Another three weeks of lockdown
After what can only be described as a week from hell, it is a huge ‘Hello sunny Sunday’ from me. My last blog was on April 10th, it feels like it was yesterday but I have lost days from this week as unfortunately I got floored by what I hope was only flu… and not the dreaded virus.
I was in good spirits last Saturday, although I was sad to miss the annual Easter dancing of Britannia Coconutters so chose to fill Facebook with photos and videos of them. While in a safe distance queue on Bacup Market to get my food from the butcher Pete, I couldn’t resist playing a video of the Nutters as loud as possible to 
the assembled customers. A few turned around wondering where the noise was coming from and after 5 minutes almost everyone was tapping their feet, slightly moving their hips or patting their wallet in time to … da da da da daaa… It was reminiscent of that scene in the Full Monty in the dole queue!
I enjoyed a lovely walk into Waterfoot, primarily because those same Nutters were also outside a house at the Hare and Hounds in Stacksteads and I wanted to contribute to their fundraiser, this year for Rossendale Hospice. I also took a couple of videos, one of the bird song… there are so many different birds you can hear this year now the traffic is less busy and one of exiting the railway tunnels.
Easter dawned, I am not a religious person, but I enjoyed that Easter egg that I was kindly given by Morrisons while I was litter picking and then settled down to finishing off the pastel drawing I started weeks ago. When I went for a walk with neighbour Steve and his friends to Lee Quarry (before lockdown) we experienced four seasons in a day and I snapped a pic of the steep quarry sides, the sun glinting on the quarry pools and their dog Fawkes in the foreground for a focus … it was in the strangest of lights. Usually I start and finish projects as one but this time, I did a bit, left it for weeks… went back and revisited a few times. And I am glad that I did. It became more like one of my O level art projects, but better I reckon.
And then came D-day… Easter Monday… little work this week so I pottered on with the house, finished the front window, sealed, painted and blissfully now ant free, progressed my ‘beach hut’ inspired wooden panels in the vestibule, painted three rainbows and thank yous on my bins and finally helped the butterflies fly in formation on my bedroom curtains. Then… well… YEUCH!
Monday night was horrific, feeling so rough, the runs constantly, sleeping hardly, stomach turning more somersaults than Nadia Comăneci. I felt like my world was ending. A huge thank you to Earl Page and his wife Glynis, bless he joined the queue at Lloyds Pharmacy in Bacup on Tuesday morning to get me meds. The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday is pretty much a blur, but for eating one banana and two slices of dried bread, and sleeping, and sleeping, and sleeping.
On waking at 4am on Thursday morning I found myself soaking wet, not a nice feeling at all but having had flu once before I know that is my body’s way of getting rid of infection… however not eating had left me 6lbs lighter with a very tender stomach and constantly feeling slightly light headed. I did get dressed but pottered about resuming my hobby of bird watching, and indeed mouse watching… cheeky blighter I snapped him inside the feeder and when he made his hasty exit. That night I only slept 2 hours, but from Monday night to 4am Thursday I had slept on and off most of the time so it was hardly surprising.
Although I have got up and dressed every day since, I am fully aware that my body is still in recovery, the good news is I am now sleeping better. The weight loss has stabilised to 5lbs, which is fine, but I am still only able to eat small amounts as my stomach feels like it has endured a boxing match with Tyson Fury! No more runs though – phew.
So gosh, yes it is Sunday and the sun really has got his hat on, how did that happen? Where has this week gone? I have finished a craft project to create a cross stitch card for my mum’s 80th and have now begun another project. I finally tidied the living room so then did a room 360 video to show you all how crazy it is, like it or love it I don’t mind – the room is an expression of its owner. I am planning my next room transformation. It will be ‘back to work’ on Monday. I have a list of jobs and stories I need to catch up on (safely) and a plan that hopefully my health will permit me to carry out.
Stay safe, be nice to each other and don’t forget to say thank you x
Writing… it’s what I do.