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March 1, 2022

a week with a difference

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 5:50 am

Sbeen a different sort of week. Tested positive for covid on Tuesday. This has consequences. A dental appointment arranged months ago has had to be rearranged for May! Bugger. Also due to fly to Barcelona on Sunday. Feels unlikely I will be going though I am going to leave it until Friday or Saturday to make that call. If I shake off the symptoms and test negative I’ll go. As I said feels unlikely.

I’ll be able to rearrange some of the travel bits. Certainly repurpose the train tickets. Funnily enough I got a text message this morning from LNER saying that my train time had changed and offering the option of a refund. Upon examination the change was that it arrived in Kings Cross 3 minutes earlier!

Dunno about the flights. With a bit of luck I’ll get a voucher but not so sure at the mo.

The covid symptoms are not severe right now but yaneverknow innit.

One of the side effects of all this is that I’ve been kipping in a spare room which has been very comfortable. It’s at the back of  the house and very quiet. I wake up every morning looking for signs that the covid has gone but so far, admittedly only 3 days in, it ain’t. Gonnahavetosee.

My day to day life has turned somewhat hermitesque as the others in the house avoid contact. Fortunately the shed is the perfect place to have to do this sort of thing. Also I am being well catered for by she who matters the most. Deelishus pea and ham soup for lunch was left in the pan when she went out  and a pot of tea has just appeared in the shed.

Although I have every means of communications possible and plenty of entertainment I do very much feel isolated. Makes you understand the issues people living on their own have had to contend with during periods of covid lockdown.

Had the occasional nap as well which is a bit of a luxury. On the settee in the shed. I rarely use the settee as I have two armchairs as well. 

There is a lot going on on the international scene. The Russians have invaded Ukraine. Old Putin looks more and more like Hitler every day. Deranged. This is a dodgy time for the world.

Friday and I’ve woken up feeling much better. Still sniffles and a slight cough but I sense the worst is over. Tested positive again so not totes out of the woods. I sense that Barcelona is looking worse than evens. Tomorrow is really the drop dead date although I could still cancel Sunday morning. Seehowitgoze.

Another day of spring in the shire. Shed doors open to the garden. Need to brush the detritus of winter off the deck.

Green Thumb have been and gone. We will need some seed putting down in April to fill a few bare patches. Leaves blown from around the shed base.

Sigh Saturday

Had to cancel a London to Newark train journey so I rebooked for a new date but the system won’t let me cancel the old one on the back of this. Upon examination it is because the old booking is from London Terminals to Newark whereas the new booking is from London Kings Cross to Newark. Different journey! At least there was a very nice person called Rosie at the other end of the LNER Customer Services line who sorted it.

Whilst I was in the middle of that the Yarborough Leisure Centre called to see if I wanted to renew my membership which I did but not in the middle of talking to Rosie who I’d have to wait on hold to get to. 

Another beautiful spring day out. I sense that I am mostly over covid. Just a few sniffles and the odd cough. It is hitting Anne hard poor girl but she is a bit behind me with it all.

Took me a good 45 mins to get through to BA this am to cancel flight. Only gave me the option of rescheduling it online

The news is all about Russia attacking the Ukraine. They have been at it a few days now. The problem for Ukraine, apart from the fact that Russian president Putin is a psychopath, is that Western armies can’t get involved as it would risk escalation into WW3. It does feel as if the world is on a war footing though and the repercussions are going to continue for years with the only end game being the removal of Putin.

Our house was built in September 1939. Walking out into the back garden just now it was very easy to feel as if nothing had changed. War going on in mainland Europe with a crazy expansionist dictator hell bent on his own agenda.

When I was 19 I hitchhiked to Greece. I caught a train and a ferry for some of the way because I bumped into a couple of guys headed that way but it was mostly hitchhiking and certainly on the way back.

When I set off from Bangor after the end of my first year at University I bought a rucksack and a waterproof raincoat and stuck my thumb out whilst holding a sign saying St Tropez. I made it to St Tropez and thence Greece.

I quite like the idea of doing it again. An adventure. You never see hitchhikers anymore. It’s quite sad really. In reality we have the campervan option. Next year when we go to the rugby world cup in the South of France it will effectively replace my hitchhike.

I’ve been thinking about planning something but part of me says to just freewheel and see where that gets us.

Monday 28th Feb. The red line indicating covid +ve was a lot fainter this morning and took a while to show. Methinks I’m nearly through it. The great thing about this is being able to go places without even thinking about wearing a mask. As a glasses wearer, masks have been a real nuisance steaming up my lenses.

I normally don’t work on a Monday so today is going to be relatively leisurely. Still a few bits and bobs to sort out but I might even hang some pics. They’ve been sitting on various sofas waiting to go up on the walls.  

1st March. St David’s Day, 1st meteorological day of spring and Shrove Tuesday. All in one. How about that. No pancakes though as the diet continues. Around 12kg off so far. Happy enough with that.

Also tested negative yay.

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