Visitors

 Dear Marmite

This week has been busy. Not just me - most of the country has had Dudley, Eunice and and now Franklin visiting their neighbourhood.  When guests come, I make special arrangements. Fortunately for me, None of my guests have caused any damage so far! Remembering the impact of tropical storms and hurricanes from my time in The Bahamas, frankly I thought it would be much worse. 

Rail services were cancelled and a RED warning went out for 10am in my area. Tennis was also cancelled. Friday brought wind but not rain. The canal had waves. The skies were sunny, and on Saturday, I took a walk around the Flood Plain Nature Reserve to see what damage had been wrought. Nothing - just a few twigs and small branches across the paths. The sky looked decidedly Gothic and the wind was still whipping around even then. We were lucky. Parts of the UK are without power again. 

While these storms are not hurricanes, they are named because of their potential to cause havoc. It could be rain, wind or snow. Outside even now the wind is whipping up in that noisy way that makes me want to stay put, drink coffee and eat biscuits. My heating has been sorted out just in time. It is easier to control now and, according to the instructions it picks up on what my habits are and turns itself on and off accordingly. Clever!

Despite the weather being a disruptor, I also had nice visitors as well. Gaby from Singapore popped up the M1 for a short visit on Thursday ahead of the bad weather. You might remember her from tennis, Marms? Obviously we talked about the old times, grandchildren and, of course, tennis. More and more I do tend to talk about the old times. We also said that one of our great joys of living in a hot country was; you don't have to wear many clothes. This is something I still haven't got right over here even though I am almost through my second winter. We went for a local walk and once again, I wore the wrong clothes - I was far too warm that time. Other times, I need a hat when I didn't think iof taking one. You, Marms, are lucky you just have a lovely fur coat and you don't have to make such decisions.

On Friday Binny and Ana braved the elements and came up for lunch. We had a cosy time in my local. I never have any issues getting there as it really is next door. This brings to mind the joke: It takes five minutes to walk to my local and about forty-five minutes to get home afterwards - The difference is staggering!!! I seem to recall we spent most of the time discussing when would be a good time for them to leave and which route to take vis a vis the storm. 

Then yesterday it was my time to visit. This was a trip to a cousin of my mother's, Paula. With Danielle and Ezra-Mae -  plus a pile of baby paraphernalia -  in tow, we set off for Aylesbury - not far away -  for a wonderful day out. Ezra-Mae is a crawling dynamo. for the time we were there she never stopped crawling, climbing, playing and smiling. Obviously, she was the topic of conversation for this trip. When I was a child and the world was a very different place, our extended family would get together on high days and holidays and we would always end up playing cards. Paula and I had a few reminisces (is this a word?) about this and times gone by and the family members long since passed. 

Today it is a swimming day! Just another normal run-of-the-mill activity day. I love seeing people - long may it continue.

I only you could visit too.

Lovely you

XXX

My learnings for the week!

 Dear Marmite

As I write this, I am watching the weather outside take a turn for the worse and I am dressed and ready for a tennis match. I really should have learnt from my experience of last weekend when I played a mixed doubles in less than ideal conditions. Why couldn't it have been like the weather in this picture?

 

On the day in question, it was refreshingly nippy to start and there was more than a light breeze whipping across the court too. Not long after the match started driving rain interrupted play and then when we got back on court hail pounded us. If this wasn't bad enough; at one end we looked straight into blindingly low sun. My partner joked that all we needed now was a rainbow; and hey presto!! one appeared. 

Playing tennis in conditions like this isn't tennis. It is not the sort of tennis that you used to watch me play from the comfortable bench at DFE. I toss the ball to serve and it moves two feet to the left before I can swing at it. From one end everything is wind assisted and from the other you have to whack the ball just to get it to pop over the net. I need lessons in taking advantage of these conditions. Better still, I should refuse to play. At least swimming lengths is not weather dependent.

I got home from the match and started to cramp up. I am good at getting cramp. I have suffered all my life and when I told Danielle about my suffering after the match she recalled a brief history of all the places I have ever had cramp. This is true. I do get it really badly. She might have shown some sympathy for my plight.

Anyway, back to my suffering. After over four hours of tennis. I couldn't get off the sofa and stand up. I rubbed one bit of cramp away only to get it somewhere else. I actually couldn't stand straight. I went to bed but couldn't sleep. One little twitch of the toes and my whole leg would seize up. OUCH!

The next morning I decided I would just swim without doing flippers and paddles. 1500m no problem! Then I got out of the water and it all started again. I couldn't stand up. I was rolling on the side of the pool, beached! I had cramp in both legs and my stomach.

Three fellow swimmers helped me while the the life guard sat on his perch and failed to notice my little crisis. Thank God I wasn't drowning! The big lesson here is - don't expect life guards to save you! They are there for show, and in this case, not to enhance the look of the place!

I realise that I am repeating my past mistakes - overdoing things and then getting cramp for starters and then agreeing to play matches in winter. Repeat after me Marms, I must not...

Actually there is a very long list of - I must nots... As they say, one is never too old to learn - or, is it that you can't teach an old dog new tricks! I am a work in progress, even at my age!

Love You!!

XXX

A Rollercoaster Ride of Covid Cancellations

 Dear Marmite

First of all, it was so nice to see you making the most of the CNY holiday with all our old friends. From a distance, your Reunion celebrations seem covid unhindered. I have to say I felt really "homesick" for all that I miss in Singapore and I have just passed my two-year anniversary of returning home here to the UK. Despite this passing of time, I still feel strangely attached to a place that was my home for 24 years. Especially, seeing all the pictures of you and your friends, I wanted to give you a great big hug.

Covid has slipped off the front pages over here. Big Bad Boris makes far too much interesting reading to make space for a few hundred daily deaths. I know that schools are really struggling, people are  now weary of the pandemic, and, around my neck of the woods people are no longer wearing masks. However,  I still do when I go into shops. For all intents and purposes Covid is behind us here even though it is still keeping the death toll high and it is a disrupter. Health Minister Saj has even done a U-turn on compulsory vaccinations for health workers.

Because of Covid, my social life took a bit of a battering this weekend as people I planned to meet up with have tested positive. I still have a tennis match and a quiz to look forward to today and in future weeks I'll get to meet up with those who are isolating  - may they recover quickly!

The plumber came round this week to sort out my combi-boiler. I had been living in a house without heating or hot water for five days. I showered in water 6c before I realised there was no hot water! That was refreshing! Other than that, I did OK as the weather was unseasonally mild and I also spent a lot of time out of the house as usual.

The plumber - a nice man - and not the least bit patronising showed me how to twiddle a couple of valves to refill the boiler and get it going again. He also went round the house and banged his screwdriver on the pin inside the thermostats. Hey presto!!! the house heated up like never before. I know plumbers are expensive but this one actually gave me a self help lesson so he was worth it!!

Last Thursday I was in charge of Ezra-Mae so I decided we would go swimming. I couldn't believe the paraphernalia that seems necessary for a quick dip plus all the warm clothes needed for the cold weather outside. If I needed to do that with my own children I am sure they wouldn't have been such good swimmers. Living in a warm country with our own pool made it so easy. I'd get them changed, throw a towel over my shoulder and leave the house for the pool. 

However, it was all worth it. I put Ezra=Mae on the floor as I sorted out the bags and she made a break for the water's edge. She loved it. She doesn't mind splashes, she loves getting wet, and she is so relaxed. Being on the small side, I think people think she is younger than she really is too. The life guard who knew me was impressed and true to form my little grand daughter made eyes at him. Despite the amount of STUFF I need to lug around, I can't wait for our next dip.

So Marms, apart from this recent highlight in my life: I mostly drink far too much coffee, swim, play tennis, get out on my bike and poke around my garden. That is it... the extent of my happy life.

Missing you as always. May the Year of the Tiger bring you great blessings.

Love

XXX