Looking forward - to Spring and beyond

 Today's the first day of Spring. The sun isn't shining, and to be honest, it's not very warm or spring-like, but the daffodils are flowering and there's a definite feel to the season turning. Meanwhile I'm longing to get out and about, and see somewhere other than my garden.

Since Christmas I've been more or less stuck at home; I've been to collect groceries, and that's about it. The local police have been very strict with their interpretation of lockdown rules, fining people for travelling too far for a walk, so I haven't bothered going beyond the nearby playing fields. 

But ... the stay at home rule ends on March 29th, so, not only can my daughters come round for my birthday in early April (crossing my fingers for a dry day) and I'll be able to visit them somewhere outside, I can go out for a change of scenery. I feel like I have a lot to catch up on from last year!

I've been too sedentary since Christmas so I'm not heading off trekking or mountain climbing but for a quite wander among spring flowers and blossom. Last year I missed out by waiting too long and then feeling I should stay at home when infection rates rose. This year, with the virus hopefully retreating plus my vaccination, I feel less at risk.

Although I have a (long) list of new places I want to visit, I'm going to start with the local and familiar. One of the last places I went just before the lockdown last March was to Shipley to see the daffodils, and it's where I'll start this year. Although I don't think I've ever caught it in full flower, the nearest National Trust property, Kedleston Hall, also has a fine display of daffodils - they've been posting photos of them flowering in the last week or so, and hopefully they'll still be there in a few weeks. 

As spring progresses, I want to spread my wings a little - first to Bow Wood, at Lea Bridge, to see bluebells. It's a regular trip we make to see the hillside covered in a sea of misty blue and something I really missed last year. Then to the other side of the valley to Lea Gardens for their magnificent rhododendrons, and
perhaps finish the day with a walk along Cromford canal. Ina different direction, the woods at Felley Priory will also be filled with bluebells, but I also have an idea about staying in a shepherd's hut surrounded by them, so perhaps a holiday is called for.

A little later, moving into May, wisteria will be flowering at Calke along the kitchen garden walls, and if all's still going well I'd like to head over to Powis Castle for more rhododendrons, and Bodnant Gardens to see their laburnum arch.

Then we'll be moving into summer - time to sit on the terrace above Hopton Hall's rose garden.

Somewhere in between all this, I'll be visiting Chatsworth, which has something for every season, and miles to walk in the gardens alone!

With luck, it's going to be a busy few months.

A Year Ago ...

 Today marks a year since my last real trip out - to Manchester to see my youngest daughter.  We went out for lunch to Grub street-food market but the city seemed to have already entered lockdown with the streets strangely quiet.

We all knew a pandemic was coming, but rather hoped that the three week lockdown would see the end of it. Obviously that was far too hopeful an idea.

It's hard to believe how suddenly life changed completely, and how this change has become 'normal'. The actual lockdown didn't start till the 23rd but (apart from an evening trip to Locko Park) from this point we stayed home, just to be on the safe side. Being somewhat older we've erred on the side of caution, so since then I haven't eaten out anywhere, haven't been inside a shop or to the pub, even though over summer these things were possible. I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen my two daughters, though at least we had video get-togethers. How would we have managed without modern tech? I did go walking a lot - but only to pay-to-enter places, such as National Trust estates, where the numbers of visitors were limited. Looking back, I think I could have been a little more daring, but it didn't feel that way at the time. 

I've been luckier than many - I have a garden to sit/potter in, husband to watch tv with at night, all of my family are still well - but I've really envied those who live in the countryside or, even more so, by the sea.

I'm really hoping now that we're putting covid behind us, and that things will be slowly getting back to normal after Easter. I'm not quite convinced about it though yet

Jottings - March 7th - a lazy week

 I don't seem to have done or thought much this week because, having had the Covid jab, I was left exhausted. 

It was very strange having am event marked in my diary - somewhere that I had to be at a certain time - and stranger still to see so many people! As I've been relying on 'click and collect' so not going into supermarkets, I think this was the greatest number of people I've seen since the beginning of lockdown. There were people around was I was out walking last summer, sometimes they felt like too many, but even then they weren't all heading into the same building. 

Up and down the country various venues are being used as vaccination centres, and here n Derby the cycling arena has been taken over, with hundreds of people funneling through each day. It didn't take long at all, and I think the fifteen minutes wait afterwards, in case of immediate side-effects, was longer than the whole queuing process. I didn't get a sticker or a lollipop though.

Four family members have now had the jab, and none of us has reacted in the same way. I didn't have aches and pains, or even the headache reported by some people, but for three days afterwards I was sluggish and lethargic. For several days I ended up taking an afternoon nap! It's better than catching the virus though.

At the end of this doing-nothing week, I had another engagement - an online escape room with family. This was harder than the last we played but great fun. Somehow while playing these games it seems like we're all together - more so than on one of our regular video calls. During the evening my eldest daughter asked if and when we'd be ready for some toddler-minding. Obviously we need to wait for restrictions to lift a little more, and for this initial jab to take affect, but I'm more concerned that I've become used to a quiet life, without a tumult that a toddler brings. I suspect that ten minutes of running round might exhaust me more than the jab did.

Jottings - 29th February - good news

 It's been a glorious week weather-wise - sunny days, followed by dramatic sunsets. 

The flowerbeds are filling with purple crocus and the first daffodils have come into flower. 

After the recent cold spell, Spring seems to be dashing along, and I'm spending a lot of time in the garden. For now there's still a lot of tidying to be done but some of the trees needed a hard cutting back before the leaves grew and birds started to nest. 

News has been good too.  The newly announced 'roadmap' gives me hope for a normal sort of summer (I know we all felt this last year but I'm keeping my fingers crossed) The easing of lockdown restrictions means I can look forward to a family get-together for my birthday in early April; I've known snow to fall on the day so we might have to wrap up in coats or hide under umbrellas, but it will be worth it. In addition, I've managed to book my first Covid jab for next week. 

Meanwhile I've been busy cooking, using up homegrown veg in things like borscht, and making bread and pizzas with my sourdough. The one above is a normal cheese/tomato pizza; that below has sugar added to the dough, a swirl of apple and cinnamon jam and a topping of apple slices. I doubt any of it helps my intention to lose weight.

Rather late in the day, I've settled on my New Year's resolution - to continue to try new things. If life really does get back to normal there'll be plenty of opportunities for this; if not, there are still things to be tried at home.

 Generally though I feel hopeful about the coming months. Maybe, just maybe, things are looking up. I'm not entirely confident that we've seen the last of the virus and it's accompanying lockdowns, but the future seems much brighter.