Saturday 19th to Thursday 24th December

So since my last post things seem to have gone mad.

Apart from my car being run into and the weather being awful, lots of ☔️ and flooding …

Covid-19 is back with a vengeance.

Christmas has been destroyed for so many people, there was a very big hold up of lorries crossing over to France, worries about food shortages as a result, many flights out of the UK cancelled, another national lockdown looming.

Tough times 😒

Stay strong everyone.

We must all still try and make the best of it. Things will be different but hopefully we can still have some nice times. And maybe all the different vaccines will slowly start to make things easier for us all 🤞

But just for now, I would like to wish you all a HAPPY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎅🎁

Very soon to be Tier 4 …

Tuesday 1st to Friday 18th December

Welcome to my least favourite month of the year!

The month is taken over by various and constant Christmas preparations which I do not especially enjoy!

So on Tuesday 8th December a 90 year old UK grandmother became the first person IN THE WORLD to be given the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination. Just how amazing is that?

Back to work again for me, I wonder how long for this time? Until this vaccination programme really gets going I have a little feeling that I might be off again after Christmas.

Here’s a little snippet from Carols on the Doorstep

We went along to join in with our neighbour Arthur and Radio Oxford to have a little Christmas carol sing-a-long 🎶

One Thursday I was excited to find this on my doorstep.

It was from the volunteer team at the John Radcliffe Hospital ‘to let us know they are thinking of us at this time of year’.

They normally put on an amazing Christmas lunch, usually in a big hotel or conference centre around Oxford for over 100 people. Obviously that cannot happen, so they sent us all our own little ‘Christmas dinner’. Turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwiches, Christmas cake, shortbread, chocolates and a Christmas cracker.

Thank you 😍 I miss my volunteering ☹️

I’ve never been to this before but as it was an event that could still go ahead this Christmas we went along to watch the Christmas Tractor Run

Some of the tractors were amazing, I think a lot of hard work had gone into them. Such fun.

Sunday 22nd to Monday 30th November

There was a trip to the Rollright Stones and a fun walk in the woods nearby.

There was a nice little afternoon walk in Stratford-upon-Avon. The sunset when we came back into our town was quite amazing.

Then one day we decided on a visit to Foxholes Nature Reserve. It seems like we took a wrong turn when we first got there and were just walking through random deserted fields and very muddy tracks. And it was rather cold!

On our way back we found the way we should have gone in the first place!

We definitely need to go back in the Spring and Summer to see the bluebells, other wildflowers and wildlife. Hopefully it would be a bit warmer then too 🥶

So it seems I walk my way through lockdown, maybe next time (will there be a next time???) I should find a spare wall like Viktorija.

Take a look at all of her doodles!

That really must have took some doing, but what a great idea.

When I’m sat having my morning cup of tea I notice this!

My garden fence is steaming!!!

Just a little thing that fascinated me! The joys of my lockdown 🤗

Monday 16th to Saturday 21st November

In the wars.

I finally had my flu jab at the weekend. Such a painful to move and very tender arm I had for a few days. Even my clothes touching it was so sore. Why does it do that?

And then, time to have all my bloods taken for Birmingham so they can be checked. As there are no clinic appointments at the moment, unless you need to be seen, I went to the local health centre.

Will, the nurse, was vicious! It did hurt and left me with quite a bruise this time and another slightly aching arm. I didn’t mind it too much though as at least he got it first time. Usually when the others are so much more gentle doing it, they don’t get it on the first attempt and end up having a few tries in different places. I don’t enjoy that 😐

Have you ever wondered What happens to my blood?

Interesting isn’t it? There are some clever people around! I wish I was one of them, I find it all so fascinating 🧐

Car picnic with Leah. Fun and very yummy 😋

I’m furloughed again 🤯

I hope you’re all doing okay and managing to get through this crazy #Lockdown2. It’s very different this time isn’t it? We can’t really escape into the garden for a couple of hours, we don’t have the warm sunshine this time ☹️

Stay strong, be kind to yourself if you’re having a bad day, try to stay in touch with people wherever you can, remember to just take small steps each day and as you can see in the picture below, we will get through it 💪

Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th November

I had a really nice sunny afternoon walk with Robyn and Leah 😍

We had some fun in the woods.

Then we took a little succulent that I had previously planted for them to my mum and dad’s grave.

It doesn’t get any easier, I just miss them being around SO much, more and more as time goes on 😰😰

Another afternoon, another walk!

It’s so muddy everywhere at the minute from all the rain we’ve been having.

I wonder how he gets on in the mud!

Look at these lovely little acorn people from artist Dubanci.

Here’s me chilling with my coffee!

And here’s one my cousin made!

Friday 6th to Wednesday 11th November

When your daughter goes to stay with her boyfriend for Lockdown2 😰 but then you get a surprise delivery 😀

Thank you Robyn 😍😋

I LOVE this story about these three nurses. Although I am a bit jealous! I would also love to be able to do something in the hospital where my life was saved. But I just live too far away ☹️ A big well done to all three of them though 💪

And now finally, I have put my Lockdown Photo Challenge on to my Photos page. Go and have a little look! It’s quite a fun thing to do. Keep your eyes peeled, I might do another …

Thursday 5th November

So, here we go again …

#Lockdown2

Some difficult days ahead for all of us no doubt.

Hang in there everyone 💪

I thought I’d start lockdown with a little 3 mile walk, it was very cold 🥶

Happy Bonfire Night 🧨 🎆 🎇

Sunday 25th October to Wednesday 4th November

A Sunday afternoon visit to Rousham House, well actually the gardens.

We got a bit wet, but the sun came out too which gave a good photo opportunity 🌈

It was really quite pretty, it would be nice to go back in the Summer too when everything is in full bloom.

Happy Halloween 🎃

For those of you that don’t know, this is Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s manager ⚽️

I made a Banana and Walnut loaf and surprisingly it turned out really quite well! 😋

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients: 100g softened butter, 140g caster sugar, 1 beaten egg, 225g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 4 very ripe bananas, 85g chopped walnuts.

Step 1: Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 2lb loaf tin with some butter and line the base with baking parchment, then grease this as well.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and egg, then slowly mix in flour and baking powder. Peel, then mash the bananas. Now mix everything together, including the nuts.

Step 3: Pour your mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before removing from the loaf tin.

The loaf can now be wrapped tightly in cling film and kept for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. If so defrost and warm through before serving.

You can serve in thick slices topped with vanilla ice cream.

But I just like to have mine as it comes with a nice cup of tea!

Saturday 17th to Saturday 24th October

Have a look at the slideshow of some of the winning photographs for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Some of them are quite amazing, but then they do go to quite some effort to enable them to capture the right shot.

What do you think of this lovely beast?!

This was taken by Leah on a recent visit to a farm park.

Have a look at Leah’s Instagram page leahdunbar_photography – she has some more of her own great wildlife photos on there too 📸

And while we’re on this sort of subject! Look at this …

The Giant Hand of Vyrnwy

The remnants of the UK’s tallest tree (taller than a 20 storey building) which was felled after being damaged in a storm, was transformed into a carving of a giant hand.

Scaffolding was erected around the ‘blank canvas’ tree trunk, which took 2 days itself to erect as the terrain was so difficult. Then there were 6 days of intense work using chainsaws and grinders.

Artist Simon O’Rourke said “It’s a last attempt by the tree to reach the sky”.

Saturday 10th to Friday 16th October

A little trip out to Burford Garden Centre 🌹🌵 What some lovely things they have there – if you have lots of spare money to spend!

And then I saw this …

Later in the week, and two walks in one day (one ending with a coffee sat outside Nero’s in the warm sunshine ☕️☀️) must have been a bit too much for me I think! as I lost my house keys at the end of the second walk. It was dark by then so I had to drag Leah to come back out with me so that I could look for them, luckily there they were still led right in the middle of one of the paths in our town. Phew.

And just because this is funny and makes me laugh, watch woman pranks husband

🤪🤣

Are there a few people that you would like to do this too?!