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

To be continued...

Welcome to Page seven!

Friday August 21st

The weather was all over the place today. One minute raining the next sunny, but always very windy thanks to ‘Storm Helen’. In the morning dad and I went out for coffee. While we sat outside Deli di Luca a sudden blast of wind blew the froth off my cappuccino! Then we had to walk home in the rain - lovely!
It was very gloomy in the afternoon, so I watched ‘Merlin’ on Netflix. By early evening it had brightened up, so dad and I popped to the Co-op for some essentials. This mixed weather is good for the garden though. Nina's sunflowers are over six feet tall, but we planted them in the wrong place and they face into our neighbour's garden, not ours!
Just after we got back  from the Co-op, Patrick arrived with some door samples and even more catalogues for mum and dad to look through for the en-suite  rebuild.
For tea dad cooked chicken and asparagus in a white wine sauce with a crusty potato top. It was very nice!
After tea we watched BBC 1's ‘A Question of Sport’ birthday special - unbelievably, its been running for 50 years!

Saturday August 22nd

The weather has improved today and it’s quite sunny. We all went to Rendezvous for coffee and then decided to have an early lunch. We chose omelet and chips and mum and I had a cappuccino, while dad had a glass of red wine… I played ‘miss money-bags’ and treated us all.
In the afternoon, mum and I went to Sainsbury’s for the weekly shop while dad sorted out the pump pressure in the pond. He eventually solved it by building in a fountain alongside the waterfall.
For tea mum and I had salmon and dad had steak - all very tasty!
After tea we watched ‘The one and only Ivan’ which was a slightly strange but very moving film about a silverback gorilla in an American circus with other animals and humans. Ivan and the others try to escape, but don’t get very far. Eventually the circus goes bust and they are taken to big zoos for a much better life, one of those 'happy ever after' endings.

Sunday August 23rd

I had a bath and hair wash first thing then we Skype’d Sam and Lucy. She was very upbeat having just completed 4 days in the recording studios working on her new album. Sam was quite down with a rhinitis attack. They showed us how their decorating is coming on in their spare bedroom, and it looks very good. We told them we have the pond waterfall working again, and have been doing lots of tidying up preparing to turn Sam’s old room into mum’s office.
After lunch (ham and Rosie’s eggs) dad and I went out for coffee and a walk which was very nice. For Sunday roast we had lamb, so there will be a moussaka for tea sometime in the week - yum! After tea we watched ‘Countryfile’, ‘Antiques Road Show’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’.

Monday August 24th

It’s quite a nice sunny day today. Dad and I went out for an early coffee and what has become the ‘must-have’ Rocky Road - half-each of course! We went back and dad worked out how many paving slabs we would need to put a solid floor down in Rosie’s ‘indoor’ run to keep the rats out!
Dad has found they’re selling some slabs off cheap at Homebase so we went there after lunch. We bought six red slabs as we already have a few of those tucked away.
When we got back I watched the Fawlty Towers episode ‘The Hotel Inspector’ which was hilarious.
For tea dad cooked his sweet chicken curry, but instead of sliced courgette, he used our climbing French beans instead, as there’s quite a lot of them!
After tea we watched the final episode of ‘A Suitable Boy’ which had a nice feel-good ending.

Tuesday August 25th

Another ‘go-nowhere’ day as it poured with rain for most of it! I watched a lot of tv, including ‘Fawlty Towers’ and ‘Still Game’. Dad and I did get out for a short walk between showers, but only to Nisa for some bits for tea.
Dad said it would cheer up early evening and we could go to the Grasshopper for a shandy, but by six o’clock it was still threatening black clouds so we didn’t bother.
For tea dad cooked chilli with rice and fresh coriander. Mum tried some of the coriander on the guinea pigs because she’d read it was good for them, but they didn’t like it!

Wednesday August 26th

When I got up the sun was shining and it was quite warm. Dad and I went to Rendezvous for coffee. Dad had a croissant with his tea and I had a pain au chocolat with my cappuccino. We chatted with lots of people we knew as they walked past. Carolyn, Kevin the Vicar’s wife was taking a duvet to the dry cleaners. We know they have decided its time to look for ‘pastures new’ and will be leaving Westerham at the end of November, so we chatted about their plans. They will rent a house somewhere and Kevin will look for a new parish. We’ll miss them, but wish them well!
After lunch dad started work on Rosie’s inside run. He dug it all out, levelled it off and laid the new slabs. There is a bit of concrete to do to finish it off, but it looks much tidier than it did.
We had liver and bacon for tea and watched ‘The Repair Shop’ which was quite interesting.

Thursday August 27th

It was dry today to start with, so mum and I went to the Longfield house picnic in Swanley Park. It was great to be with my friends Alan, Gary, Jamie, Shirley, Dominic, Michael and Louise after so long. Everybody had bought their own food to eat, and Jamie’s mum and dad, Michael’s mum and dad and Dominic’s mum came along.  Georgina’s mum turned up with Nellie and Jude (Georgina’s sister's children) with her. We had a good chat and caught up with all the gossip. Jackie, Kim, Rika and Velma were there from the staff and our mums and dads wanted to know when the day centres will open again. Velma said she would speak to Lynn.
Dad went out for coffee with his friend Christina and they chatted about Kevin and Carolyn’s departure from the church. Dad is having coffee with Kevin next week and will learn some more of their plans.
After we all got back Patrick came round to fix the bath tap that won’t switch over properly now, but it was not possible - we may need a new tap.
Our neighbour Dudley came round to give us the date when his friend Graham could look at Sam’s window.
For tea mum made moussaka with the rest of the lamb, but during mincing it our food processor blew up after only 40 year’s service!  We’ll need to buy a new one…

Friday August 28th

It’s sunny and cloudy today but in the morning it was quite warm. Dad and I went to Rendezvous for coffee. Dad had a croissant and jam with his tea and I had a pain au chocolat with my cappuccino. Just as we paid the heavens opened and it started to rain. By the time we got to the Co-op we were quite wet. We bought a French stick, cheese and cold meats for lunch. It kept raining so I watched ‘Still Game’ on Netflix, which was a sad episode that made me cry, because Eric died.
Because it’s Friday we had a fish and chip supper which was very nice. After tea we watched ‘Doc Martin’ which we all enjoyed.

Saturday August 29th

It was dry but cloudy today. The boys are coming over to finish the central heating system. When mum woke me I could see she had been crying. She told me one of our guinea pigs ‘Rusty’ had died in the night after being ill for some time. I got upset and cried as well. Dad and I had to do the blog before we Skype'd Sam and Lucy and told them the sad news. They are staying with Lucy’s sister Nina in Canterbury. I told them all about the Longfield house picnic in Swanley Park and they were pleased we had done it.
I kept crying while we were doing the blog and dad had to discuss things with Aidan and Shard over the heating, so mum said we should go to Sainsbury’s to give the boys some peace and quiet to get the jobs done. When we got back they had nearly finished and the heating was working and the house was warm - hurrah!
After lunch, mum and I went to Teagan’s to get our hair cut and coloured. She also did our eyebrows - waxing for me and tinting for mum.
For tea mum and I had fish and chips and dad had a piece of steak and chips. The funny thing was that when mum and I went to get the fish and chip supper last night we were given 5 pieces of fish instead of 3 by accident plus tons of chips, so that’s where tonight’s tea came from!
After tea we watched ‘The Wrong Trousers’ and ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ which were both very funny and cheered us up. After that we watched the film 'Sully' with Tom Hanks about the landing of the plane on the Hudson River in America. It was based on a true story and well made.

Sunday August 30th

It was dry and cloudy today. I went with mum and dad to the John Lewis store in Tunbridge Wells to look at food processors. We are after one made by Kenwood that has got good reviews. They didn’t have one in stock, but we’ve paid for it and they will deliver it next week.
When we got back I asked dad if he could make a cross for Rusty as we buried him today. Dad made a nice cross which is a bit special as the wood was used to hold a commemorative plaque for one of our WWI soldiers in 2018. I wrote a short poem which dad read out as mum and I were upset. He placed the cross on Rusty’s grave and we all hugged.
We reminded ourselves that Rusty's last summer had been a really good one. After a while we went in and watched ‘Our Yorkshire Farm’ about Amanda and Clive Owen who are hill farmers in the remote Yorkshire moors living with their nine children! I was amazed as an eight year old girl call Clemmie birthed a new born lamb all on her own!
Then mum and dad started on the Sunday roast chicken while 'Countryfile' was on. After that we watched ‘Antiques Road Show’ and then the first of the new series of J.K. Rowling's ‘Strike - Lethal White’ which looks as if it will be pretty good - it carries on tomorrow night.

Monday August 31st

It was dry and cloudy again today with occasional sunshine. As it's the August Bank Holiday dad suggested we go to Rendezvous for lunch which mum and I both thought was a nice idea.
We started the morning with Sunday’s blog but when it came to talking about Rusty I got upset and started to cry. Dad tried to comfort me but I felt really sad. Mum suggested we go to ‘Pets at Home’ to get hay and cat food. By the time we got back I had cheered up and we had a really nice lunch. I had salmon nicoise salad, mum had a cheese omelet and dad had a ham omelet. I had a lager shandy and mum and dad had a glass of wine. When we got back it had turned nippy so I watched 'Still Game' on Netflix for a while.
At 6 o’clock it brightened up so mum and I went for a walk to Farley Common which was fairly deserted.
We had the remains of mum’s moussaka for tea which was very tasty! We then watched the second episode of ‘Strike’ which was a bit violent, but moves at quite a pace.
If the weather is ok tomorrow, dad and I will finish off the base in Rosie's run.

Tuesday September 1st

Pinch, punch, first day of the month!
It’s a warm sunny day today, so dad and I did the concrete in Rosie’s run to keep the rats out. Mum and I went to Baverstock Farm a couple of days ago, and they said they will have some ‘point-of-lay’ chickens in a couple of weeks time, so we have ordered two to join Rosie and increase our flock!
Mum has decided it’s time to move her office into Sam’s old bedroom, so dad started clearing boxes of papers and accounts from his business into the loft as he has to hang onto them for ten years! It took about two hours but then the room was cleared and mum had a desk to work at. The room looks quite tidy now!
After lunch dad and I went to Costa for coffee. I had chocolate shortbread and an iced mocha, and dad had a pot of tea and… a bacon roll!! When we got back I thought I had left my cardigan outside Costa, so dad and I went back to get it. When we got there my cardigan wasn’t there, but dad’s jumper was! We went and told the manageress that my jumper had gone, but I got into a panic and got quite upset. Dad got a bit cross with me and said “it’s only a jumper, don’t be so silly”. We went back home and I was still quite upset. Dad ran around the house looking for it, and found it in the bathroom, so I hadn’t even taken it to Costa!
For tea mum and I had salmon and dad had a piece of steak. We watched a documentary mum wanted to see on plastic surgery which put me off my tea...

Wednesday September 2nd

In the morning Baverstock Farm rang to say the chickens will be available next week! We are all ready for them now Rosie’s run is finished.
It’s a nice sunny day, so a coffee is on the cards. We went to Deli di Luca which was not too crowded. I ordered a slice of carrot cake and a cappuccino and dad had a bacon baguette and a mug of tea.
On the way back we went to the Co-op to get some bits for tonight’s tea which will be our sweet chicken curry with the leftover chicken from Sunday’s roast.
We watched ‘Money for Nothing’ then mum’s favourite, ‘Antiques Road Trip’ then ‘The Repair Shop’.
Mum is off for the next two days, so we’ll probably do some shopping!

Thursday September 3rd

It’s a bleak grey day today. We ‘Alcove’d’ the house at Longfield in the morning (Alcove is like Skype but a bit easier to use). Everybody was quite lively, including Jamie, who can be a bit quiet sometimes. I spoke to Velma, Kim and Mel, and told them all about Rusty, which they thought was very sad. I also told them we are getting more chickens next week!
After lunch dad went for coffee with Kevin the Vicar, and mum and I went shopping in Tunbridge Wells. Mum bought a top and trousers and I bought a traveling jewellery box with a ‘G’ on the lid.
For tea we had faggots, so it was a ‘night-off’ for the chef! We watched ‘Money for Nothing’ and ‘Life on the Farm’ then the news.

Friday September 4th

It’s sunny today and after doing yesterday’s blog, dad is going to meet Roy who is trying to piece together his grandfather’s life. In the first World War his grandfather was stationed in Westerham, so dad has some information for him. They are meeting at Costa, but  have never met before.
Mum and I went to Deli di Luca for our coffee. I had a cappuccino and a pain au raisin and mum just had a cappuccino.
After lunch, when mum and I had a tuna salad (dad had cold meat) we went to Morrisons, while dad mowed the grass and fitted the new gas meter cupboard on the front of the house.
We bought Chicken Kiev for tea, so it’s another night off for the chef! After tea we watched ‘Life on the Farm’ and ‘Doc Martin’ which was the sad one when Louisa decides she and baby James will leave him.

Saturday September 5th

Another sunny day though some cloud and it gets cold when the sun is not out. We all went to Deli di Luca for lunch and coffee. Dad introduced me to Jess who I thought was Natasha, but they are twins and look very alike. Dad pointed out that Natasha wears a gold necklace with her name on it and Jess doesn’t! They don't often work on the same shift so you can't tell them apart. For lunch I had Lasagne, mum had a jacket potato with prawns and dad had a chicken and bacon sandwich - all very nice!
We walked back via the Co-op and dad picked up a copy of the County Chronicle which has his history piece in it. He was pleased with how it had come out.
We then went to 'Topps Tiles' to choose the tiles for the en-suite.
Back at home dad strimmed the grass edges and did some weeding while I watched ‘Black Books’ which was hilarious!
Our neighbour Dudley’s friend Graham came over early evening to measure up Sam’s bedroom window which is rotten and he will replace it with a UPVC double-glazed window which will keep the room warm over the winter as its now mum’s office.
For tea mum and I had salmon and dad had steak. We watched ‘Celebrity Pointless’ and then ‘Tarzan’ which was quite an adventure story, then another episode of ‘The Crown.

Sunday September 6th

After breakfast dad and I were doing the blog when the phone rang. It was Sam to say they were ready to Skype. We quickly finished the blog and got onto Skype. Sam and Lucy were both there and they both looked well. It was clearly not a day of nose suffering for my brother!
Our neighbours Vivien and her son Alex came over for Sunday lunch and mum had cooked roast lamb. We all sat in the garden and had a pre-lunch drink, then dad carved the lamb and mum and I laid the table. It was a lovely meal, and Viv had bought some nice cheeses and biscuits. Alex is quite a fussy eater and didn’t eat very much.
We all chatted for a couple of hours, then they went home and we watched the first episode of the remake of ‘All creatures great and small’ on ITV catch-up. We enjoyed it very much and look forward to watching it on Tuesday evenings.
We had a ‘snack-tea’ after that big lunch and watched ‘Countryfile’, ‘Antiques Road Show’ and ‘Strike - Lethal White’ , then turned in.

Monday September 7th

The weather forecast on ‘Country File’ last night said it would be good and sunny in the south-east. Well they got that wrong! It’s a flat grey sky and not that warm! Dad and I went to Deli di Luca for morning coffee and it was quite chilly sitting outside. I had an iced mocha and dad had a mug of tea. He treated us to a ‘Rocky Road’ each which was a bit extravagant!
On the way back we popped into the Co-op and bought bits for lunch and tea.
It was a chilly afternoon, so I watched Sherlock Holmes on Netflix.
For tea dad cooked his sweet chicken curry and used up the rest of the French beans from the garden.
There's a late summer burst of some of our flowers which is nice to see.
After we had eaten, we watched Tom Kerridge’s 'Lose Weight for Good' which was very interesting, then ‘Midsomer Murders’ which was ok.

Tuesday September 8th

Though the weather was nice and warm, it was not a good day for me. Dad and I had coffee with Christina at Rendezvous. I had a pain au chocolat and dad had a croissant with Jam, and we all had coffee. I got bored and grumpy so we had to go. Dad was not best pleased.
After lunch I watched some more ‘Red Dwarf’ which was very funny. Late afternoon dad went for a drink with his friends Harry and Mike. I went to the Co-op with mum and was grumpy again. Mum and I had a row and I cried and threw my handbag down the aisle.
When dad got back mum was still cross with me so dad sat me down and talked to me about patience and respecting others, which I sometimes forget. We had quite a long talk then we agreed to move on. I helped make the tea which was cod steaks and fresh vegetables.
We had a nice evening watching ‘The Yorkshire Vet’ then the second episode of ‘All creatures great and small’ which we all enjoyed. It was a good end to a somewhat troubled day…

Wednesday September 9th

It’s nice and sunny again today, and I went with dad to Sevenoaks. We have some vouchers that we’ve been given by the Office of Statistics for taking part in a Covid testing programme. Dad had £50 to spend in Marks & Spencers, and he bought 2 cotton jumpers and a pair of skinny jeans. We then went to the Robert Dyas hardware shop to buy some airtight food containers for the larders as we have had a strike of Indian Meal Moths which like to lay their eggs in cereals, pasta and flour. Every time we open a cupboard door tiny moths fly out! We need to disinfect all our food cupboards and store our ‘soft-grains’ in airtight containers.
After lunch I watched a bit of tv while dad made some repairs and alterations to the chicken house as we will be getting 2 more young chickens from Baverstock Farm tomorrow.
After he had finished, dad and I went for coffee at Deli di Luca. We shared a ‘Rocky Road’ and dad had a ‘San Pelegrino’ as well because he was thirsty. Christina was going to the shops so she joined us. Then dad’s friend Alan Gill came up to our table with 2 of dad’s books he wanted dad to sign. Then somebody else came and bent dad’s ear and it was like the world and his wife had landed!
When we got back mum had started making moussaka for tea using the new Kenwood food processor but that turned into quite a saga as she and dad couldn’t make it work! They took it apart, re-read the instructions, re-assembled it but it still wouldn’t go. They were about to give up when dad noticed that 2 locking markers didn’t quite line up. In a last-ditch attempt he thumped the handle and the tub rotated a little further, lining up the markers. It then worked perfectly! Mum thinks we should take it back though because it requires the strength of ten men to locate and dislocate the tub which she just could not do - dad has to thump it to lock in then thump it again to release it! In the end the moussaka was made and it was delicious!
We watched ‘The Repair Shop’ then the News and called it a day.
Chickens to pick up in the morning!

Thursday September 10th

Mum got me up early for the run to Baverstock Farm to pick up the new chickens. It’s very calm there and a nice place to be standing in the sunshine. We had to buy some ‘layers mash’ for them to eat as they are still quite young.
When we got back home dad took the box with the new chickens into Rosie’s run. He lifted them out and they looked a bit confused. Then Rosie came out of the hen house and ran down the slope to meet them. One of the new chickens was quite bold and a bit aggressive and started pecking Rosie’s head. She didn’t put up with it for long before she fluffed herself up and pecked back quite hard. It was all over fairly quickly and Rosie had established herself in charge of the new upstarts! We have named them Poppy and Daisy (they look almost identical, but Poppy has a slightly larger comb). They were quite noisy for about an hour then settled down and all was calm.
After lunch dad and I went to Biggin Hill Spitfire Community Centre to meet Peter Martin from ‘Men in Sheds’ as dad had 2 redundant computer printers for them. Peter was very pleased and showed us round as the ‘ladies in sheds’ have just finished decorating the whole place. It looked very smart!
We then went to ‘Screwfix’ to pick up some tools dad had bought, and we bumped into dad’s friend Hannah with her boys Arthur and Henry and their very new sister Sienna! Hannah looked very well and was picking up some sewer pipes as Dan is starting to rebuild the sewer system outside their house at the British Legion before the weather turns…
For tea dad made chicken and asparagus bake with a crusty potato top. We had to bulk the veg out with long-stem broccoli as dad couldn’t get very much asparagus, but it still tasted yummy!
We watched ‘Antiques Road Trip’ then ‘Celebrity Masterchef’ before turning in for my bath and bed- goodnight all!

Friday September 11th

Last night the two new chickens fell down the back of the hen-house as they misjudged landing on the perch on the roof! Mum and dad had to ‘liberate’ them and tuck them up in the house. Dad will have to modify the house so that this cannot happen again…
In the morning, dad and I drove to Champion Timber in Edenbridge to buy a sheet of plywood. Dad got the guy to cut it into 4 even pieces sized 4 foot by 2 foot. He was confident he could get these into mum’s car, but it was a struggle! He had to put the back seat down and move my front passenger seat well forward - lucky I’ve got short legs!
When we got back it was lunchtime. We finished off the moussaka with some beans on toast, which was very nice.
In the afternoon Sara came over from Longfield with my meds. Michael had come along for the ride. We caught up with all the news from the house. Velma was organising another house picnic for two weeks time, but this will have to be cancelled under current government guidelines, unfortunately.
For tea dad cooked liver and bacon which was yummy. We then watched ‘Doc Martin’ and that ended the evening for us.

Saturday September 12th

It’s going to get warmer again over the next few days. Rosie is now getting out and about a bit earlier each day and seems quite content sharing her space with Poppy and Daisy.
At 12 o’clock we Skype’d Sam and Lucy. They are both well and we caught up with all the news. Sam took us on a visual tour of their spare bedroom which made us all feel a little queazy with the swirling screen! We looked at our diaries and decided on Saturday 26th for mum’s birthday lunch. Sam and Lucy will come over and we’ll go to Rendezvous - dad get it booked!
After the Skype call, Dad suggested we have lunch at the Grasshopper which was very pleasant, and was my treat. I had a fish-finger baguette, mum had a prawn baguette and dad had chicken, bacon and avocado.
In the afternoon mum and I went to Sainsbury’s for the weekly shop. We bought a classy toilet brush and matching bin for the en-suite Patrick will start rebuilding on Monday 21st…
For tea mum and I had salmon and dad had steak and chip potato slices. In the evening we watched ‘Kingsman, the Golden Circle’ which was very good.

Sunday September 13th

Another bright sunny day, but it’s Sunday so we get off to a slow start. After breakfast mum and dad had some work to do, so I watched an episode of Rowan Atkinson’s ‘Mr Bean’ on Netflix which was very funny. I also watched ‘Dead Pool’.
After lunch - cold meats and salad - mum discovered the kitchen floor was wet under the washing machine. When dad pulled it out there was a hot water feed leaking from the stop-cock. Dad tried to fix it but failed and had to call Shard in the end. Luckily he was working nearby so he came over and fixed the leak.
I got in a stew for some reason, so mum took me out for a coffee and cake to give the boys some space. When we got back Shard was just going so we thanked him and said “See you Friday” as they are coming to update our electrics before Patrick starts on the en-suite. Dad had cleared out under the sink to get to the plumbing so it was a good opportunity for a chuck-out, with loads of nearly empty bottles of soaps and polishes!
For tea we had roast chicken which was very nice. After that we watched David Attenborough’s ‘Extinction’ then ‘Antiques Roadshow’ which was filmed at Biggin Hill memorial museum, then the last episode of ‘Strike - Lethal White’ which was very good.

Monday September 14th

It’s sunny and warm so dad and I did yesterday’s blog on the bottom patio. Dad had some work to do first thing, so I watched ‘Only Fools and Horses’ Sean the brickie arrived from Sittingbourne to give mum and dad a quote for bricking up the old boiler flue.
At the back-end of the morning dad and I went to Costa for coffee with Christina. We had quite a laugh and talked about tv presenters we like and dislike, some of who dad has worked with, including some he really disliked!
When we got back mum had had her lunch but had left us a bowl of salad, cold meats and sliced hard boiled egg. We sat under the umbrella on the top patio, biffing away unwanted wasps every-so-often.
In the afternoon I watched a bit more tv (Death in Paradise) while dad did one of his least favourite jobs - cutting the front hedges which are way overgrown!
For tea dad made his sweet curry chicken and we watched ‘Celebrity Antiques Road Trip’ followed by Tom Kerridges’ ‘Lose Weight for Good’ then the News. It was then time for bath and bed - Good Night…

Tuesday September 15th

Dad and I went out for an early coffee at Deli di Luca. I had an iced mocha, dad had a mug of tea and we shared a Rocky Road. My aunty Jill phoned up to talk to dad, and she said a big ‘Well Done’ to me for the lockdown blog that she is enjoying - she can’t believe how much we have done around the house and garden!
For lunch we had soup and sandwiches, then I sat on the top patio and listened to Gryff Rhys Jones’ ‘To the Baltic with Bob’. Dad told me I have a credit with ‘Audible’ and could choose another audiobook, so he and I went through the store to see what was on offer. Steve Coogan has produced another Alan Partridge blog called ‘From the Oasthouse’ which we previewed. It was very funny so I ordered it. It was downloaded to my iPad library but every time I tried to open it, it crashed! The library is also held on dad’s MacBook, and it opens perfectly well on that, so dad thinks there is a bug in the iPad which is getting rather old now. He thinks I should get a new one as that’s the third crash we’ve had recently.
For tea dad used up the rest of Sunday’s roast chicken in his white-wine sauce bake with asparagus.
After tea we watched ‘Celebrity Antiques Road Trip’ then ‘The Yorkshire Vet’ followed by the new James Herriot ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ which we all enjoyed.

Wednesday September 16th

It was another sunny day today. After breakfast dad and I were going to Costa for a morning coffee when dad’s friend Christina rang him as she was struggling to rehang her curtain rail which had fallen down. Dad had lent her a hammer drill, rawlplugs and masonry bits, but she could not drill the holes! Dad laughed and said we would pop round on our way out for coffee.
He drilled the holes and hung the rail, but he did admit the wall was very hard! Around 12 o’clock we left and went to Costa. We had a sausage bap and coffee and dad said we’d call it lunch.
On the way back we dropped in to Richard’s butchers for some mince for tonight’s chilli. We were served by Robbie who always has a laugh and a joke with dad.
Back home, I watched ‘Red Dwarf’ while dad sorted out my iPad. He had a trick up his sleeve for getting ‘From the Oasthouse’ launched properly, and it worked, Hurrah!
Dad cooked a nice spicy chilli for tea then we watched ‘The Repair Shop’ and the News. Then time for my bath and bed!

Thursday September 17th

We’re doing an ‘Alcove’ call to the guys at Longfield today as we call them once a fortnight. They answered pretty quickly and Jackie Sara and Mel were on today. We showed the guys a photograph of Rosie, Poppy and Daisy and they were quite impressed. They were going for a lakeside picnic at Bluewater. We exchanged catch-up chat and ‘miss-you’s then said goodbye.
For lunch we had bacon and eggs with chopped tomatoes. Later in the afternoon dad and I went to Deli di Luca for coffee and a slice of carrot cake that we shared - it was very yummy!
When we got back I watched another episode of ‘Black Books’ while dad started preparing for tea. We had corned-beef hash which was very nice. After tea we watched ‘Celebrity Antiques Road Show’ then ‘DIY SOS’ which was a bit of a weepie, then ’Wild Britain’ which was very interesting.

Friday September 18th

Mum and I went to Sevenoaks for the day as Shard and Aidan are over finishing the central heating system and fitting a new consumer board for the power, which dad thinks might not be without issues…
Mum and I went to Sea Salt (our favourite clothes shop) and I bought a cardigan in the sales. We also bought some more patterned masks.
We had lunch at Bill’s - I had a chicken-burger and chips and mum had crab-cakes and we both had pink lemonade - all very nice!
When we got back Aidan had gone and Shard was just finishing off. We have electricity again!
Christina arrived with her grand daughter Hibisca to see our new chickens. Unfortunately, I got into a stew of impatience as I wanted to do the blog. Christina left quite quickly as she could see all was not going well with me. Dad got quite cross with me and accused me of being rude and selfish. It was not a good time… When I had calmed down dad and I did the blog but I could tell that he was quite grumpy.
I watched another episode of ‘Black Books’ and dad cleared up the kitchen cupboard where Aidan had fitted a new stop-cock.
For tea we had Chicken Kiev with cabbage and potatoes.
We watched ‘Gardeners World’ then 'Mrs Brown's Boys' which was very funny, then the News which continues to be full of ‘Covid-gloom’ and makes us all feel quite low - I wish we had watched Mrs Brown's Boys after the News...

Saturday September 19th

It’s another nice sunny day. Dad and I started the morning with yesterday’s blog. Then we Skype’d Sam and Lucy. They are both well and their work is going fine, though Lucy has had some children drop out of her class with colds.
Sam has been busy with practical stuff - he’s repaired their kitchen tap and put a new speaker in his MacBook! Well done Sam!
We discussed celebrating mum’s birthday and agreed they would come over on Saturday next, and we would go for lunch at Rendezvous. We had to go then as we need to go to Santander in Sevenoaks to take out the remaining money to pay Shard for completion of the plumbing and wiring work. As we had bought an hour’s parking, we stopped for a coffee at Nonna Cappucini where we sat in the sun. We all had coffee but dad and I shared a blueberry muffin as well. When the hour was up we went to Sainsbury’s for the weekly shop.
When we got back mum wanted to hoover and dad wanted to clear out the en-suite as Patrick will start work there on Monday, so I watched ‘Jonny English Returns’ on Netflix. It was very funny and really made me laugh! For tea mum and I had salmon and dad had steak and chips. While dad cooked his tea mum and I watched the first ‘Strictly Updates’, then we watched 2 episodes of ‘Our Yorkshire Farm’ on Channel 5. Raven has passed her ‘A levels’ and is going off to University, leaving the other 8 children to help Amanda and Clive with the farm. It’s a ‘feel-good’ program that’s very enjoyable to watch.

Sunday September 20th

A nice dry day, but not as warm as yesterday. Mum’s brother Richard is coming for Sunday lunch which will be roast lamb. He and mum are working on their family tree with Irish descendants before 1861. Richard has not been over for a couple of years, so there was lots to show him, in the garden and the house. I took him up to see my bedroom and he thought it looked really smart.
Back in the kitchen, mum took the joint out of the oven and Richard carved it. Lunch was delicious and we finished it off with fresh strawberries and yoghurt!
While mum, dad and Richard searched the ‘Ancestry’ website, I watched ‘Black Books’ on Netflix.
Richard left just before 6 o’clock so I watched ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, then dad made cheese on toast and we watched ‘Call the Midwife’ and the first episode of BBC1’s new bitter-sweet drama ‘US’ about a couple Douglas and Connie, heading for a break-up as their son Albie goes through his mid-teen years. It was lots of highs and lows, but quite watchable…

Monday September 21st

Up quite early today, hair washed and bathrooms vacated as Patrick is starting work in the en-suite and will probably want the water turned off. Dad said “be good and look after yourself today as I will be busy with Patrick”. I promised I would. I watched some episodes of ‘Fawltey Towers’ which I’ve seen before, but they always make me laugh. I did some drawing and painting and helped Bertram fill in his diaries.
By lunchtime Patrick had removed the shower and gutted the en-suite.
For lunch mum and I had ham and onion sandwiches and dad had minestrone soup. In the afternoon Patrick came back and delivered the basin and base unit, and did some more prep-work in the ensuite.
Around 5 o’clock Aidan arrived to take away the old radiator from the dining room. So now all the junk from the heating works is gone, but there’s a new pile developing from the old en-suite!
For tea dad made his sweet chicken curry which was very nice. After tea we watched Jamie Oliver, then 'Maritime Veterinary Hospital' then a documentary on the Smithsonian National Zoo which was very interesting.

Tuesday September 22nd

I had to look after myself again today, as dad had to work with Patrick, but we did go out for coffee with Christina at Rendezvous just before lunch. Dad and I shared a pain au raisin just because we could!
On the way back we popped into the Co-op and bought pork pies and scotch eggs for lunch.
In the afternoon it was a repeat of yesterday as I watched more episodes of ‘Fawltey Towers’ which was good fun.
For tea dad cooked chicken and asparagus bake which was lovely. It’s animal night tonight, so after the end of ‘Celebrity Antiques Road Trip’ we watched ‘The Yorkshire Vet’ then ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ both of which we enjoyed. Then bath and bed - good night mother and father-bean!