Tuesday 17 December 2019

Tuesday

When my sister (twenty two years older than me) became old she used to say that what irritated her most was that she would lay in bed in the morning, planning her day and then - at the end of the day - she would realise she had done only about an eighth of what she intended.   Now that I have reached my eighties I can only say how true I find what she said.

Except for the odd day.   And, glory be, today has been a day like that!   No - I am not walking any better - I still need my stick and even with it I can only walk slowly and painfully.   But I have really had a very good day.   My Grandson and his partner come tomorrow until Saturday so I had quite a big shop (I always shop on Tuesday mornings).  Much of the day to day stuff I have delivered but for vegetables, fruit, bread - stuff like that - I like to go to the shop and buy it.   I was late setting off because the egg lady came with my dozen eggs and we had a chat.   I found a parking spot immediately, I whizzed round the shop buying everything I needed, there was no queue at the back of the shop where the Post Office is located and in no time at all I had the shopping packed in the boot of the car (I always have a young man from the shop to help me) and was on the way home.   I even remembered to call in at our Medical Centre to collect some Hearing Aid Batteries so that I don't run out over Christmas.   Then it was an hour's sit down over lunch, The Times, Coffee and a Mince Pie. 

Tess had a long walk with her Dog Walker, so I slipped back into town because I had forgotten to pay my newspaper bill.   Normally one trip into town would be enough, today I managed two quite happily.    Then, before I took my coat off I took out the Recycling 'rubbish' and put at the bottom of the drive.   Another couple of jobs done.

Then the job of washing out the fridge, putting the fresh food I had bought away, adding the dry goods to my store cupboard, putting my shopping trolley and bags in the garage where they live - and the door bell went to admit the Lifeline warden who calls on me once a month to check that I am alright.   It was good to see him because he did not know I had no telephone service (and without that Lifeline doesn't work).

Now, at half past seven in the evening, everywhere is tidy, Tess has had her tea and is asleep in her bed, the house is warm and I shall now go and choose my poems to read at tomorrow's Poetry.   An earlyish night will enable me to rise fresh in the morning to make a batch of vegetable and pearl barley soup ready for my visitors coming in the evening.  Served with croutons or garlic bread it makes a delicious meal followed by coffee and a hot mince pie.

There will be a gap in posts now because my visitors will be staying in my computer room.   So my next post will probably be on Saturday.   Whether or not I shall have a telephone service by then seems unlikely.   I have to wait for an outside contractor to dig up the lawn and no sign of him today.   The good news it is turning warmer for a couple of days.   See you soon.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a productive day is wonderful at any age! Enjoy the rest of your week, you'll be missed in the blogging world.-Mary

Rachel Phillips said...

Your fridge gets washed out so much it must think "oh dear, here she comes again, hold your breath and close your eyes".

Heather said...

It's lovely when you get a day like that, isn't it? I don't plan my days in advance as something invariably crops up to prevent my plan from happening, but I do make lists of things to be done and enjoy crossing them off. Sometimes they don't get crossed off for several days!
Enjoy your poetry afternoon and your visitors.

JayCee said...

Have an enjoyable time with your visitors. You seem to be well organised as usual.

Sue said...

Sounds like you're very well prepared for your visitors. Hope you have a lovely time and don't get too tired.

Ruth said...

Enjoy your visitors! Isn't it wonderful to have so much accomplished in a day. There's nothing like getting all your planned chores done just the way you'd hoped. May all your days be as good!!!

When you come back, it would be so nice to hear more of your childhood memories. It never ceases to amaze me at the difference between then and now!

Stay safe and warm...

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

I think the same is true of all of us

Bovey Belle said...

I'm glad you had such a positive day - snap, mine went very well too. Tam and I had a really lovely walk in mist and sunshine.

You got lots done today - good to have the energy.

Hope your phone line is sorted soon. Enjoy your guests.

Bettina Groh said...

Its always nice to have one of those days... and then one can settle down and relax for the rest of it!!

angryparsnip said...

Such gud news all around !
parsnip

Joanne Noragon said...

Have a lovely visit!

Mary said...

I think you are marvelous - and you remind me so much of how my mother coped until 91! Just something special about you 'old school' British ladies - and of course I'd be in the same category at this age if I was still living there! Sometimes I wish I'd never left. Unless one has money here the elderly can sometimes have a rough time - they are in no way cared for as in the UK. I love that someone actually comes by to check you are OK - hope your phone is soon repaired.

Take care dear Pat.
Mary X

Ellen D. said...

You have mentioned The Repair Shop in several of your posts and I have been able to watch episodes on my Netflix. I just love the show and am so amazed at the wonderful work they do! It often brings me to tears as the stories are so touching! Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention! Enjoy your visitors! I just love your blog! Thanks so much!

Red said...

Good days raise your spirits and give you energy. It's frustrating when you can't get done what you want.

Librarian said...

From all you tell us here on your blog, I am always amazed at how much you accomplish in one day - more than many people much younger than you don't get round to in one entire week!
Most of the time, when my days do not go according to what I thought they would be, it is because of last-minute changes at work; an afternoon reserved for a particular task gets suddenly cluttered with unforeseen meetings, a person I needed to discuss a certain decision with calls in sick, and so on.
Have a good time with your visitors! I am sure they love being at your clean, tidy and hospitable place.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

After a couple of decades spent with children on the autistic spectrum I got used to things not going the way I wanted; the trick was of course to grab the opportunities when they appeared. My granny always used to complain about those days when, as she said, her get-up-and-go had got up and gone, though what I read from your blog you seem to achieve a lot on most days. Enjoy your time with your guests.

thelma said...

Enjoy your visitors and the soup of course. Good days are worth celebrating.

the veg artist said...

Enjoy your guests - and don't overdo it!

Mary said...

Goodness, you did so much it made me tired! Amazing. Have a good visit with your family.

Sue in Suffolk said...

Have a really good time with your visitors and don't over do it with all that cleaning

pam nash said...

Always nice to have a busy day when things get accomplished as planned!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone for your comments. It is Sunday evening before I get the chance to get back on here- so more or less back to normal again.