Week Eleven
Friday, May 29, 2020The week has flown by! Work is busy so a lot of time has been spent at my desk, but I have grabbed a few moments for myself too.
I thought I'd share my week in the form of a photo a day, a random shot picked from my camera roll.
On Saturday we started the day by deciding to just get on and cut Andy's hair. We'd been talking about it for ages, and early Saturday morning proved to be the moment that Andy had had enough of his longer hair with the bits that had started to curl.
It took me almost an hour of faffing but I think I did a pretty good job, Andy was pleased, and now I think I may have a job for life!
I did take before and after photos but I was made to promise that they would never find their way onto the internet.
The following day we embarked on a typical Sunday activity - gardening, which for us came in the form of trimming the conifer hedge. We try to trim it every other year but last year we didn't get time, so this year we had a bit of a challenge on our hands. Some branches were too big for the loppers, so out came the big guns. Andy is well versed in chainsaw work, I had the job of operating the loader.
On Bank Holiday Monday we continued with the conifers, we have to do this piecemeal around Andy loading wheat and irrigating. I was back in the driving seat. With the cage on the front of the loader I would lift Andy up high enough to trim the trees, then I'd lower him down, empty the bucket of trimmings, and we'd move onto the next section. We still need to tidy the sides of the conifers but the top is done, and it looks much neater.
Tuesday and after a busy day at my desk I spent the early evening reading a few chapters of this book. I don't often like short stories but this seems to fit well with my limited attention span at the moment. I'm rather enjoying it, and read it with the voice of Tom Hanks my head.
Wednesday was rather uneventful, just lots of work and making cups of tea. I took this photo at lunchtime, sitting on my patio. My coffee table is a pile of bricks that will soon become part of our patio transformation. Now that our builder is back at work the ugly block of concrete will have a brick wall built around the edge, and have paving slabs over the top. Then I'll get rid of the weeds in the border and finally plant something pretty!
Friday. This is one of many photos I've taken of water droplets on my sweet peas. The green is so lush and the droplets look like jewels! One of my favourite daily tasks is watering the greenhouse. I do it first thing every morning and I love seeing what's grown and shot up overnight. It's getting rather full in there as a lot of my seedlings have now been moved to larger troughs, and will only continue to take up space as they grow, it's going to get jungle like in there. I wonder if I'll attract any of the local monkeys*
*we don't have local monkeys
The only other thing I've done this week is go to a supermarket. I felt it was time for me to brave the world once again, I hadn't left the farm, other than to go on rural walks, since March 23rd. I didn't need many provisions so I wasn't out for long but it was nice to go out and see that the world is still there.
I wondered if woollen winter gloves would really be any use when I saw the woman in front of me wearing them, but whatever makes you comfortable I suppose.
I wondered if the two ladies having a chat in the aisles really needed to chat there and then. I was waiting in my denoted bay, trying to decide how long to wait before saying something, when the person behind me, who had no intention of waiting, used some choice words to move them along.
I wondered if the lady in the bread aisle needed to pick up, squeeze, and inspect five loaves of bread before choosing the one she was going to take home (aren't you supposed to only touch the things you intend to buy? My friend used this rule as her reason for buying two Easter eggs, she couldn't put the first one back because she'd touched it :) any excuse for extra cocoa!).
I wondered if it was really necessary for the lady on the checkout to comment on my every purchase - this, obviously, has nothing to do with social distancing, but it really irritates me. Yes I am lucky to get flour, yes I do like those (that's why I'm buying them), yes I'm going to mash them, yes they are delicious at this time of year... Would this annoy you or am I just being unsociable?
Anyway, I survived and felt a little better for having been out into the world once again. I need to go to a Post Office at some point but can't decide which one will have the easiest system based on it's location and layout... I'll ponder it and then plot my next foray into civilisation.
I hope you're all well. I'll be popping by your blogs and catching up soon, I haven't visited some of you in a while, work has been busy which means I like to get away from my screen of an evening.
Have a good weekend, enjoy the sunshine!
xx
16 comments
I cut Jos's hair too - well, what's left of it :-) - using clippers and I made it very very short. Then the next day his hairdresser called to say he was able to make an appointment. That was last Tuesday, and the hairdresser gave him quite an odd look, but was able to neaten up my handiwork! Cutting that conifer hedge sounds like quite the job! Good for you to brave the supermarket. I know it feels weird at first, but I think we slowly need to get used to the outside world again. Those things you mention would annoy me too, and that lady's comments at the checkout would drive me mad. I once frequented a butcher who made comments on my every purchase and I stopped going there in the end. xxx
ReplyDeleteAndy has since said he's not going back to the barbers, its my job now.
DeleteBeing out and about did feel strange but not as strange as I thought it would be, it was a good thing to do. I guess if you work on a checkout commenting on people's purchases is an easy way to make conversation but I just don't like it... talk to me about the weather instead! I totally get why you stopped going to that butcher.
xx
Your comments on the supermarket made me smile. I am one of those annoying people who stand behind you and look at your shopping, then say 'what are you going to make with that'? or how do you cook this then? !! I too get fed up with people manhandling things on shelves though, for goodness sake - they don't let you do it in markets so don't do it in Tesco either! I really enjoyed this post as it had a bit about your farm wife life, I would love to have a go at operating that kind of machinery, it does sound like a hard work lifestyle though.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope we never meet in a supermarket then, Betty! haha!
DeleteI don't like the manhandling and I hate seeing people sniff the fruit and veg, don't put produce under your nose,and then put it back!! As my Mum used to tell me "look with your eyes" :)
I do enjoy playing in the loader, as I don't have to do it very often it feels like a treat, and it would be so much harder without a chainsaw and a loader to make short work of it. The lifestyle is harder for Andy, he works so much, but he does enjoy it most days, it's in his blood.
xx
The check out lady commenting on everything seems weird to me! Maybe that's her way of staving off boredom? I once had a check out persons comment that some cakes I was buying looked nice but that was one item out of ALL MY shopping, and they did look very nice.
ReplyDeleteLove the monkey disclaimer 😅
I think I could handle a comment on one thing. It might be a boredom thing, I just find it intrusive, why not just come over to my house and look through my kitchen cupboards? Anyway I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like it.
DeleteGlad my silliness raised a smile.
xx
I love your photo of the sweet pea leaf - so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThe conifer hedge trimming sounds very arduous, Jon's just got a Lidl strimmer, he'd kill for your bit of kit to tackle our 100m hedge!
I went to a shop for the first time in months on Friday, a garden centre, and hated it. Another blogger referred to shopping as being like choreography and it was, waiting 2 metres behind people while they examined every pair of gardening gloves and trowel....argh!! I was happy to get backk home and order what I wanted online! xxx
100m of hedge is a lot! Luckily we have much less than that, of conifers anyway, we have a lot of laurel but that doesn't require Andy to be suspended in the air.
DeleteI found the supermarket experience OK but I'm not in a hurry to go out again. Why do people think it's OK to dither at the moment?!!
xx
That would have driven me mad, the checkout lady! I'm the kind out person who uses the self service just to avoid human interaction, haha! Operating a loader sounds like a quite a fun job (unlike trimming conifers!).
ReplyDeleteI wanted to use the self service checkouts (I always used to, to avoid people too!) but they were busy and I wanted to get out!
DeleteI like being in the loader.
xx
That's a bit weird about the commenting on everything! The handling of everything is naughty at the moment. I felt really bad the other day because I got to the checkout and noticed one of my leeks was moudly at the bottom and I asked if I could swap it because I really didn't want moudly leeks-unfortunately, I couldn't tell it because of the plastic wrapping- if it had been naked, I would have seen!
ReplyDeleteThat Tom Hanks book sounds interesting-might have to look out for that!
The loading and hedgetrimming sounds a bit scary to me! I don't like heights or operating mechanical equipment!
It is weird!
DeleteNo one wants moldy leeks! What a shame they needed to be in plastic at all.
I'll send the book once I'm done if you like?
I like the loader, it feels very safe and solid. I wouldn't want to drive it on the road though, it's too big!
xx
Oh good! Glad to hear that you agree on the leek front!
DeleteHope you are well! I am fine, back to school on Thursday...2 days a week at the moment, more if we get more kids.
Yes please to the book!
The book is nearly finished, I haven't been doing much reading lately, but I will happily pop it in the post when I'm done.
DeleteHope work goes well tomorrow and in the weeks that follow. I'll be by your blog soon for a catch up.
xx
Well done for cutting Andy's hair! I am lucky just to set the clippers and whizz all over C's. Actually I think we'll keep that up too as we both think it suits him more. Although he's more grey than brown now, at least I have been reassured by the close crop that he's still got a full compliment of it.
ReplyDeleteJealous of the loader driving, this sounds super fun.
I have avoided every 'going to shop' opportunities since lockdown and have pretty much just been to the garage and a coffee shop. C has taken on all other store duties. I am not wanting to get in the mix of people and their insufficient distancing/touching habits. I would have got a right smack from Mum if caught touching bread in the supermarket if I was little and sounds like that woman didn't have the same parenting (but would have benefited from it).
I HATE checkout conversations and would prefer silence for me to work my unload trolley/bag packing magic. I cannot think, speak and manhandle groceries at the same time, plus it's just RUDE to discuss someone's choice of buys, isn't it? Give the shopper some privacy!!!!
That said, our usual checkout lady (we have a usual) is a gem and has asked after me since C has been going alone, as well as the shop floor manager which is incredibly thoughtful with all that's been going on. xx
Andy says he's ready for another haircut, and he's more grey than brown now too. I wouldn't be brave enough to use clippers, I'd feel too out of control, so well done in your efforts. Looks like we both have a hairdressing job for life now...
DeleteI do like driving the loader, I feel like Ripley in Aliens :)
I'm glad I ventured out to the supermarket but I won't be returning very often, I don;t see the point if we can manage without going, which we have been able to so far. I think I just needed to see the 'outside world' for myself.
That lady definitely would've benefited from a smack at poking the loaves!
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who dislikes the checkout commentary, it makes me feel like less of a grouch, I like a little conversation, but keep it neutral - the weather or such like. How lovely to have a usual checkout lady, and that she and the manager has been asking after you, that's really lovely.
I hope you're well, I'll be by your blog soon for a catch up, I don't know where the time has been going...
xx
Thank you for taking the time to comment x