Genevieve's Blog begun March 21st 2020...

To be continued...

Tuesday June 2nd

It’s a grey day today and rain is forecast for lunchtime. I’ve washed my hair and had Weetabix for breakfast, so time for the blog again… We’ve added some good photos of the Round Pond with water in it!
Next thing dad suggests we tidy up and remove the last of bluebells - stalks in the green bin and leaves in the compost. We have a cup of tea, then I listen to my new Black Adder box set. Late morning dad and I go to the Co-op to buy French bread, lettuce and spring onions, as we’re having an al-fresco salad for lunch.
Dad has cleared the remains of the turf for better car access in the font garden, and that’s the next project!
After lunch, dad and I go up to the churchyard to measure shed they are planning to replace as it’s been broken into again and all the tools stolen. On the way we pass Deli di Luca and there’s no-one outside so dad suggests a coffee! As we are still in lockdown they only have two tables outside for social distancing. When we get home I listen to some more Black Adder then go on my early evening walk with mum to Farley Common. Dad made cauliflower cheese for tea and we watched ‘Holby City’ and ‘The A-Word’. That’s all for now…

Wednesday June 3rd

Not so grey today. Dad has some work to do so I watch Mr Bean on Netflix and listen to some more of my Black Adder box set. We have egg and bacon for lunch, but dad had bought gluten free bread because it was the only brown bread in the Co-op and mum and I didn’t like it, so we shared the last crust of the old brown loaf! No early evening walk to Farley Common today, mum and I have to go to Morrisons instead. Along with everything else, we bought some asparagus so dad can make his chicken and asparagus potato bake for tea. After tea we watched ‘The Sewing Bee’ on BBC 1 which was quite funny because they all get stressy when they run out of time.

Thursday June 4th

It’s a gloomy old day today, so I did some painting and watched tv. Nothing much happened so I was a bit bored. Mum and I didn’t even go for our evening walk, as it looked like rain! Not a great day…

Friday June 5th

Also a grey day. After breakfast I watched ‘The Good Witch’ on Netflix until 11 o’clock when Edem rang and we could Skype my friends in Longfield. They were quite a cheery bunch apart from Georgina who seemed to have got out of the wrong side of bed.
After lunch I watched Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson in ‘Bottom’ which was very funny. In the afternoon it brightened up and dad and I walked to Jane’s with some printed stuff. On the way back we noticed the Tudor Rose tearoom was open so Dad stuck his head in and said ‘hello’ to his friend Kelly who is the owner. We will go there on a sunny day for tea and cake, and our neighbour Vivian may come too as she likes cake!
In the early evening Dad met his friends Stuart and Harry at Long Pond for a beer as it is Friday. For tea we had liver and bacon, mum and my favourite!

Saturday June 6th

Sunshine and showers are forecast today. At 11 o’clock we Skyped Sam and Lucy. We had a good catch-up with all the gossip and it was nice to hear from them.
After lunch mum and I went to buy hay and hedgehog food, but I was a bit anxious and got impatient when we had to wait in a queue.
Sam came over with his record player for dad to do some repairs, and to pick up a section of skirting board dad had cut for him.
We are having a take-away from Rendezvous tonight and I wanted mum to ring up and order it as I was feeling hungry. Mum rang up and Maria said if it was for an evening meal, could we ring back after 6 o’clock. I became impatient and got cross. Mum said to make a sandwich if I was hungry, but I got angry and threw one of mum and dad’s best plates on the floor. It smashed and mum went mental! Dad came running down the stairs and told me off. I was crying and realised I had done something bad. Dad told me I was never to do anything like that again, and that I HAD to learn to be patient and control my temper. Sam was in tears by this time and dad sat me down for a chat and accepted my apology. After a while I pulled myself together and dad made me a cup of sweet tea.
We had baked potato, cheese and beans for tea and then watched 2 episodes of ‘The Crown’. I felt calmer then and will try very hard from now on.

Sunday June 7th

The weather is a bit changeable today, sometimes raining, but when the sun comes out, it’s very hot! Dad and I do the blog after breakfast and its difficult for me because I was reminded of what happened on Saturday afternoon. Dad and I discussed it but it still made me cry. 

After a cup of coffee and a slice of Lucy’s mum’s carrot cake, I went with dad to the Co-op for the essentials, and we bought lamb steaks instead of chicken for our Sunday roast to make a change. For lunch we had asparagus soup and cheese sandwiches which was very nice.

In the afternoon I helped dad put one of our garden benches back where it normally sits and dad took a photograph to match one he took of the same view a few years ago. It’s like a ‘then and now’ and what a difference!
In the evening we watched ‘Countryfile’ and ‘Antiques Roadshow’ then Jurassic Park ‘Fallen Kingdom’ which was a bit scary. Night, night…

Monday June 8th

Another grey overcast day today. I watched ‘Life on Mars’ on Netflix. It was pretty violent but quite watchable, Philip Glenister is way over the top. After lunch - soup and a sandwich - dad and I went to the garage to buy printer paper, and to Westerham Heights Nursery to buy garden wire, and dad found a nice lavender bush for the top patio - good for the bees! For tea dad cooked his sweet chicken curry which was very nice as usual.

Tuesday June 9th

It’s a better day today and quite sunny. After breakfast I sat in the garden and listened to some more of my ‘Black Adder’ box set which is very funny. Dad’s friend Harry came round to pick up a practice amp Sam has given him for his new tenor ukulele. He was very pleased and said he would email Sam with grateful thanks.
After lunch dad and I drove to Coblands garden centre to buy potting compost for yesterday’s lavender. We had a walk around and dad bought some French beans to grow up the workshop trellis and a large Scabious flower to add to our bee-friendly theme!
For tea we had cheesy pasta chicken bake which I helped dad prepare and it was very yummy! After tea we watched the last episode of ‘The A-word’ in which Joe’s sister Rebecca had her baby, a little girl she called Rosie. There’s bound to be another series.

Wednesday June 10th

It’s a sunny day again today. I had banana weetabix for breakfast, then sat in the garden with a cup of tea and listened to more ‘Black Adder’ while dad did some work. Just before lunch dad and I went to the Co-op to get bread and baking stuff for the beetroot loaf we will bake this afternoon. We need powdered ginger, lemon juice, baking powder, baking soda, walnuts and eggs. Mum had bought ready-cooked beetroot on Tuesday. Dad and I weighed out the dry ingredients, then dad pureed the beetroot, with a pear and apple juice in our blender. His fingers were bright pink from cutting up the beetroot, and the blender was full of pink goo! When all was mixed together we poured it into a loaf tin and into the oven at 180 fan for forty minutes. It rose very quickly but didn’t overflow the tin thank goodness! When it had cooled we gave it a try and it was yummy!
For tea dad made a chilli and we watched the sewing bee again, a nice relaxed evening. More tomorrow…

Thursday June 11th

I started the day with a hair wash then my breakfast, the dad and I did Wednesday’s blog. I watched some more Black Adder on Netflix while dad caught up with his emails. There was a knock on the door and dad’s new printer had arrived! Now he can print cd’s of his books. Just after lunch dad’s friend Patrick came round to measure up to rebuild the ensuite bathroom in mum and dad’s bedroom. Dad first built this thirty years ago, but it needs a serious facelift now. In the afternoon mum and I went to Morrisons. We did the weekly shop and bought garden lanterns like ours for Sam and Lucy. Dad made sausage casserole for tea and it was yummy! We watched ‘Springwatch’ on tv and then the news which continues to be depressing…

Friday June 12th

Banana weetabix for breakfast, then dad and I did Thursday’s blog. I watched Black Adder on Netflix while dad cut the new grass for the first time. For a change we had alfresco salad for lunch with cold meats, coleslaw and potato salad. Mum had bought some salmon for tea so dad went to see Richard at the butchers to get a nice fillet steak. While we ate our tea we watched a black comedy called ‘The Other One’ on tv.

Saturday June 13th

Bath and hair wash first thing in the morning. My new talking book Monty Python’s ‘The meaning of life’ arrived in the post. Around 11 o’clock Sam came over. It was great to see him, but he was on his own as Lucy had loads of marking to do for school. We had Rendezvous take away for lunch - dad and I had chicken burgers, Sam had a beefburger and mum had a cheese omelet. We all agreed that it was delicious! In the afternoon dad repaired Sam and Lucy’s hifi then we had afternoon tea with some yummy cheese scones and cake baked by Lucy’s mum Marie. In the evening we watched ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ then ‘My left foot’.

Sunday June 14th

The usual bath and hair wash first thing in the morning, then after breakfast I watched ‘Dinner Ladies’ then did the blog for Friday and Saturday. Mum and I went to the Co-op and bought salad bits for lunch as we’ve still some salmon left. After lunch mum dad and I went for a walk to the pond and round the back. We walked up Water Lane and onto The Green. It was very crowded as the Grasshopper pub has re-opened for takeaway food and drink. Lots of people weren’t taking away, or distancing properly, which was a bit worrying. On the way home we met dads friends Dan and Hannah with their boys Henry and Albert. They are expecting another baby in August. Mum and I had bought a chicken for our Sunday roast which was very nice. We watched ‘Countryfile’ and ‘Antiques Roadshow’ then the first episode of ‘The Salisbury Poisonings’ which was quite interesting. Tomorrow we will re-pot our sunflowers as they are getting quite big.

Monday June 15th

It’s a nice sunny morning so dad and I do Sunday’s blog on the bottom patio. After that we potted up the sunflowers in larger pots. Three out of four of Nina’s seeds germinated, but only one out of two of the seeds from SEC grew. We had a really nice salad for lunch with cold meats, coleslaw, potato salad and hard boiled eggs from Rosie! It clouded over in the afternoon so I watched some tv. I started with Rik Mayall’s ‘Guest House Paradiso’ but I didn’t like it, so I watched ‘Dinner Ladies’ instead. Just before tea mum and I went to the bottle bank and there was a lot of them! For tea dad made his sweet chicken curry which is one of my favourites. We watched Greg Wallace’s ‘Inside the Factory’ which was about making tea bags - I never knew it was so complicated! We then watched the second episode of ‘The Salisbury Poisonings’ which was quite good.

Tuesday June 16th

The weather’s a bit mixed at the moment. It’s either raining or sunny and boiling hot! One minute we are on the patio, then back inside because its bucketing down - I guess it’s good for the garden though.
Dad and I went to see Steph in the butchers and bought gala pie and salad stuff for lunch, and liver and bacon for tea.
In the afternoon the sun came out so mum, dad and I went for a walk to Farley Common. There were two families up there with their dogs including ‘Darcy’ a little girl dog miniature Schnauzer who is very noisy! Dad’s liver and bacon was very nice and worth waiting for! We watched the final episode of ‘The Salisbury Poisonings’ which was quite gripping. Then I had my bath and went to bed.

Wednesday June 17th

Dad and I are going to bake a banana loaf today. It’s a Mary Berry recipe, so it’s bound to be good! We need some ripe bananas, some caster sugar and some eggs. We’ve got the remains of the self raising flour we bought from Richard a fortnight ago. Dad and I went to the Co-op to get the ingredients and there was just one bunch of ripe bananas, so we bought that. We had a healthy mixed salad for lunch, then started on our baking. It was a ‘one-pot’ recipe where you just bunged everything in together, whisked it up and poured it into the lined loaf tin, then one hour in the oven at 180 fan. I did some painting while the loaf cooled down then we tried some. It was delicious and perfectly cooked! I then watched ’Still Game’ on Netflix, it’s a very funny comedy about two old men, Jack and Victor who grew up together in Glasgow. For tea dad cooked cauliflower cheese which was very nice.

Thursday June 18th

Another gloomy day, so I watched some more ‘Black Adder’ on Netflix and painted another ‘Fat Freddy's Cat’ picture. Dad and I went to the Co-op to get cold meats for lunch and potatoes for chicken bake we will have for tea. After lunch dad and I went out for a long walk to the Round Pond, and right round the back over the ‘Pooh Sticks’ bridge to Mill Street. As we started towards the Round Pond we met Anne, Harry's wife, taking an evening walk. She said she had been reading my blog and very much enjoyed it.
At the end of our walk, we crossed Vicarage Hill and went up the little path to the churchyard and onto the Green. When we passed the little Grasshopper pub we met dad’s friend Faye who works there. She showed us the takeaway menu they are now offering. We may go there for a takeout on Saturday to celebrate Father’s Day with Sam and Lucy.
When we got back home it was nearly time to Skype Longfield. Dad and I had tea and cake to pass the time before dad phoned the house. He spoke to Edem who set up the laptop in the dining room and we saw the guys and my mate Mel on the screen. Mel had her mask on and looked like a surgeon! Jamie has had a haircut, but Louise and Georgina both have quite long hair and Shirley had really frizzy hair and looked like she had been plugged into the mains! We all got the giggles at that.
For tea dad made chicken and asparagus bake in a white wine sauce with crusty potato topping - yum, pigs bum!

Saturday June 20th

A quick bath and hairwash as Sam and Lucy are coming over. They arrived at 11 o’clock with chocolate brownies baked by Lucy’s mum, Marie. We had coffee and the brownies and they were delicious! We celebrated Father’s Day today as we are all together, with a takeaway from the Little Grasshopper. Sam and dad had cheesy chilli-chips, Lucy had a jacket potato with cheese and beans, I had scampi, chips and peas and mum had fish chowder. All the meals were good and yummy!
Sam and Lucy stayed all afternoon and we spent some time talking about them both going back to work.
Just before they had to leave we walked up to our lock-up garage where dad had a set of shelves they may want. They liked them, so put them in the car and we said our goodbyes. We’ll Skype them next Saturday. Sam is back to work this coming week - good luck Sam!

Sunday June 21st

After bath, hairwash and breakfast dad and I did the blog for Saturday. Mum and I went to Morrisons in the morning to do the weekly shop. Dad got to stay at home with a cup of coffee because it’s Father’s Day!
We had Italian cold meats with salad and soda bread for lunch. Dad, of course, had a large glass of red wine, then promptly fell asleep in the sunshine!
In the afternoon our neighbour Viv came over for tea and a chat which was nice - socially distanced of course!
We had roast lamb for tea and watched ‘Countryfile’ and ‘Antiques Roadshow’, then the first of the New Zealand thriller ‘The Luminaries’ which I enjoyed.

Monday June 22nd

It’s going to be hot today, so dad and I are going to do some gardening. Mum says the bushes around Rosie’s chicken run need cutting back to give her more sunshine. She’s next to the woodland bit of the garden and there’s a shrub bush that has grown up into our cedar tree. Dad says we should fix that too. It involves a mega amount of pruning and clipping, and by the time it’s all cleared away we have filled the green bin! The tree looks much happier now, and it’s opened-up the woodland a bit more.
Tomorrow we’ll clear up the remaining junk outside dad’s workshop and fix the trellis for the climbing French beans we bought the other day.
In the late afternoon mum and I go for a fat-busting walk to Farley Common before tea, which is going to be dad’s sweet chicken curry.
After tea we watched the next episode of ‘The Luminaries’ before bath and bed.

Tuesday June 23rd

It’s going to be even hotter today. After dad and I do the blog I take a quiet morning under the sunshade on the bottom patio listening to ‘Black Adder Goes Forth’. Dad sits with me and works on his computer. It’s very peaceful and we are surrounded by bird song.
At 11 o’clock Stuart arrived to pick dad and me up for a trip to see their friend Peter at ‘Men in Sheds’ in Biggin Hill and to go to the garden centre to buy a watering can and fruit netting. Peter has a laser printer and has been asked to make new plaques for the ‘Talking Town Heritage Sites’ around Westerham. He has produced one for Churchill and it looks very good.
We have salad and cold meats for lunch. Dad has ordered printer paper and it arrived today just in time.
In the late afternoon mum and I go for another fat-busting walk to Farley Common before tea, which is going to be mum’s mousakka. It’s very moreish!

Wednesday June 24th

Another very hot one today! We do Tuesday’s blog under the sunshade. Dad does some pruning to the grapevine on the workshop so that he can put the guttering back! It’s beautifully shady under the beech tree on the bottom patio in the afternoons, but very sunny there in the mornings.
I listen to Bill Bryson’s ‘Thunderbolt Kid’ while dad orders flag stones to repair the patio and chicken wire and posts to make an outside run for Rosie the chicken on an unloved patch of garden between her pen and the workshop. It will be for dry daytime use only as it will not have a roof and she needs protection from mister fox!
Healthy salad for lunch, a bit more ‘Thunderbolt Kid’ then dad and I go to the Co-op for stuff for tea which will be Chicken and Chorizo pasta. Yummy! Just before tea mum and I go for our fat-busting walk to Farley Common.

Thursday June 25th

Yet another hot day today. First thing after breakfast is the blog, then dad sit with me doing emails on his lap-top while I listen to Tony Hawkes’ ‘Round Ireland with a fridge’. It’s a bit mad but very funny. Dad does some more pruning of the vine and rescues the old guttering to go back onto the workshop roof. It was dragged off last year by the vine which had grown too big. It’s too hot to shift rubbish for the dump-run tomorrow, so dad will get up early in the morning to do this. He’s got to cut up the pallet that the turf arrived on and load the car with this and 3 broken garden chairs, an old ‘workmate’, the fibreglass ‘nature pond’, iron railings, flower pots and old timber for our booked trip to the dump tomorrow morning. In the afternoon dad went to have a drink with his friend Mike, and mum and I went to the Co-op to get stuff for tea which will be ‘spag-bol’ tonight. After tea we watched a bit of a trashy film called ‘Make me Famous’, then I had my bath and to bed.

Friday June 26th

A bit of drama in the bathroom first thing as the toilet cistern has started leaking! Dad took it all apart and we will have to go to Lilleys the plumbers merchant in Biggin Hill to buy some new pipework and joints. But first, we have a slot booked at the dump to get rid of all the stuff I mentioned yesterday. The car is full up and we can’t get anymore in! At the dump there’s a bit of a queue while they check our booking, but finally in we go. Dad says I can’t get out of the car because of Covid restrictions, so he has to do all the work on his own. After a while the car is empty and we can go to the plumbers shop. They have a replacement flush-pipe and socket, but no rubber olive or cap. Dad says we will have to go to Sevenoaks to another plumbers merchant 😒. On the way there we have to drive through Brasted and dad remembers there’s a builders merchant there that may have the bits we need. We meet a guy in the shop who seems to understand what dad needs to do the job. Some bits later we can drive home fingers crossed!
Mum has taken the afternoon off so she and I drive to ‘Pets at Home’ to get pet bedding and a chew ball for the guinea pigs Dylan and Rusty. While we were out we went to Sainsbury’s where I bought a funky dress and teashirt.
When we got back, dad has finished the toilet and all works well - no more leaks! Yippee!

Saturday June 27th

Guess what? Weetabix for breakfast, just for a change! In the morning we Skype’d Sam and Lucy and caught up with the news. Sam has gone back to work and is happy with that. They are both quite busy as usual.
It’s raining today, so no gardening, but mum and I went to Morrisons for the weekly shop. It was quite busy in the supermarket, like before ‘lockdown’.
Dad spent the day tidying up his office as it was getting to the point where you couldn’t cross the room. He’s a right hoarder of old history stuff and it drives mum mad as he leaves piles of papers all over the house.
Dad has got hold of some asparagus, so we’ll have his yummy chicken and asparagus in white wine sauce with a crusty potato topping for tea. We watched the Glastonbury highlights after tea with Adele, Bruce Springsteen and ColdPlay and that lasted all evening. Time for bed!

Sunday June 28th

We all got up a bit late this morning, but why not? It’s Sunday! Mum and I are going to Tejun’s in Bromley to get our hair cut and coloured this afternoon. I chose my own colour which is a nice bold copper, and I’m very pleased with it! After we got back dad said he had found a talking book we had all forgotten about. It’s called ‘This is Me’ and read by Miranda Hart. I listened to the first disc and it’s very funny. While we were getting our hair done, dad was busy clearing up outside his workshop. He’s cleared up all the leaves, mended the trellis for the climbing beans and has put the gutter back on the roof. It all looks very smart! Mum and dad did roast chicken for tea then we watched ‘The Luminaries’ and more Glastonbury with David Bowie before time for bed…

Monday June 29

Panic stations first thing as Champion delivery of fencing stuff for Rosie’s run arrived so early dad wasn’t even up. After breakfast dad and I did the blog, then dad’s friend Laurie Thomas arrived. He lives in a very old house at Toys Hill and has a ‘sink-hole’ to fill in in his garden, so has come to take away lots of rubble, old paving stones, broken bricks, tiles and a couple of railway sleepers from the space where dad will build Rosie’s run. Hooray! Another space cleared!
The flush handle on the bathroom toilet came away in my hand yesterday, so dad and I have to drive to the plumbers merchants in Sevenoaks to buy a new handle.
After lunch Stuart came round as he has offered to take away all the surplus turf and put it on his compost heap - thanks Stuart!
We are having chicken curry for tea so dad and I go to see Steph at the butchers for the vegetables and some liver and bacon for tomorrow’s tea.

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