Project 52 2020 week 28 – mirror lake

Only a week left of home school before it’s the summer holidays. I’ve still got an extra week to work before my first summer holiday week off work. Things are really starting easing now so I can’t really call it lockdown anymore. Although I’m due to still be working from home until at least October, and possibly even longer if social distancing is still required.

Hair dressers, museums and outdoor performances opened up this week (my hair appointment has been booked for early September in the hope social distancing will be over by then). By the end of the week, outdoor pools, team sports at grassroots and outdoor gyms can open. It will be interesting to see whether our local outdoor pool opens, or it will struggle like so many others. It’s all strange how fast things are now opening, with the R value now at just about 1 for England. Fingers crossed cases don’t start rising.

Here’s this week’s Project 52 round up.

Sunday

Sunday was just another day at home. I sorted out all my plastic bags. Since lockdown with food deliveries, I’ve now got stacks of them, where before we didn’t have any. N’s year group are doing a combined card like they always do for their teacher and TA, so N had to do his part of it and send it to the mum organising it.

Monday

Back to work and home school. I made gingerbread at the weekend, and made sure to grab some for myself before it disappeared before my eyes. Both N and the OH liked it, with N saying it’s the best cake ever. It does taste good and I’ll have to write up the recipe at some point.

Tuesday

Our garden was like The Birds film. Not only overtaken by sparrows as normal, but the group of starlings dropped in. The only benefit of starlings is potentially getting a mini murmuration going on and I could attempt to photography it. I need to build myself a little bird hide outside as opening our patio doors encourages the birds to get lost and fly in! We also had loads of house martins flying around and even for the first time, perching on the field gate. I think it must be the babies out learning to fly because there’s so many more than normal.

I also spotted a swallow, which I didn’t expect to see here, but the long tail was very different to the house martins’. I also spotted another greater spotted woodpecker. We’ve stopped putting food in the bird feeder, since they’ started flying in the house this year. Maybe I’ll put it out again in winter – and maybe further out towards the field.

Wednesday

Another work and home school day. I can’t believe it’s so close to the end of school. Work are talking about potentially doing socially distanced team meetings – in the office or in a park. I’m not sure I’m too keen about an indoors thing, but our team’s probably too big, plus lots of people would have to travel a long way just for an hour’s meeting. I had a lovely lunchtime zoom chat with some colleagues. It was so lovely just to chat, and not about work. I do miss seeing my colleagues and friends.

Thursday

A quiet day. There was a guy we’d bought some cows from who was visiting the farm, so the OH went to the pub for food in the evening. Not within the rules as there were 3 households (although his brother is basically in the OH’s bubble given they’ve been working together throughout). He said it was quite busy in there – it’s a small pub so wouldn’t take many to make it look busy and I’m not sure you could really socially distance. It was his first time doing something that wasn’t work since March.

Friday

Friday was a short working day and N got through his school work fast too. He’s worked out this week that doing his longer pieces of work like English writing and topic first means he can whizz through everything else and finish earlier. His school report arrived in the post and it was very complementary.

School have proposed opening for 4 mornings in the first week of the holidays for school years who weren’t in the years going back to school officially. I had got N to agree that it would be a good idea, but the OH has vetoed it totally. It would have been a chance to reinforce some English work, and be in a class with his teacher next year. It might not happen if there’s not enough interest, but if there is and they run it, it wouldn’t be good to miss out.

N’s ENT appointment date came through – for only 2 weeks time, and it’s a virtual appointment. I’m quite relieved about that, not having to trek up the motorway and into a hospital. So we’ll see what happens when we speak to the doctor.

It was also the first group tennis lesson back. It’s changed to a different school which is a little further for us, having to go through town at peak times. But luckily it was quiet with lots of cars still not on the roads. There were only 3 of the boys – 2 of them are back at school, but N fitted right back in with them again which was good. It was lovely to see the coaches, and chat to the other parent as well. Definitely a bit of normality with social distancing working fine for us, and not too badly for the children.

Saturday

I had my first outing since the start of lockdown. After 2 failed attempts, I finally managed to make it to Upton House for a walk around the gardens. I was first in, it was all one way, and apart from 1 older couple who insisted on coming back up the wrong way on one part, and then jumped a barrier to go into the kitchen garden area, there was plenty of space for the few people visiting. It was lovely to spend time doing something a bit normal.

I nipped to the local shop afterwards. While it’s usually quite easy to socially distance in there despite it being small, masks are becoming more normal. I might have to get one for N so he’s prepared.

This week I had chosen the raindrop photo but then my visit to Upton meant I had more reflection shots to choose from. So I’ve included 2 photos to show the week. A picture of the different weather as well.

This week’s posts

• How to complete Wasgij puzzles without cheating
• Recurrent tonsillitis
• 2 ingredient microwave chocolate orange fudge