Saturday 20 June 2020

One Daily Positive - Week 25 - Just doing nothing

Most people comment that the stuff I get up to tires them out, just thinking about the decorating, repairs and gardening, but you have to remember I've been on my own since March 24th, with just the cat and dog for company. My life prior to lockdown has been 9 years living as an expat. 4 years in South Africa where I worked with several charities that I still support and then 5 years in Dubai, where apart from 18 months teaching, I've pretty much done nothing other than an awful lot of travel, which has come to a halt for the foreseeable future. 

Prior to living abroad, I worked for the FA in child welfare and taught part time at Worcester Tech training teaching assistants and customer service/retail. I was also studying for a degree that I'm hoping to pick back up this year with the OU and we had 5 children at home. My life now is so very different and with it has come a whole new identity and way of life.

The plan had been for me to go back to Dubai to organise the shipping of our furniture. Peter was supposed to be here now and had planned to do most of the DIY jobs I've learnt to do, such as re plastering walls and grouting and sealing the ensuite shower. I've had to call professionals in for some plumbing, re felting the shed and I've had extra jobs done such as new carpets, windows replaced and a tree cut down.

Peter says I've taken away all the jobs he was planning to do in retirement, but we still need top sort out the bathrooms, kitchen and some repairs or replacement with the shed.

For the first time in ages, I actually feel like I have a purpose and I am making a contribution to our future. I might not be earning a salary, Peter does that, but I'm creating our home ready for when he returns, so we can spend our time with family, friends and hopefully resume our travel plans.

To do list carried over:

Learn to crochet (been carrying this forward since pre lockdown).
Investigate returning to the OU to finish my degree.
Read.
Schedule #PoCoLo blog posts.
Paperwork.

I've finished my to do list. Just general maintenance on the garden, day to day cleaning, study, reading, paperwork, bills and blogging are just things that roll over every week. My next challenge is working out a time to get back to Dubai and sort the furniture out for shipping, then I'll have plenty to do 6 weeks after that when it arrives in the UK and all needs unpacking.

166 Sunday The plan was to visited child 5 in the Cotswolds. He's agreed to 'Bubble' with me. He wanted his flat cleaned and the odd weekend to come and stay and get his washing done. Lovely to be wanted lol. I was taking Bob and they would walk around Cirencester, find me a take out coffee and I was treating him to a McDonalds in lieu of a meal out for his 21st birthday in April (his request). On the way home I was to drop a care package at child 1's care home. Instead I got to Tewkesbury had a slow puncture, drove home and spent the day sitting in the garden or on the sofa, blogging, watching TV and just chilling out.

167 Monday Got the tyre fixed and drove to Monmouth to collect mum to move in with me for the foreseeable future, due to family set ups Mum and I will only be able to 'bubble' with child 5. Arranged for a friend to let Bob out for a pee and feed him and the cat. I distanced visited a friend and the twins who lives in the same town and dropped some goodies off with the Things. Mum soon unpacked and I got on with my own things.

168 Tuesday I investigated the paint in the shed. I haven't painted the two bedrooms on the top floor yet as we're using them for storage, I'll start painting them over the next few weeks. My mattress was dropped off, bed frame arrives next week.

169 Wednesday Up early and up the Malvern Hills with Bob. It was a really foggy start to the day and we came down the hills into the town and walked back to the car park.

170 Thursday Set off to Cirencester to see child 5. I messaged him to say I was leaving and he phoned to say work had called him in at a different site and he was away till next week. I had Bob ready to go so distanced dropped care package to child 1. We've had correspondence from the care home to say not to visit, yet when I arrived I discovered the other resident being dropped off by her father, this has been going on throughout lockdown. I was really angry to hear this, we should've been informed and allowed our input on our daughters behalf for the alleged risk assessment they carried out. So I put in a call to Public Health England. This was the first time child 1 and Bob had met, he made a bee line for her, she really wasn't interested and I was too far away for her to know I was there, but it was nice to see her. Did a food shop in the afternoon.

171 Friday
Despite the weather being miserable the last few days, it's nice to be in the UK rather than in Dubai where I'd be stuck indoors. Dubai has reopened fully but with social distancing measures in place, temperature checks before entering malls and masks and gloves must be worn at all times, other than when driving or eating/drinking. The temps look lovely but with the humidity it feels 16c hotter. My friend visited in the evening and we sat in the garden with blankets, wine and chips. i also had a zoom call with my friends in South Africa.

172 Saturday
Mums birthday, I've got cake, decorations and gifts (there's an orchid under the shopping bag) cards were posted here and child 4 and 4a sent her flowers yesterday and I bought her a bunch also. My sister and niece are apparently coming over later today to social distance visit in the garden.

On the blog this week:

What is #PostcardsOfKindness and why I'm writing to random strangers


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30 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to your Mum - it seems she and I share a birthday. Glad she's all settled in with you now - it will be nice for you both to have more company for a while.

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  2. Awww it'll be lovely having your mum to stay with you. Hope she has a happy birthday. Sorry to hear you couldn't catch up with your kids - glad you managed to get the puncture fixed though. What a nightmare with your daughter. Sounds like different rules for different people so totally not fair. It makes you wonder what else they don't tell you too :-/

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    1. Oooh there's loads of stuff they haven't told us. We have quite a few issues raised that need chasing up with social services

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    2. Good luck with that then :-/

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  3. Happy birthday to your mum! It's lovely that she's moved in with you and that you get to 'bubble' with Child 5 - even if that does mean you have to do his cleaning sometimes! How awful that the other resident in Child 1's care home has been able to come and go like that, potentially putting 1 at risk. I would have been fuming!

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    1. Oh I'm still fuming now, still ahven't made it to child 5's house to do any cleaning yet

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  4. I didn't actually know what you had worked as before you moved abroad. How interesting.
    I am sure there'll be plenty of jobs for Peter to do when he gets home. hehehe
    That was very clever of your son to bubble with you to get his cleaning and laundry done. lol
    How lovely to have your mum staying with you. Happy birthday to her!
    That is shocking about your daughters care home. I am so sorry. It is so unfair. x

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    1. I still have managed to meet up with child 5, his work keeps changing. I'm quite excited to be thinking of returning to work soon. Will be taking the matter of daughters care home further

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  5. Hope your mum enjoyed her birthday. Great that you can live together while this is all going on. Love that your son is bubbling for laundry lol.

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    1. Still haven't actually managed to meet up with son yet

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  6. Hope your mum enjoyed her birthday and well done on completing your to-do list. I have met up with my daughter now, just my son to go now

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    1. Glad you've been able to meet up with your children

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  7. Happy birthday to your Mum, hope she enjoyed her social distancing party. You've done so much in the house! That's amazing. Love how Pushkins has reclaimed the new mattress. I've seen on Insta the new bed now, it looks comfy. It's lovely to have your Mum for company. This is rather shocking to hear about the care home breaking their own rules.

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  8. I am so glad your mum has been able to move in with you! Hope she had a lovely birthday too! :) I hope your sister and niece made it over too!
    I totally get you have to just get stuck in with all the work, but Peter doesn't need to worry... I'm sure you will find some tasks for him to complete! :)
    Hope you are having a lovely week and enjoying this gorgeous weather! Sim x

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    1. oh I've got plenty of jobs left for Peter to do, I won't be attempting any tiling

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  9. Happy Birthday to your Mum, hope she enjoyed it. Glad she's all settled in with you now, it'll be nice for you both to have more company xx

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  10. Happy birthday to your mum. Must be nice to have some company in the house now.

    Love how the cat has already claimed the mattress!

    Think I would have been extremely annoyed with the care home too.

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    1. Thank you, still annoyed with the care home, it is an ongoing issue

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  11. That's a lot of amazing work you've done the past couple of years. True, even I wondered 'how much can you work' but I love your intention behind it. Your mom looks lovely and so much like you. Happy birthday to your mum. Bob is enjoying meeting child 1, and am loving the black suit its wearing

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    1. That's bob's rain coat, he takes ages to dry

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  12. Nice that your mum got to spend her birthday with you and that you are now together. I would love to learn the skills you have picked up on decorating our whole house needs doing really. That it totally wrong of the care home I would be very annoyed and think you did the right thing calling Public Health England x

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    1. I don't think I'd have done half as much if I could've had contractors in, it's been fun and challenging doing the house up

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  13. How lovely that you now have your mum living with you and are able to bubble with child 5 but sorry to hear that you had a flat tyre and then work meant you were unable to see each other. That’s really bad that you were told you couldn’t visit child 1 but that the other resident has been seeing her father during lockdown. I hope you at least got an profuse apology. Good luck with arranging your return to Dubai. I hope your mum had a lovely birthday. #project366

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  14. It is so annoying that some people are flouting the rules while others are being meticulous in sticking to them. You were right to report it and I hope action is taken. We have had 7 family lockdown birthdays and it feels so odd not being able to celebrate properly #project366

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    1. I feel I'm getting used to it all now, birthdays have been the hardest as it's the few times we get to meet up in larger groups

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