Week Four – Day 1 Another Monday morning fundraisers’ catch-up call, another hat!

Week Four Day 2 A relatively meeting free day, apart from an early morning (9.30am is the new early) all team meeting, which is video free and means I can go without doing hair and make-up. So I started the day with a bit of light skipping and some gentle arm exercises to get the circulation going. An uneventful day, though the latest news on student numbers is very sobering. Let’s hope the Government agree to supporting HE as well as other businesses or early retirement could beckon. Still adjusting to the news that the PM has been admitted to hospital as his corona virus symptoms persist. Weekly Tuesday Zoom call with LWL a complete tonic, just what I needed after a rather gloomy work day.

Week Four Day 3 Brighter start to the day, more in my diary and so the time passes much more quickly. A couple of lovely emails from donors which lightened my mood. A good chat with the Oldies, who were thrilled to have been called by the Smallest Boy, it makes a real difference to their day to hear from one or other of their grandchildren. The kids are all doing their bit to keep in touch with them and it makes me think that perhaps we haven’t done such a terrible job as parents if they are all prepared to take some time out to speak to the Oldies. A slight holiday feeling to the day as it is my last working day before the Easter weekend, we get an extra closure day, so at 5pm my out of office comes on, and the home office is packed away.

Week Four Day 4 Easter is on it’s way

In a fit of enthusiasm I decide to combine my exercise for the day and the shopping, so cycled to Waitrose to pick up some bits and pieces. I thought by arriving before 9am I’d beat the crowds – two chances of that, one fat and the other slim.

There is nothing like transporting your shopping home in a rucksack on your back, to keep you to essential items only. I rode in to Henley on the road but decided the riverbank was the best way home – just lovely. the men in the house have been working on site, as manual support for the ground workers, laying concrete

I thought they’d be done by early afternoon and so was surprised at the arrival of a JCB in the back garden at about 3!

It has been an idea of Robert’s for some time to add another table to the outdoor furniture ensemble. A table made from concrete panels. I had ignored this as one of his whims, which would never get off the ground, but never underestimate what a man in possession of a JCB with an hour to spare can achieve. To be fair I am quietly impressed with the finished set up, but I had to walk away when it was being installed and didn’t like to ask them to rotate it, when we all realised it was the wrong way round!

Decided to try it out with the recently arrived venison delivery and in an attempt to add variety to my drinks range I kicked of the evening with a sherry to go with my Spanish snacks. Drinking to the speedy recovery of the PM who is has been moved into the ICU.

Week Four Day 5 Good Friday and I decided to follow traditions laid down by others who came before me and so made a fish pie for dinner and Granny’s chocolate Easter cake for dessert. I was very pleased with myself, Delia move over. I am more impressed that the Smallest Boy has resisted the temptation to draw something rude in the icing, maybe threats of physical violence work after all.

We took part in the Marlow Rugby Club Friday Night Pub Quiz or at least some of it , as Nick only decided to let us join in after the first 2 rounds! A mistake on his part as Round 2 was the Disney round, and we all know I am the Disney queen. Final score was 39 out of 50 and just saying, if I’d been let loose on Disney, we’d have blown through the 40 barrier! Wait until next week.

I am not one to complain, particularly in the current circumstances, but I was a little fed up to be woken up at 2am by a very fidgety husband – it transpires his gout (known as that bloody goat in our house) had decided to put in an appearance. In case you are unfamiliar with that bloody goat, it is easily as painful as child birth or having a limb amputated! After some tossing and turning Robert opted for a gout tablet, a pain killer and (at my suggestion) the spare bedroom.

Week Four Day 6 A slightly slower start to Saturday, due the the early morning visitation by that bloody goat. Today we are going to trial pizza on the Egg for dinner. This involves making pizza dough, not something I have tackled domestically, but we have flour and somewhere in this cupboard we have yeast!

Yeast was finally located (it only took me an hour to tidy the cupboard) and after a couple of false starts (I forgot to add the olive oil, but it transpires it’s OK if added as an afterthought) we have pizza dough. This only goes to prove that dried yeast does not go off and a 2014 sell-by date need not put you off (I write the the following morning and we are all still in good health, with no food poisoning to report). I am carrying on my drink to match food theme, and so have opted for an Aperol Spritz to accompany the pizza.

We sat in the garden after dinner (pizzas a huge success) and watched the sun go down and the stars come out. I thought how ironic it was that when we are all confined to barracks, we get a glorious Easter weekend. The times we have endured rain, hail and snow at Easter and yet this year it’s pretty perfect!