Where did that week go?

 Dear Marmite

I remember looking forward to Chinese New Year and now it has slipped into history. Lockdown is not good for the brain. Nothing significant happens so it is difficult to measure the passing of time. There are whispers that March 8th is release day! I can feel a tingle of joy inside me already.

Some days are positively Spirng like and then days like today are wet and miserable and most uninviting. With or without Shadow I brave the elements and go out for a daily saunter and the biggest joy is seeing the Spring flowers waking up. This is testament to the power of nature. Despite suffering temperatures of -7c, the ground freezing over, snow covering the land, and flooding; these little flowers have survived and are thriving. 

Something I won't miss about Singapore is the lack of seasons. It was terrible. The sun shone every day and you never had to wear anything heavier than a cardigan. You never had to worry about gloves, woolly hats, scarves - just a dab of factor 20 and off you went - awful! 

As I have mentioned before, Marms, I am still on the look out for my forever home. Danielle has added to the list of things she wants in this home. These include a treehouse - big enough for her to use! and a hot tub in the garden. I'd quite like a sea view but that is unlikely round where I live. By this time next year, I will have my wish (perhaps not with a seaview) - I wonder if Danielle will have hers.

I have been looking at tumble bin composters for quite some time as my compost heap is not working fast enough for my liking. I was expecting to be able to dig most of the contents into the ground this Spring. I bought one from B&Q and set about constructing it. Before I finish my story, I have to say that I quite like doing things like this. It appeals to the more technical side of my brain. I had also read the feedback comments before I chose that particular one so I knew there would be a few pitfalls. 

I did OK. I't was all really plain sailing... until.... bolting the two halves of the drum together. Around the drum there are probably ten or twelve holes for nuts and bolts - all supplied. I managed to get three of them fitted but the others were nigh impossible. I thought it was a matter of strength so I called for help. Still we couldn't get any of them to tighten up. 

At this point I had realised that we were a few nuts and bolts short of the required amount so I popped back to B&Q with a sample in hand. While waiting at the till to speak to customer services, the penny dropped. Aha... the threads on the given nuts and bolts were not formed properly. It wasn't a "woman" thing that I couldn't manage. It was poor quality bits that didn't work and that is what thwarted me.

The workers at B&Q were more than helpful and I now have a few more nuts and bolts than necessary but the composter is fully operational and it didn't take too many expletives to finish the job. 

I know that my world is pretty pathetic when the highlight of my week is setting up a composter. What else have I done? Tescos, walking, drinking coffee eating too much, making sourdough, rocking Billie to sleep, drinking coffee, reading, watching movies, eating too much... not a lot to be honest. 

As for Bonnie Billie AKA Ezra-Mae, AKA The Might Waaa... she is amazing. At one month old she commands all in her presence to do her bidding. We all enter in earnest conversations with her whether it is a wet nappy, an empty tummy, a lack of sleep or the wrong sort of cuddle that is troubling her. She  duly obliges with different tones of "Waa". If all else fails, I threaten to sing to her. Even Danielle tells her that Nana will sing to her if she is not good. She is smart enough to know that is a serious threat indeed. 

So Marms, that is my little world. I will be thinking of you tomorrow when you visit the vet. Be nice and let them take good care of you. I know that the vet is the least favourite of all the people you know in the world. Just remember - if you don't behave, I'll sing to you!!

Love

XXX

Gong Xi Fa Cai

 Dear Marmite

Happy Chinese New Year. This year it is the year of the Ox and according to the horoscope we should be in for a much better time. Let us hope that that is going to happen in reality for everyone's sake.

I put some Chinese music on youtube the other day to get me in the mood. Gong xi gong xi ni ya is played on a continuous, unrelenting loop in supermarkets everywhere in Singapore for at least two weeks before the holiday. In Singapore you cannot escape the song. I wanted to be reminded that it really is CNY plus it is for me a touch of nostalgia  - I only needed to play it once as it is the sort of song that gets into your brain and won't let go. I am singing it in my head as I write. 

There are other things that are working their way into my head as well. Ezra-Mae gets more alert every day so Danielle has started singing nursery rhymes and kiddie songs. So mixed with Gong xi gong xi ni ya I have "There's a worm at the bottom of the garden and her name is Ezre-Mae". As you can see, Marms my head is not in a good place. " I love you, you love me...arghhh....... EAR WORMS! 

Yesterday the temperature was mimus 5 and doggies all around  likely felt it in their paws. Shadow went out in the snow the other day, got really excited and ran round in circles. Probably not your thing, Marms - I know you don't do "excited".  I thought at the time, she must remember a time way back in Singapore when it was hot all the time. Babies didn't need wrapping up so they look like model Micheliin men over there.

I know that you are out celebrating the holiday with friends today. You have your own reunion get-together - you lucky old man. You in Singapore are allowed to be in groups of 8. I can only imagine how much fun you had.

Today, it is Valentine's Day... big read hearts heading your way, Marms - catch them if you can.

Hugs all round,

Love you!!!

XXX

The Beast From the East

 Dear Marmite

You may be wondering what this beast is. Well, I can tell you it has been most unwelcome in some ways. Darcy is his name and he has brought with him, strong winds and persistent snow. The view from my bedroom this morning was beautiful. At first sight from my bedroom window, Darcy filled my heart with joy. My small world was awash with white.

I was raring to get outside. The big kid not so far inside me got all excited. Yay! I thought. I dug around for my salopettes and set off for a slippery walk with Shadow - who I must say was even more excited than myself. We scrunched our way along the lane and up into the recreation ground only to be greeted by other equally mad dogs who were frollicking at speed and charging each other on the icy, white coating. Maybe Marms, there isn't a big kid inside me - it could be a big dog instead! 

It is the afternoon now and it is still snowing. It is probable that it will continue to do so for quite some time. In its way it is a good circuit breaker. Bad weather encourages people to stay at home reinforcing our dear government's message. At least I seem to vaguely remember that being a message some time ago. 

With our government over here in the UK rules change randomly and frankly you need to be on the ball. I can't keep up with the changes. I am not sure whether we should. "Eat out to help out" or not. The economy is going down the pan so that to me seems logical. I do know they are having second thoughts about vaccinating people as people are not protected from the SA variant, apparently.

I am far to young to worry about getting a vaccination yet. The NHS periodically asks me to donate blood and then cancels the appointment. This tactic is keeping some poor soul in work - very much as people were in Franz Kafka's The Castle, I expect. To be honest I am past being bemused and each time I am contacted I get more irritated, errrrh.

I very much wanted to let out a VERY, VERY loud errrrh in Tescos last week. My daughter had bought a large plastic storage box for baby paraphenalia  - sadly it was cracked so I took it back with the receipt inside and picked up a new one to replace it at the check out. I started to explain to the lady that the previous one was...... but before I could finish the sentence she said, "Customer Services". I opened my mouth to speak again but before I could utter a word she said, "Customer Services," Even I unterstood this. You too, Marms would have got the drift pretty quickly. She didn't need to have said it about five times in the manner of a broken record. This was obviously her modus operandi.

This draws me to the conclusion that either I must look pretty dim and lack basic comprehension, or- and this suits my perspective much more - Tesco staff are employed for their limited ability to speak in a polite and congenial way. If only she had said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you with this, you should take it along to customer services where they will be able to help you." This would have saved her the effort of repeating herself repeatedly. AND I WOULD BE A HAPPY SHOPPER... errrrh. (no picture of check out lady!)

I never had to repeat anything twice to you but then you were always a very smart cookie, Marms. Being a dog at heart we were made for each other.

Love you

XXX

A year and a day!

 Dear Marmite

Another milestone! I have been living in this house for a year and a day. When I first got to the house, the boiler wasn't working, two of the toilets were broken, the oven didn't cook anything and the fridge froze everything. I didn't even have furniture. I sat on my suitcase as I didn't have a chair and I slept on the floor. Looking back, I have come a long way. 

I have also got a baby which wasn't even in any of our imaginings this time last year. Today she is two weeks old and such a cuddly bunny. Conversation about body functions hasn't progressed very far though. Richard, the proud father was holding her last night when she did a massive poo - a veritable poo-nami as he described it. Today the washing machine is rinsing off the evidence of the mammoth outpourings - enough said. All Mums have been there.

I am not one for takeaway meals but I do have a nice thing going with Nasser's family. As everyone should know, Syrian food is the best. Nothing else even comes close, except possibly a Sunday Roast. Very often I have soups and and such like delivered with a smile but the other day Amira produced a feast to welcome the baby - and what a feast. It looked good but tasted like something out of this world. Richard with his chef-palette spent the meal trying to identify all the subtle flavours in the rice. I am just sorry you weren't there to try it, Marms.

I try to reciprocate and make biscuits and cakes for the family. I am a little embarrassed by my offereings in truth. They come nowhere near what we are given. Sometimes I cook things just to fill up my time and then I have a fridge of stuff that needs eating. This is really not a good way to plan meals. I have even taken to clock watching so that I don't have anything less than four hours away from the last meal. 

I have made myself stop buying cases of wine that look very interesting because I can't get through them. They are really nice wines and better than your average supermarket ones so I don't like to just open and imbibe. They are too special for that. I imagine having friends round and opening them then. I have 4 boxes still in store so I just need lots of friends now.

Other things I do to pass my time during this lockdown manage to get me through the day and stave off boredom. I have been doing a fiction writing course with the OU through Future Learn. I am still not sure there is a big story inside me bursting to get out but I do find it passes the time and I look forward to writing. That can't be bad. 

I have also joined the local art group  FB page which encourages people to put pictures in the window of their homes according to a theme once a month. This month it is portraits. I have lots in my folder but feel I should try and do something special for the theme. Watch this space.

If only I could go swimming though. That gave me a great reason to get up early and get my day into gear. I do stretches in the bedroom and sometimes I do them without purpose and then get annoyed with myself. I also aim to get out of the house each day. I sometimes spend hours at night reading too.  It pains me how little I have to think about. 

One year ago, nobody was really talking about COVID, nor did they use words like "lockdown". In one year we have a whole new lexicon related to our small lives and a very different way of living. You, Marms, are lucky to have a normal-ish life in a country that is now relatively back to normal. My friends over there are playing tennis and meeting up for coffee - even having meals out. Wow... what a life... one can only dream, and dream I must.

Love you

XXX