Lockdown learnings #2

The first post of this series covered food, this takes the next step and covers shopping. At the start of lockdown there was a focus on buying only essential items, which some took to extremes, with reports that Easter eggs weren’t deemed essentials. They were in this house, and we were fortunate enough to have thought a little ahead and were able to buy and leave eggs with my parents on our visit to see them before lockdown started in March. They were equally as forward thinking and we were able to swap eggs way in advance of the day. We were good, and managed not to eat them until Easter Day, I’m amazed, you’re amazed, but it’s also true that they were demolished in a just a day or so.

But back to shopping, and how it’s changed and how we’ve all quickly adapted.

1. Queuing to get in

Shopping during lockdown has become very different, even as more shops have started to open, and probably especially so. We are excelling at queuing, this time to get into shops, who’d have thought? The queues for the shops near us are orderly, everyone does it, keeps their distance and is polite - in some ways it’s quite the revolution. We’ve learnt that the best time to visit our local small-ish supermarket is around 6pm, which is fine, unless we want to go to the butchers too. He’s now closed on Mondays and Wednesdays so it needs some planning in advance, and knowing which day it is, which is another of lockdown’s challenges.

We’ve seen more and more people wearing masks while out shopping, and I think that’s what will continue to happen, with the government extending advice - or maybe stronger - to wear them while in shops as well as on public transport. The fact that Boris has now been pictured in a mask seems to indicate this, and is quite a departure from the early stance of wearing them not being backed by science.

What we noticed in the early days of people wearing masks in shops was a sense of invincibility. Theirs, they seemed to think wearing a cloth or more substantial face covering gave ultimate protection and they would swarm around people taking care to socially distance in aisles. Looming in and reaching over you as they picked something off the shelf. It’s true that face coverings protect others, but so does socially distancing and I think respecting both is a better approach all round.

2. Baskets vs bags

Queueing to get into shops isn’t the only thing that’s changed. We’re still not using those metal shopping baskets, or trolleys, instead we’re using our own bags, and no one bats an eyelid. It feels odd, it feels wrong, and I feel guilty, but we’re still doing it, no one’s objecting, and we’re not the only ones either. We are of course honest and do that very British thing about making a big show that our shopping bags are empty once we get to the till. I’m sure no one notices, but we feel better for it.

TALKING OF BEING BRITISH: TEA AND A TEAPOT HAS BECOME OUR AFTERNOON TRADITION

3. Tactics, and a waiting game

In the earlier days of lockdown getting an online shopping slot was hard, to say the least. It required skilled tactical moves, late nights and often quite a bit of luck. I was happily tasked with securing online slots for my parents too, and once we’d sussed out when their supermarket released their slots, it was easier and more of a waiting game. Waiting to see what slots they had, which would be available and how long the virtual queue would be to get into the online shop. Another queue.

I had more luck with Tescos than Ocado, which having been an Ocado customer for many years was pretty frustrating. And that’s when I realised that…

4. Loyalty is different for everyone

And while I might have been loyal to Ocado over many years, they weren’t as loyal to me. So much so that at one point I wasn’t even able to get onto their site. I was all for taking my online shopping elsewhere, and I did. Tescos online shop booked and delivered. The only thing is, I wasn’t so keen on their products, partly because I wasn’t so familiar with them.

With Ocado splitting from Waitrose later in the year, my split from Ocado was always likely. Our local supermarket is an M&S store, and while it’s good for top up shops, it’s not somewhere I want to do my monthly shop. Tescos was being tested as a replacement too, and let’s just say they’re no longer in the frame, well not for everything.

What’s changed is that I’ve realised I can shop around, even with online deliveries. Tescos didn’t sell the Quince Jelly I was after, or in their online shop at least, and so I went direct. I bought a little more than I would have in one go, but the only jar that I’d not bought before was the salted caramel spread (which we’ve yet to try), but otherwise these are all things we buy.

I can see that this will be a way for me to shop in the future, going direct to buy the products I want. We already use a local butcher, greengrocer and veg delivery company, and so it’s just a further extension of this. I do wonder if the bigger supermarkets will start to see a downturn from a way we’ve shopped for the past twenty or thirty years.

BOUGHT DIRECT FROM TIPTREE

5. Growing numbers of carrier bags and cardboard boxes

During lockdown we’ve amassed more of these than we usually would. Normally we’d hand these back to the driver, but lockdown rules are different. While I know they can go into our recycle bin, I still can’t quite bring myself to do that, yet. We’re reusing some, especially cardboard boxes, but I’ve genuinely less use for carrier bags.

We’re recycling the packing from parcels as we usually would, but the boxes that our veg come in especially, are useful. I’m loathed to chuck these out (in the recycling bin) as the company could reuse these and reduce their costs. I know there’s different rules in this lockdown, but I am reluctant to see the increase of plastic and unnecessary waste, but also I’m close to the point where my carrier bag of carrier bags is overflowing. And besides that, just think of all those 5ps!

Reflecting on my week #134

I was determined to get back into the swing of writing my blogs, and Monday’s usually mean a quick update and reflection on what’s been going on. And I’m still just about on track, as it’s still just about Monday. It’s gone 11pm, but it is still Monday!

We had a couple of days off last week, which were spent not doing very much at all. MOH celebrated a birthday, had a few days bumbling around due to a broken work laptop, took delivery of a new one which needed setting up and kept me in cuppas and lunches even more than normal. We spent some time with family, talked through our plans to finally visit my parents in Norfolk later this month, which is the first time since just before lockdown.

We pottered a bit, chopped quite a lot of the garden filling our green bins, and had a rather good meal from Cote at Home. To be honest I wasn’t expecting much, but I was wrong, and I’d happily order again. I’d give the green beans a miss, but Cote de Boeuf, frites, fougasse, creme caramels and the wine were just as you’d expect.

There was time for some crochet, actually quite a lot of crochet. And a couple more mini projects were started. One was even finished. I’ve been meaning to make a new key fob for our back door for a while. I thought a flower would work, but somehow ended up with a heart shape, made from odd ends of wool from one of the brightly coloured throws I’m making. I think it’s turned out pretty well, for something that was completely ad-hoc.

Since I’ve last written one of these posts I’ve been out. And it’s been a while, so much so that it was the first time I’d seen this advice sprayed onto the subway close to where we live. I even put proper shoes on for the occasion. That occasion was something I’d missed very much, and I left with a smart - and very much shorter - haircut, with some colour thrown in too, as I was there.

Actually the whole experience was way better than I expected. I was apprehensive but the whole time I was in the salon there were in total only eight people there, and I was one of them. And I can’t believe how good it feels to have short hair, in the style I’m supposed to have, again. I’m sure that my hairdresser had a quiet giggle at the state of my home hairdressing, but needs must and all that.

Last time I shared the mini skiens which had just arrived. I quickly decided to start a vintage shawl pattern, and then equally as quickly got stuck and needed to leave it to one side until I had the headspace to work out what and where I’d gone wrong. It turns out it was the round before, and once I’d sorted that out there was no stopping me.

I now have almost four squares like the one above, and I’m waiting for my next box to arrive. As impatiently as ever. I’m curious to know if the colours will blend, or if they’ll be completely different. I’m hoping it’s the former but I don’t think I’ll have that long to wait to find out as the boxes are despatched shortly after the 15th of each month.

I’ve been seeing a lot of the same patchwork blocks on my Facebook feed, and I was curious to find out more. Especially as the block looked simple enough, and one that I thought I could do. I knew I had some material that I wanted to make a quilt with and so spent some time on Saturday looking for it. Of course, it was where I first looked, but somehow I didn’t spot it and so spent some enjoyable time reminding myself of what else I have, and the plans I had for what I found.

Of course, all the time I spent reacquainting myself with my stash meant I had less time to actually get started. Now I’m pondering if I should wash the fabric beforehand, especially as it’s furnishing fabric and feels quite robust.

I’m also questioning if it’s the right material after reading the blurb that goes with the block a week, which says to have 33 fat quarters. I know the material I have will be enough to make a quilt, but I’m wondering if by having just five different designs, I’m making it harder for myself. Probably, but I like a challenge, and let’s face it I may not make every single block in any case so it could be a concern that doesn’t materialise, and if it does, then my quilt will certainly be special!

Not seeing the full design doesn’t help, but then again if I did I might not start at all. But what a dilemma to have.

My garden in May

Yes, May. I’m catching up with myself as I realised that as well as losing my blogging rhythm I’ve also managed to let these monthly posts slip. But as I was browsing through the photos for this post I was instantly transported back in time, and it’s that that I want to capture alongside the photos.

Our garden comes into its own in spring. As well as bursting into life, it bursts into growth and each year our challenge is to keep up with, or if we’re lucky, ahead, of it. Sometimes we manage it, mostly it’s mixed and this year? Mixed.

Though lockdown has brought the opportunity for many more photos; a lunchtime ‘walk’ quickly turns into a chance to see the garden when usually we’d be in the office, so it’s not all bad.

The tiny blue flowers of Chilean potato plant are still there, though many have turned into the berries that the Tits love. It’s also great to watch them as they flutter close enough to get the best spot, almost queuing and waiting their turn. It’s quite an unruly plant, which we cut a few heavy stems from earlier in the year, and should have cut back further earlier than we did.

But it’s hard to remember the tiny cutting we brought back from Norfolk many years ago now. It shouldn’t be doing so well where it’s planted, but it obviously is, and it’s one of those plants that’s migrated next door, and I think they probably get the best of it.

In May colour and blooms start to reappear in earnest, the delicate pastel weigela and the white scented lilac, which a few of the flowers made their way indoors.

The greenhouse too starts to come into use, and I start to reclaim it from the insects and bugs that are mounting a takeover bid. I’ve plans this year to rejig the layout of the greenhouse, and the first step included reassembling the little shed. So it wasn’t until next month that I took the hosepipe to the inside.

Ah, the dandelions. They’re full on in May and I’m always trying to pick them before they set seed. We don’t always manage it, as this photo shows, and while the grass at the back is covered in the yellow pops of colour, which is frustrating, not seeing a few seed heads would be a shame.

The rose, a Gertrude Jeckyll, on the patio is also enjoying the sun and has a spurt of growth. Throughout the month we have some gorgeous pink roses and are pleased that we moved this somewhere we can see and enjoy it.

Neighbours a little further down the road now have two tabbies, who are making the most of our garden. I assume they’re brother and sister, but it seems they’re fully up to speed with the social distancing measures too.

They’re funny things, being brave and scared at the same time. They sit in our trees ‘bird-watching’ and chase toads and insects in the garden. They tolerate us being in our own garden, and can be persuaded down from ‘bird watching’ and disrupted from toad chasing with a stern(ish) voice and a conversation, which is often, but not always, one-sided.

My broad beans have been the slowest broad beans to grow ever. Only a couple of the pot-full of seeds germinated, and even now, despite plenty of flowers, there’s only one or two pods.

GERTRUDE

This is the remnants of some of the branches that were overhanging from next door and blocking light to the greenhouse. I don’t think we realised quite how much there was, and if we had we might have taken another route to clearing this. It was definitely a case of ‘we’ve started, so we’ll finish’ and there were some that we couldn’t reach.

I was late staking my peonies, and with the ground baked hard it was almost impossible. I was also lucky though and escaped what could have been a nasty injury as I lost my balance and toppled, in what felt like slow motion, into the flowerbed, thankfully avoiding falling onto the cane.

Phew. Definitely something to do earlier, and when the ground is softer.

The climbing, runner and borlotti beans in the greenhouse were already showing more promise than the broad beans, and it wasn’t long before these made it outside. As usual I wasn’t sure which was which and so we have three pots of mixed beans, by the time they pod, it’ll be obvious which is which.

Other seedlings faced mixed results, my first set of basil and soft lettuces were devoured overnight clearly marked as tasty. What’s funny though is the spicy mix of lettuce, in half of the seed tray, was left well alone, and stayed untouched. More basil and lettuce have since been planted with extra precautions taken.

And in May we got our first glimpse of an agapanthus flower head. Yay! But how many would arrive this year - you’ll find out soon enough, as I’m planning to share June’s update in the next few days!