paint to put a second coat on the feature wall.  Unfortunately I just didn't have enough to do the two coats.  :(
The difference between the two colors is more prominent in real life, but I'm happy the way the two colors complement one another.  I think I've figured out the old color. I used the Behr color match app to take a photo of the wall and it came up with three different options.  One of them seems familiar to me.  I really have to remember to keep the paint chip or write it down somewhere.  Like perhaps my blog?  For posterity the new color is natural gray...how simple would that be to remember?  Knowing me, not so much.

We did have a bit of a scare this week, as my SIL began showing possible sign of Covid-19.  Thankfully, her test came back negative and things went back to normal for a couple of days.  Then her doctor's office called and told her that since she was still showing symptoms she needed to self isolate.  She had been doing so at the lake house while waiting for the test results - I'm not sure if she'll be going back there or not.  My brother was off work as well but had gone back.  I'm a bit worried about him as he is starting to feel winded climbing stairs.  This is a guy who runs marathons for fun.  If it ends up they both have it, he'll likely have passed it on to others at work as well.  It's all very worrisome.

On another note, I've decided to cancel my cruise in June.  I'm sure that comes as no surprise to anyone.  I had so hoped things would settle down, but the longer this goes on, and with the increasing number of cases and countries shutting down their borders it is clear this trip isn't going to happen.  I'm definitely disappointed for a number of reasons.  I won't get to see my friend J this year, it's unlikely I'll ever get to do this particular cruise as the pricing was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and frankly, I'm itching to travel.  That's an itch I won't be scratching anytime soon!

While I was mourning the decision, I went through photos from the TransAtlantic cruise friends and I did in the spring of 2014.  J met us when we docked in Southampton, as did a cousin of one of our party and his partner. J gave us all a day to remember.  I have over 120 photos to prove it, but I'll only share a few here.  

Our first stop was Sir Harold Hillier gardens, where J was then employed.  We spent a few hours there and I was in heaven!  What a beautiful place!

The day was a bit damp but the gardens were so lovely it did not matter a bit.

Every where I turned there was another gorgeous tree in full bloom.  

The flowers were simply spectacular!

This was my favorite piece of artwork in the garden.

After we had wandered to our heart's content, J had arranged for us to enjoy a ploughman's lunch at the main building.  It was wonderful and totally unexpected.  After lunch I know we went to another spot but I can't recall the name.  I do remember that they had plants for sale...which had I been able to smuggle home in my suitcase I might have.  Probably not, though because that would have been an issue at border control.

It will be weeks yet, before our garden centres will open so I'm living vicariously through these photos!  

The grand finale of the day, of which I have no photos, was a proper English tea at J's home.  A good friend of hers made the cakes especially for our visit.  It was just an incredible day and one that will live on in my memory.  It was my first chance to travel to Europe and only served to whet my desire to return.*

Back to the mundane I spent the rest of the week cleaning house. The kitchen was first up and the bathrooms right behind it.  While I keep the rooms reasonably clean and tidy, I spent more time scrubbing cabinets and counters than I normally would.  I tackled the areas under the bathroom sinks and got rid of more items that haven't been used in months or have dried up.  I washed the floors on my hands and knees in order to get into the corners better than I can with my mop.  

On Friday, the crew showed up to replace the shingles on the roof.  They arrived by 8:30 in the morning - I was just about to go and feed the birds as they pulled up.  I warned them about the ice on the east side of the house and we agreed they would work off the front patio side.  About 2 hours later the shingles were off and I could see them rolling out the underlay.  I'm sure that isn't the technical term but it works.

The original truck and trailer for the garbage left just as the truck with the new shingles arrived.  I watched the crane lifted the supplies onto the roof.  It was a long day as the original crew of two completed the shingling, replacement of vents and turbine thingy (again, another technical term) about 6 p.m.  I had wandered out about 5:30 with a garbage bag to pick up a few pieces of shingle and the wrap from shingles.  The guys were good enough to ball it up and toss it off one side of the house.  I could have left it for them, but I figured it would save them a few minutes at the end of the day.  

Saturday I went out shopping for cat food, bird food, and a few groceries. I had planned my trip to hit the three stores I needed in order of opening.  That plan was thwarted when I arrived at Peavey Mart to find they didn't open until 10, rather than their normal 7:30 a.m. start.  No matter, I took my items home, wiped everything down with wipes before putting them away and then did the quick trip for the bird seed.  I shouldn't have to go out again for another 10-14 days again. My son has been called into work for a few hours Monday and Tuesday so if I think of something I'll ask him to grab it.

This post is getting incredibly long, so I'll wrap it up for this week.  Take care everyone and stay well!


*I know that J reads my blog too, so I hope you've enjoyed the memories of our last visit.  I'll get there again, one day, I promise!