LAID AT LAST

WEDNESDAY - Back at work today doing a two in the afternoon until ten at night not sure who is covering the night shift not particular bothered as long as they are on time it irrelevant I just want to get the three days done hopefully it won't drag hopefully it is also free parking still not sure it is be nice if it was . I am already looking forward to the weekend .

Been to work three days now it is a lot better than it was when the out break began we  don't have any known cases on our block all patients with symptoms are transferred to other hospitals .W e have boxes and boxes of masks and visiting is restricted so yeas it does for now feel safer .I just cant get back into the swing of things I am lacking any real motivation and feel I am just going through the motions .

Been on three ghosts hunts with Helen and the team from *Spirits Within" they wanted a good medium and spiritualist so contacted Helen . So far we have been to a P.o.w bunker which was the first and from there to some haunted woods located in a park with deaths that have been recorded over the years and with a history going back years and finally a cemetery we had some very good results and are getting decent views and followers to say they have only been established for a few weeks the rare doing really good hopefully they will continue to grow .

FRIDAY - Helen bought a interactive doll Luvabella the idea is that because it is interactive spirits can make it move and talk and get it to do things to show they are present , I think we got the wrong model so we are trying to take it back tomorrow  and get a refund.

SATURDAY - Getting some more paving added to the patio it will give us a lot more useable room .Took the doll back got a full refund of £50 .The patio looks good going to add one more row but he cant do it for a week or so . In the evening went over to Dovestone its been a while since we have been still as scenic as ever. 

SUNDAY - Went to B&Q bought a Karcher pressure washer and a bag of stone to go around the listeria plant the stones are really nicely coloured and look great when wet .

THE VISIT

Fucking hell going back to work this Wednesday  if the risk of covid -19  is minimal I will continue to go on a daily basis but  if the risk starts to rise then  I will have no choice but to return on sick and eventually leave .

MONDAY - Helen's parents finally visited us in our house for the first time they was sleeping over just for the night  , we meet them at  Blacker Hall Farm thirty minutes away they was late so we went in to the farm shop bought fresh chicken Kievs  , sausages , bread and bread cakes , scones , salad and potatoes and cakes Helen spent £70 we walked away with three carrier bags full of food , expensive to say the least .

We took them to a local reservoir Helen took some bread to feed the ducks her father can't walk far he has breathing issues and gets out of breath very fast , we took both dogs and took them for a fifteen minute walk on the way back we went to the local supermarket her father wanted a bottle of brandy we headed home for tea  watch the new Tom Hanks movie "Greyhound " I was totally disappointed I thought it was boring start to finish .

TUESDAY - Helens parents went home they followed us back to the farm shop they know the way back from there . we went to Fox Valley outlet and I bought a blue Regatta jacket water proof and light weight , bought Helen some magnesium oil .

Got a quote for the garden paving laying its not cheap but a lot lower compared to some quotes we had work will be starting this Saturday and maybe Sunday as well hopefully will make sitting outside a lot more comfortable .

HAPPY NOT HAPPY

Went over to Acaster Malbis dropped Helen off at her parents home and left her there and went to meet my son Guy .

It has been awhile since I  have seen him for what ever reason it has been way too long the weather was fine I picked him up from the street were he lives in Acomb which is only15 minute drive  from Acaster Malbis for some reason I thought that he lived allot further away .  We went to to the Ship Inn which is by the river Ouse we sat outside . We both  had a pint and some food I ordered the fish and chips and he ordered the in house beef burger with all the trimmings which when it came looked very filling.

Dropped him off back home would have been nice to spend more time with him but as always time went way too fast .Went to Helen parents you could cut the atmosphere with a knife her parents had been arguing and accusations  going back to 1960's where being thrown about , it was not good her Dad is 79 years old , we left them to go home not in a happy place .

JOBY

Have to make a phone call to work either tomorrow or the day after  to discuss my possible return to work think they are pissed with me for not being in touch more than I  have , they have phoned me a couple of times not exactly harassment  but can't really be bothered . The last time I did not even answer I ignored the call ,  and I didn't call them  back to be honest I can't blame them  but I just couldn't be arsed but honestly I was sorting my feelings out and anxiety over the Covid -19  outbreak and to decide what is the best path  best for me and my wellbeing and those aroub=nd me and if that does not fit in with their plans sorry , chances are I will be going back next week , wether I stay is undecided at this time , but if I can get a few more months work where the infections and deaths are dropping then why not .

Ebay buys recently purchased  bought a Stan Barstow book that I first read at school called "Joby" as well as a Berton  bluetooth rechargeable speaker mainly to use with  a app that Helen uses when she is ghost hunting  , I also bought three light up motion sensor ghost/spirit balls , a iPhone selfie stick for filming and photography   , and last but not least a laser pen that can  reflect thousands of green matrix like dots which makes detecting movement if anything crosses its path , she really wants a SLS  camera which detects spirit in a stick man form but we will need to buy a second hand  windows tablet and maybe some software to be able to use it .

STRIPPED OFF

FRIDAY - Finally washed the car and cleaned  the interior it was in dire need of being vacuumed been to the garden centre soil and leaves and other plant material need clearing of the seats and floor .Waxed the paint work at the moment they are still building new houses on the estate so there is dust in the air constantly which soon settled on the clean car , oh well never mind was clean for a while .

Helen cut the grass the rain soon make sit grow she also planted in some plants , trees and shrubs that we had bought over the last seven days at various garden centres near to where we live.

The sun was out most of the day it was nice to see and makes your spirits lifted amazing what nice weather does to alter your mood and outlook .

SATURDAY - Went to the tip don't like going on a weekend was going to wait till Monday but boredom had set in and I decided I wanted something to do so off I set , the queue for the tip was only a few cars I waist and out in five minutes .

stripped off the corner sofa we took all the cushion covers off seven n total and took the seating covers off and machined washed them all it was dry and warm enough to get them pegged out to dry , all this wet weather one of the dogs had come in from the garden with muddy paws and marked them , it is the first time we have washed them we only bought the sofa in February this year new covers are over £350 .

We cooked two bacon and cheese quiches home made with fresh ingredients took over a hour you have to blind bake the pastry , turned out perfect best ever .

SUNDAY - Want to go on day trip for some reason thought about going to Mount Snowden not sure why just entered my head for some unknown reason . Perhaps it was the fact the the sun was blazing in through our bedroom window when I woke up a very nice change .

BEST EVER

Rain and wind is all w have been having over the last four days Summer is nowhere to be seen .The garden is water logged and the plants and shrubs took a battering , the patio table and umbrella blow over luckily  the umbrella stayed in our garden and was not damaged .

TUESDAY - Went over to my daughters house to wait in for her corner sofa to be changed the delivery came just after twelve this time it was the right hand and it all matched , also took my drill and put her guitar bracket on to the wall in her kitchen ,

I fitted the settee together put the legs on and slotted it together it went to gather easy , I then tied up got rid of the packaging and vacuumed up the brick dust in the kitchen  from drilling the kitchen wall and packed up my tools I locked up and  then dropped the key of at her salon a few miles away before heading back home .

It was good because it broke the day up gave it some purpose we all need purpose in our lives .

WEDNESDAY - Watched all episodes of Jeffery Epstein "Filthy Rich" on  Netflix what a pervert and his first jail term a con , then watched You Tube as the weather is still wet grey and misty hence the mammoth tv watching , 

I got the slow cooker out early in the morning and chopped up some potatoes , carrot , swede and a  leek I made some stock with Oxo , Bovril and beef stock cubes and added two giant pieces of braising steak and let it cook all day .At around four in the afternoon I made some dumplings and the batter mix for pancakes , I transferred the stew to two pyres bowls and placed them in the oven once the stew was boiling I added the dumplings to both bowls after a while I turned the oven down and pan fried the pancakes result the best dumplings I have ever cooked I did add some baking powder to make the dumplings rise better a perfect tea time meal .

STOCKING UP AGAIN , JUST LIKE REAL LIFE

SUNDAY - My daughter stayed over again with her son Jenson .Shw coloured and cut Helens hair and also cut mine .We had another cost pork inner . I bought the xbox game Toy Story 3 it was  only £8.99 so my Grandson could kill a few hours playing it is not a bad game he really enjoyed it , he has watched all the films and in the game you can be Woody , Buzz or Jessie .

MONDAY - I cooked us a full English breakfast apart from mushrooms my daughter left just before half past eleven she had a guitar lesson .

Went to Fox Valley retail park  its around a  fifteen  to twenty  minute drive from our home bought three pairs of Adidas trainers a white with black stripes , black with white stripes and a grey with black stripes they was in the sale  ,I also bought  two jogging track suit bottoms and two Adidas T-shirts , I desperately needed training shoes been a while since I bought any and three pairs should last me ages. I also bought a Levi bum bag .

WEDNESDAY - Went food and supplies  shopping bought food for the dogs and cats , bought oven cleaner had to go to six different shops to buy some oven pride B&M , Home Bargains , The Range , Sainsbury and Asda had all sold out went to Tesco Express finally got two boxes from CO - OP . Bought more boxes of coffee for my Dolce Gusto coffee machine Nescafe as well as Aldi's own brand and Costa coffee's own brand all on various offers Asda doing three boxes for ten quid . Also bought three packets of  ground coffee for my Moka pot because you can't beat freshly made coffee  , and I thought better stock up on both brown and white sugar and of course tea bags  for Helen , plus loads of cleaning products and hygiene products from hand gels and soaps to wipes and sprays , I think we will get a second wave  not sure when if it is weeks or months away I do think that we will go in to lock down again and that the next lock down will be for a lot longer with stricter conditions in place I think the first one was to lapse and ended too early . Did a chicken chow mien for tea the chicken was from a farm shop and not supplied from a supermarket there has been an coronavirus at one of the food factories that supply to a few big chain food stores another reasons that I think that  we are not out of the woods yet .

THURSDAY - Found out a friend who works at the hospital might have caught coronavirus for the second time hopefully they will make a full recovery .

A very boring day the weather is still dull , grey and wet , did nothing in particular stayed playing Assassins Creed Odyssey there is too much going on and to do , it is vast open world game play and I am  not sure what I am suppose to do apart from heading to the vine yard to speak with Markos I  got there  easier enough and he  would speak to me weird .I need him to interact I need a horse from him and for him to instruct me to go collect a debt , finally restarted the game and finally it happened glitches and bugs just like real life.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

MONDAY  -  Got another sick note from my doctor for another month , nothing as changed I still don't really want to go back to work  , things have changed and we are expected to do things which are not are jobs because they don't employ enough out of hour cleaners , we are being asked to do cleans , sorry but no way am I doing covid cleans because managers are trying to save money , not on my shift mate.

Got the wood from the timber merchants to make Helens bird table think this is table no3 , we was over that why getting my sick note and Helen's meds so as the timber merchant wa snow open we called in got some big coach bolts to fix it in place once it is made .

WEDNESDAY  - Went over to my daughters house she had bought bunk beds for Jenson's room and had asked if I would assemble them for her , we went over took a coupe of hours the hottest day yet they went together alright and looked sturdy enough will check the bolts next time I go over make sure everything is still tight .

FRIDAY - Last Friday we had the plumbing done this Friday we had the electrician round changing the kitchen light fitting a outdoor double socket and fitting a carriage lamp back and front it took him the morning and made little mess highly delighted ,Need to buy a brighter bulb for the kitchen and dimmer ones for outside .

FATHERS DAY

We finally got a plumber  he only lives a few doors down from us we asked him to give us a quote to  change all the taps in the house including the kitchen sink , we bought the taps after we moved in in February we also asked him to fit us  an outside tap on the wall under our kitchen window  . As well the kitchen sink now will have a  large mixer tap with a flexible shower hose which will make rinsing the plates etc of before we put the in to the dishwasher making  life a lot more easier and of course an outside tap a lot handier  for connecting the garden  hose for washing the car and watering the garden no more put the hose through the kitchen window  . We got the dishwasher plumbed and it is working fine  it been years since w have had a functional dishwasher which will make my life a lot easier seeing as I do  around 99% of  washing the dishes,  pots and pans although you still have to  to rinse them under hot water to get rid of any food deposits .

I got delivered yesterday from a seller on eBay five Fruit of the Loom white cotton T-shirts and they fit pretty good so I ordered another five in black and five in light grey .  

I also ordered another ten washable face masks for Helen and me ,  I think people are foolish if they think that this virus has finished with us , we have plenty of wipes and hand gel as well as bleach and clothes .

SUNDAY -Fitted the swivel and tilt  bracket for the 32 inch tv that will be residing in the spare bedroom it was quit easy to fit and easy to mount the tv on , I also fitted the bracket for the tv in our bedroom was a little bit messing around as the back of the tv is thin at the top and wider at the bottom I had to ci=ut the spacers and crews down to fit they was either to long or too short but got there in the end .

My daughter came round with a lovely box of cup cakes she had already got us a curry earlier in the week 

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Helen cooked us a roast pork Sunday lunch with sweet pots swede and carrot  Yorkshire puds and stuffing , after we all went on a walk with the dogs ,

ADIOS BOB

Ventured to Pc World  at Wakefield we got there at around 15.30  they now shut at 19.00  we suede up it had been raining lucky it had stopped as we got out of the car .We bought a Samsung 50 inch smart t.v it is the same as the one we have down stairs juts 15 inch smaller  but 18 inch bigger than what we are currently viewing in our bedroom after watching the one downstairs it was like watching a postage stamp , was ex display and was well under priced it did not come with a box but they wrapped it up in bubble wrap and we put it in the back of the car across the rear seats .
Whilst we was there Helen bought and Amazon dot for the bedroom was only £29.99 .

Got home set the tv up the one we have in our bedroom is going in the spare bedroom order two new brackets one is fixed and one swivels I pick them up from Screwfix in the morning .I also ordered a better Samsung tv remote with Prime , Netflix and Rakuten buttons pre assigned to instant launch the app .

Ordered two Kingston 16 mg usb drives mainly to use with the tv's so we can watch movies currently watch the tv series Brassic highly amusing a great first episode watch it you should  be hooked

Sad news Bob the ginger cat died he was 14 years old he got his owner of heroin and off the streets  he was a busker and also selling Big Issue he went on to write several  books and a film was made  as well as a a cartoon "A Street Cat Named Bob".  Adios Bob . My cat is ginger and called George and ginger cats are very loyal and he will always sit with me .

NEW DRAWERS

SATURDAY - Went to garden centre at Dobcross I  bought an industrial drawer cabinet for the living room it is quite arty it has both wood and wire mesh drawers and it looks well with our other furniture . Had fish and chips and a curry sauce from Compo's got them to take home its the best fish shop in Holmfirth.

SUNDAY - Went to Ikea in Leeds I got to admit I was skeptical about going obviously the crowds and the queuing to get inside or even just getting parked up we went after one p.m parking was easy we queued no more than twenty minutes the store was way less crowded then usual it was easier getting round the checkouts a lot faster a lot more enjoyable experience than normal I was impressed they had automatic hand sanitisers and of course we wore masks bought some new bedding , two bedside lamps and a stainless steel mocha coffee pot  and a packet of coffee grounds the first cup i made why too strong but adjusted the amount of coffee and water and i am now making decent freshly brewed coffee  , also bought a couple of hand towels and some seat cushions and gin glasses for my daughter .

MONDAY -Went to Pugneys park at wakefield to meet Helens son and his new baby Harley he was born last Thursday and it was the first time we have seen him we walked around the lake it was warm and took use just over an hour and half Helen got to push the pram she was well happy .

After went tommy daughters house to put up some picture frames and a rhino head on her driving room wall .

DEAR STAGS

SUNDAY - Did a Sunday dinner again we had a joit of  pork from the local farm shop but any without sweet potatoes .

TUESDAY - Found a new walk with Bailey took about an hour and best bit it is mostly flat and does one big loop and it is more or less , all off road in the country side .

Did some shopping today at the local Lidl and guess what they had my favourite coconut ice cream , i had it a few years back  and saw it today for the first time so I bought to boxes which is four portions  .

Had to but a new shower hose for the bath shower the original hose was leaking and the shower head blow of so we got a long hose I also bought a brass outside tap when we get our plumber to come round and do our jobs we need doing .

WEDNESDAY - My daughter Tuesday stayed over with Jenson our grandson we went over to Wentworth garden centre the weather was pouring down so we couldn't go for a walk with the dogs. For tea we did a home made shepherds pie with minced lamb and a suet dumpling cobbler on top with home made Yorkshire puddings peas and carrots vey nice very tasty .

THURSDAY - Went over to Todmordon to Gordon Riggings garden centre as it was raining mainly just to get out off the house its a sonic drive and takes around an hour , we did not have to queue to get in and they had quite a few elaborate garden ornaments at outrageous prices .Very dear stags indeed .

NO WATER NO GAS

THURSDAY - Went over to my daughter's house she had asked me if I would  put her up for  her wooden gin rack wall unit  that had been delivered on her  kitchen wall and a couple of thick heavy wooden floating shelves and her  wall mirror in her living room it makes a big difference the shelves look well nice , she needs to buy herself  a set of matching gin glasses .

FRIDAY- Phoned the tax office to see how my tax rebate form that I completed online was being processed no record of it being completed so I logged online for some reason it had not been sent so I completed it and got a confirmation email to confirm it had been sent 15 days I should find out if I am entitled to a rebate .

Helen tried to register with Next online shopping was a total pain so she had to telephone her order through it should all be delivered Thursday next week fingers crossed .

SATURDAY - Raining the electric supply was cut to our surrounding villages we was watching tv when the power got cut , as we don't have gas can't even make a hot drink it was off only for around a hour and half but it seemed forever .It wa five p.m when it came back on so I decided to cook tea did a shepherds pie with Yorkshires and peas and gravy whilst cooking got a text from Yorkshire water the supply was disconnected typical anyways had tea , then the electric went of again only for twenty minutes at the moment we have both water and electric bliss  .

Got to admit life is boring I am not complaining but I miss normal life I know it could be worse I could be in hospital with the virus staying at home when we can is easier enough specially when the weather is fine and  hot and we can sit out and chill  in the garden  having barbecues drinking cider and eating strawberries .

Found a new walk and we meet these two horse's  in a nearby field .

you can see our house from this road that we are  walking down it is in the distance  the new houses .

kids leave hand painted stones that they have designed around the village , you are suppose to find them and leave them in a new location for others to enjoy .

Bentley the cay hijacked our walk this morning he talks all the time but stays close to Bailey .

TO THE DOG GROOMERS

SUNDAY - Lazy Sunday was nice doing nothing cooked a turkey dinner bought a turkey joint for £3 a few weeks ago its been in the freezer defrosted and cooked it for dinner was excellent not sure why they only cost three quid but not questioning it either its not the first one w have bought for that price


MONDAY - Another sunny day Bailey was supposed to get his coat cut but it is now on Wednesday it must be so warm for him .Went to Home Bargins got some things for the home bought some more hand  sanitiser and anti bacterial wipes  bought a bug house for the garden so the insects can live there .

WEDNESDAY [ Took Bailey for his grooming appointment at nine a.m went over to Wakefield dropped him off pick him back up at twelve three hours to kill.Went to Home Bargins bought a few items for the bathroom shaving gel tooth paste there was no queuing to get in then went to B&M bought dog food ,cat treats and coffee pods for my machine .
Watched a film on my iPhone The Debt Collectors was ok bit of a B-movie but I liked it .

Picked Bailey up after his cut it usually costs £38 now it has gone up a fiver to £43 just because of the lock down they did say the price will go back down yeah I bet , they should have told me bought the increase when I dropped him off anyway I paid it not the best cut ever but he be a lot cooler in the heat , which is why we wanted his coat cutting.

STAY OVER

WEDNESDAY - My daughter came with Jenson my grandson they are both  staying over just one night with us .Took Pip and Bailey for a walk up the side of Hade Edge reservoir I had done the walk before it was a warm afternoon with a light breeze its around three miles , Jenson did really well and walked as good as we did .
For tea we fired up the barbecue had garlic chicken kebabs , lamb ribs and burgers and sausages I sat back and let my daughter do the cooking ,Watched David Dobrik on You Tube .

THURSDAY - Tuesday and her son went home in the afternoon it was nice having them stay over hopefully they will both stay over again soon.

FRIDAY - Went over to Wentworth garden centre bought a David Austin rose and a pink hydrangea and a few other plants , had another barbecue this time I cooked a full chicken from the farm shop it was only £4.20 it was well worth it it cooked really well and was moist and tender will have to get the other flavours that they sell .

SATURDAY - Went over to see our friend Sam at upper bank end road where we use to live a few years back we sat in her garden drinking orange juice watching her chickens and ducks play in the water.

DAUGHTER VISIT

All of the early deaths that have sadly occurred world wide from coronavirus makes you wonder why live for tomorrow when living for today is a lot more appropriate  . Another thought that I am having is this  , when we die all that we might leave behind is photos that we post on Instagram  , the things we upload to our facebook page , and the stuff we write on our  blog posts or for those who upload their videos to You Tube , as well as words of wisdom for those who do podcasts its a scary thought this might be the sum of all our parts , but also nice that people will still follow what we have written and photos we have taken for years to come .Even after death we can still influence people with our style thoughts words and deeds .

MONDAY - May Day holiday took Bailey on a new walk was quite nice and the best bit is it is all flat or down hill on the way back which after a long walk is good going the opposite way is all uphill.
Put hasp and staple on to my tool shed and a couple of bolts through each to make it more secure hopefully it will never get broken into .

Emailed my one month sick note to my managers and line managers they won't be happy but I am between a rock and a hard place at this moment in time .

TUESDAY - Tuesday is coming Wednesday with her son they are staying over for a night or two .

Having a roast beef dinner we never had on Sunday which is great because I have horse radish sauce which is best with roast beef .

Bought a teak root wood bowl from the local garden centre and a wooden tray , I also tried a Ruby Magnum ice cream lollie truly nice saying that Helen had a bite and she hated it .

I have order some Japanese Sakura micron pens some Zebra technical drawing pens and two orange notebooks .

BRICKED IN

SATURDAY - Finally bought two sun loungers from B&Q we had to queue for around half an hour as well as two outdoor collapsable chairs on getting the chairs home discovered when we unwrapped them they was meant for children now have to go back to change them which is a pain .Also bought some more charcoal for the barbecue its the type in separate bags and you light the bag rather than having to use firelighters . Some brick effect wallpaper which is for the back wall in the kitchen ,a paste brush paste as well as pre mixed paste and a double socket for the outside .

Someone our street is selling Body Shop products I ordered some coconut shower gel and three bars of coconut soap I love the smell of coconut and it helps someone out in these shitty times .

Cooked a home made lasagne with steak mince did bread cake garlic bread pretty awesome if I say so myself .

SUNDAY - Went back to B&Q to exchange the chairs we got yesterday I also bought some kitchen emulsion and some white gloss I also bought a Stanley Fat Boy three foot level I plan on panelling the wall behind the head board in our bedroom at some stage over the next few weeks I only have a short Stabilia scaffolding level .
Helens friend papered the back wall in the kitchen I can't wallpaper wood chip never mind pattern stuff .we had a wall in the kitchen papered and a wall in the downstairs toilet both walls done for only twenty pounds which is pretty good value .

I think it looks quite effective and breaks up the plainest of each room I thought it might look too much like it was false specially it being paper but it does look good we might go over with some clear varnish just to make wiping down easier .

Bought a joint of beef for Sunday dinner , a box of Haagen Dazs salted caramel ice lollies , strawberries , cloudy apple and strawberry and lime cider and veggies to go with the Sunday lunch , as well as cat and dog food .Only thing is Sunday linch might be Mondays linch it wa slate when the papering got finished then Helen had a reading to complete it was way after eight pm when we was finished .

THE BEANSTALK

Painted the side of the shed Helen had done the front a few days ago but has the shed needed emptying of its contents  and then  pulling out to so we could get to both sides that she had left , so I did it in afternoon it took me a few hours to apply a few coats of paint to both sides the back goes up to the fence so we left it just brown  to be honest I just wanted it done , we also cut the grass not the biggest lawn on the block there was enough cuttings to fill the cuttings collection  box  once only  .

WEDNESDAY - Helen did a video our of the house filming it on her iPad from the top to the bottom inside and out as here parents have not seen it and they don't have internet access or decent phones to face time . so we are going over to see her mother and father since it was her mothers birthday in January we set of to Acaster Malbis near York  just after dinner time I stopped of at the farm shop and got a hot pulled pork sandwich for me  , Helen had a ham and cheese baguette .

Arriving at her mothers static home we just sat in the garden and talked  it was a very  hot day with a gentle breeze we only stayed a few hours and we all went for a short walk around the site before heading back home .

THURSDAY  - Went to Hampson's garden centre bought some more white rocks which weighed a ton and some other pots of flowers to plant bought some hardware bits and pieces a hasp and staple and some galvanised wire clips . Had our fourth barbecue did not over do the food bought to massive pork chops and som pork sausages and that was it I had a baked potato and Helen just had a bread cake the food was perfect cooked over white hot coals .

FRIDAY - High winds and gales I fixed the pergola back to the stone work using some corner brackets and screws  I was going to do before to secure it for when we had bad winds further down the road  but today I though better safe than sorry I was out just after nine drilling  the brackets and fixing them into place it now should be ok .

Went back to Hampson's garden centre Helen wanted a wisteria plant eight foot tall it is currently residing in our dining area it looks quite good pity it is not an indoor plant .

RUSTY FLOWERS AND HAIRCUT

SATURDAY - Drove over the moors to Dobcross the other side of Saddleworth to the garden centre it also had re-opened I bought a lovely planter of a pixie women's head it was the only one for sale I was impelled to buy it it was £35 and is very heavy ,we bought more plants and a wicker planter basket .

We also went to a garden centre at Crofton Wakefield  which is totally  the other side  to where we live bought two new large plant pots for one for each side of the front door they was quite expensive .

I also bought a new bird bath to replace the one I broke and three bags of compost  to fill them , Helen liked two rusty steel flowers so I bought them for her , all and all I spent over £350 I also spent over a hundred pounds the other day for things for the garden so that is it no more money to spend on the garden until another year .

SUNDAY - Washed the car it has been a while gave it a good clean also used the waterless wax and vacuumed the interior another highlight was Sunday dinner I went out in the morning to flowery fields butcher and bought a joint of pork was very nice washed down with two cans of cloudy cider .

MONDAY - Drove over to my daughters house she lives a hours drive from our home , since I have not been to work at the hospital and she has not been seeing anyone we both felt it was safe enough for us to go into her house for her to cut mine and Helen's hair I had grade one blade might be a while till I get it cut again , Helen had hers coloured and highlighted .My dai=ughter had been decorating she had done a decent job she is also learning to play the guitar she can already play a intro to one of the RHCP songs which I recognised .

OUT SHOPPING

FRIDAY - Today went shopping with Helen to the local Co-Op  we both wore masks . I bought coffee pods , cloudy cider and Haagen  Daz salted caramel ice cream lollies like Magnums but better  I got 2 boxes they are that good I swear try a box and you will get them again .also bought some Mexican chicken to oven cook will have it for tea .We wore our face mask whilst inside the store even though it was quite empty .

We also went to the local green grocer at Holmfirth and bought a punnet of brilliant bright red strawberries and a carton of  pouring cream Helen also bought some more potted plants including another two lavender  plants , from there we went over the road to the bakers and bought two freshly made pork pies , bread cakes and vanilla slices before heading for home we was out just one ninety minutes .

Helen has made a flowery reef for the garden shed door she is also making one for the front door when she gets some more materials and flowers .

We also went to the Range store we bought another large mirror for the wall above the sofa which makes them room look a lot bigger we had a print there which is now at the bottom of the stairs .

The picture looks ok at the bottom of the stairs  we bought the picture on the way back from the Lake District a few years ago we went there with my daughter to the Beatrix Potter exhibition and we stopped on the way back at an outlet and bought this picture it is suppose to represent Helen on me on a bench years down the road .

FISHY

YESTERDAY - We went to Compo's fish and chip shop , the restaurant part still remains closed but the take away section was open it is the first time we have had our fish from there since we moved at the end of February as it was closed for lockdown .
 I got us both  a fish in a breadcake sandwich and a carton of Chinese curry sauce which was excellent it is the little things that you want or that miss when you can't get them it was worth the wait .

THURSDAY - Went to the local waste tip at Meltham we was told that we might have up to  a forty five minute wait before we could get rid of our waste , as  I had around ten black bags in the car which was soil and turf and a couple of general waste we waited we final got to the front after twenty minutes and got rid of all the bags that we had  piled up over the last couple of weeks which was a great relief .

After our trip to the tip  we went to Totties garden centre which is sort of our local gardening outlet ,  the cafe and  Bistro was still closed due to Covid -19 lock down , we spent well over a hundred pounds on various plants . there was a few people queuing to get in after we had left but it was not the busy .

I have bought Helen some water colour paints some paint brushes and a artist paint pad , should get them this week or early next week she does not know , She said  she wants to paint some flower pictures see if  she is any good she saw someone on You Tube paint some pictures and is convinced she can do the same , we will see , hopefully we can frame them and hang them in our home or take them to the tip .

HARRASMENT

finished the wooden storage shed was going to be for bins but it is now staying in. the garden next to the shed that is currently getting stained a sage green blue colour looks like a beach hut at the seaside but I do like it the plastic bin storage is going to the front of  the house on our drive to store the black and green bins so we don't have them in the rear garden .
 Trouble is the plastic bin won't come apart and it is too wide took the gate off and it went through ok just getting down the ginnel was ok until we hit the gas and electrical metre boxes wouldn't go through so near yet so far .

TUESDAY  -The other option is to take it over our next door neighbours fence and over his gate which would be easier enough if he says no I could cut the plastic base using a jigsaw the back panel I have taken off I would cut it on the double door line so it is in half and rejoin it sitting it on some 4x1 and screwing through the base in to the wood this would hold it together and get it through the ginnel the side panels and doors are locked in  place and won't come apart the lid and back panel both are able to unscrew and take off  .so that's what I did I cut it smack in the middle and I found some metal flat brackets to hold and join both halves together it worked .The paving to the front of the house slopes so under one edge I had to put some 4x3 under the middle some 3x1 I also screwed down into both pieces to hold it together the bins are in and it looks ok of course you can't see the cut as it is inside.

Work phoned me asking to consider to go back to work they would give me 48 hours to adjust to the idea I refused point blank I have a sick note I said I will consider what to do when my sick note runs out not before as if they also asked if I would take it as annual leave doubt it lol your a joke .

WEDNESDAY  - Fresh pasta sheets we bought yeaterday we have the mince beef and the sauces for a home made lasagne ,
Today I am making a bench for under the kitchen window now we have the plastic storage for the bins moved to the front of the house it is a very basic design why complicate things ,

Had another phone call from work which totally ignored it it was 18.40 I was cooking tea , I sent them a copy of my sick note via works email this morning and got a email back saying thank you  so they have checked it was ok it was so why phone me , your harassing me go away our better still fuck off .

WAY TOO MANY

Bought a wooden bin shed which I though would be a lot better than what it was attention to detail not brilliant but I assembled it ok and are adapting it so it can House my tools and other items I fitted a shelve inside to put car wash , oil paint on , power tools etc . Then reuse the plastic shed to house the bins at the front of the house hopefully not to much of on eye sore.

Managed another barbecue it was threatening  to rain but  the rain stayed away fresh meat done on top of red hot  coals taste better than anything cooked in a conventional oven sat out in the sun drinking cloudy cider listen to music on Alexa takes the worry of coronavirus and all the shit happening for a lot of people out of your head which is a major blessing .

I have a sick note for a fortnight work was getting on top of me sending people to covid infected areas to do shit no one else wants to do was getting to me , I am a supervisor and don't get paid enough to have the worry that someone I have told to do something will end up getting infected , no health staff in Germany have been infected and died yet in the U.K it stands at 150 which is way , way too many .I am fucking feed up of people saying we are in this together we have freedom of choice and we are not all in this together some of us are well out of it if you have money you can ride the storm most people out there need a wage or so we are lead to believe .

FURST BARBIE IN NEW HOME

Can not believe there has been over 30,000 deaths due to coronavirus  in the U.K its  a disaster a total fuck up by our government , we have been let down big time they have got it so wrong from day one and the people dying every day are the ones paying the ultimate price it is way too sad the deaths throughout the world it does seem like that we are on the Eve of destruction .

I work for the Nhs and I feel front line staff and other staff have been missed lead over the ppe and I feel workers have died to being given inadequate or out of date ppe I owe the Nhs a lot they have paid me a wage over the years so i owe them , but I don't owe them my life .

 Bought another ten solar lights to hang down from the pagoda also bought load more compost must have put 1600 litres on to the garden and borders . I assembled the barbecue we bought the other week  it is quite good made with solid materials not tinny metal like some previous barbecues we have bought over the years I took a around forty minute to put together was pretty straight forward I order a cover for it online .

Went to the local farm shop and bought some piri piri  chicken pieces , chicken kebabs , beef kebabs with garlic  , spare ribs , tonight we will try out the new out door cooking machine ie barbie .
The Haagen Daz salted caramel ice cream lollies the best ever I bought my first pack of three lethal , I also bought some more cloudy cider and other bits and pieces I also bought a another jar of coffee it was half price as well as some cat and dog food and other essential items .

Hopefully thr good weather will continue throughout the week although it is a bank holiday so nothing is more certain to bring forth rain .

NEED MORE SOLAR

SUNDAY  - Watching "Gangs Of London " a tv series set in modern times its very violent from the first episode I have watched and very gory but gripping not for the squeamish nine episodes in total should keep me occupied .

Bought another turkey joint for £3 , a joint of park and some steak for frying all from the Flower fields farm shop I was there just after right in the morning the shop was empty as I was leaving three cars turned up obviously had the same idea as me get there early avoid the crowds avoid queuing .

Put some solar lights on to the pagoda two strips of ten lights could do with more but 20 bulbs is enough I guess we can always add more if needed .Hopefully summer nights will soon be upon us sit out with a can of cider and the barbecue cooking a selection of meats whilst listening to the sheep in the nearby fields bleating away bliss .

GARDENING AGAIN

Went to the garden centre pickedd up  some plants we phoned the order in and collected in the afternoon  , Helen picked up her meds from the doctors pharmacy  which was just down the road. We then went over to see my daughter's which was about a thirty minute drive she stood in her doorway we stayed in the garden well away , she looked well I took her some strawberry and kiwi cider and some cloudy apple cider , bless her seeing her was great not hugging her hard , but we stayed apart just in case , one day hopefully we will hug again roll on that day .

Ordered a electric chain saw of eBay it came today  , I have a few 250 x 125 timbers to cut they are going to border the garden edges next to the fence panels  to form raised beds , simple enough I just need the correct tools to do the job my hand saw not good enough to cross cut these timbers  hopefully problem solved .

THURSDAY - Helen bought six bags of top soils and four bags of compost from the garden centre second trip in two days , whilst we was out I manage to get some more food for the dogs and some pasta strips to do a oven baked lasagne .

Bought a 1800 vegetable trug for Helen along with a canopy and liner and cover.

FRIDAY - Went to B&Q bought some hand basin and bath taps we bought some earlier in the year but never got them for throughout the house now we have enough taps to change every tap in the home , also bought a new hand saw that rips instead of cross cut  and two tape measures a 8m and a 5m  , I also bought a new Hozelock extendable swivel hose arm  , and a square shaped barbecue I also bought two boxes of  fire lighters and a large bag of charcoal we also tried to get two garden loungers but  all was sold out .for the front and back of the hose we bought two gothic style  black carriage lanterns we have nothing at the moment the electric bulbs for them was £9 each , scandalous.

SATURDAY - Back to the garden centre picked up another six bags of 100 litres of compost and some more out door solar bulbs to go on the pergola I have hung two hanging baskets on to the front .

FINALLY ERECTED

started my wooden pagoda which I had some sort of work bench that I could work off cutting wood on the floor or on the patio table  is not ideal .The size and the  length of timber also make sit difficult but onwards and upwards sometimes you just have to start it ,
Also not having plans to work off makes it more difficult its all in my head and of course any snags or hiccups always happens on the first build after that you know all the pitfalls .

The legs are 100. x 100 x 2400 x four pieces  , the cross members are 150 x 38 x 2400 x 8 pieces so we are talking a little bit of weight to get erected and in situ , was no easy task making props and having spring loaded F clamps helped .It also did not help the weather changing cold and rain but luckily the rain stayed away .

Making the frame was the easy bit its all housed in so it locates in the notches cut and will take apart to fix it in situ .

its up , but was harder than it looks I have only a small pair of step ladders the back cross piece and post went up first the end cross pieces left and right slotted into  wall end cross piece then propped up and clamped  front end legs and cross piece assembled then the left and right piece lowed into position prop unclamped after that the other cross members lifted in to place screwed and fixed .

diagonal bracing cut at 45 degrees and screwed in to place realised the left and right pieces should have been placed differently so the bracing does not fix into the inside but the underneath like the two on the front not the end of the world but if I did it again this would be rectified  , £189 for the wood on eBay ones already to assemble varies from £299 up to £424 plus .

SIX CUTS

My hoodie I ordered came to day for under a tenner it was surprisingly  good quality I might have to order a couple more .
Thinking I need a small man bag for when I am walking Bailey to hold my  drink canister hand wipes phone wallet poo bags  etc bought one of eBay fo £12.99  it has various pocket and is in brown leather , but it won't be real leather but it looks ok ,

The cherry blossom tree we planted when we moved into our house has started to flower I really love any type of cherry blossom tree not sure why but I do suppose that's why I bought one bonsai and Japanese Acer trees lucky I have all three .

SUNDAY - The railway sleepers and rest of the timber came at ten o clock this morning they weighed a tonne Helen helped me move them it was kerb side delivery only the sleepers are to divide the garden from the grass area so the dogs can't get over . Had to remove some turf then had to level the ground , the saw I have will not cut the sleepers they are 245 x 125 x 2.4 so I have ordered an electric  chain saw .

the sleepers will go two high I am coming of on the  left hand side with a diagonal timber then off that a raised bed on the right hand side is h=just having a raised bed I have only six cuts to make so to get my money out of the chainsaw which has cost me £80 my do some tree tank log planters or sell it ..

NINE OFF

WEDNESDAY - Trying to purchase some railway sleepers and fence posts and other timbers to build a pergola and a sleeper wall .I 'am not having much success never mind I reckon timber merchants and d.i.y shops will be some of the first to open maybe in the next few weeks if it is deemed safe to do use , of course its not essential but it would make sitting out in the garden look a lot better .


It is amazing what you crave when you cant easily get things the other week it was strawberries this week it is apple pie and ice cream .Have not been to a decent size supermarket for a few weeks I could do with going to get the other items I cant get from the farm shops .


Bought some cleaning wipes and hair gel bought more hand soap just in case its there if we need it .
Ordered some blank cd discs and covers for Helen 100 of each .Might order her a water colour set of paints she has been watching You Tube and now thinks she can paint should be a laugh .She was totally blown away by the tobacco tin I bought her close the lid the cigarette pops out she though it was high tech magic her little faced beamed was worth it .

Another thing Helen learnt is you don't have to transfer money into pay pal to pay for purchases online she didn't know they used her debit card that it came out directly she though you need funds in pay pal  account to pay for your items.

FRIDAY - Break up tonight for a whole nine days off hopefully we will get some sun and we can chill in the back garden .

SATURDAY - Got a call for the wood I had ordered they are delivering it tomorrow between ten and four including the railway sleepers so I have enough to do the borders and to do the pergola I also ordered a water feature it s the same twin oak barrels we had before , I had to order 15m of outdoor cable and a weather proof junction sleeve so should be all set to go in time for summer .