Lumpen mass

We've had a busy few weeks here. Despite neither of us working full-time any more, we seem to have less free time now than we did when we were both oppressed drones in the giant capitalist machine.

I won't bore you all with details of the summer heat (the HEAT, oh lordy, it was terrifying, over 35 degrees for several days in a row etcetera etcetera etcetera) but suffice to say that when I bought the dog a cool mat for her bed I seriously considered buying a few more for the human bed too. 

When we weren't panting in darkened rooms, fanning ourselves and praying for a breeze, we had some jolly nice garden parties, some walks by the river, a village fete, and the Queen's Jubilee celebrations.

More recently, of course, it was the much more sombre Royal Funeral, which I watched with fascination. The proceedings were enlivened by the addition of Ma-in-Law, over from France, and youngest sister and her partner who called in and watched it with us. It felt a bit like Christmas, as we had a toast to Her Maj over lunch.

I tried to think of an appropriate commemorative dish, along the same lines as Coronation Chicken, but was not able to come up with anything which didn't sound both hilarious AND disrespectful, so we had a cold collation instead.

There's been a bit of anxiety just lately over the dog. She's 10 now, which means she's becoming an old lady, and has developed one or two "fatty lumps" under the skin. These are very common in Labradors;  the vet reassured us that they were not a problem, so we left them alone. However, recently, I found another lump in one of her mammary glands, so took her in to the vet for a checkup. The vet's opinion was that it was probably another harmless lipoma (or "fatty lump" - stop me if I get a bit technical) but due to the location it could be something more serious.

Anyhoo, we decided that the safest course of action was for the vet to remove the lump, so if it did turn out to be cancerous we'd have done the right thing as quickly as possible. Biopsy results are due in a week or two.

The dog is now a few days post-op, and has been lying quietly in her bed, occasionally emerging with a big stretch to eat poached chicken, have a cuddle, and go for a short slow walk. Basically, she has the life I've always dreamed of. 

In contrast, I have been going to the gym several times a week, and having a damn sight less delicious chicken than the dog.

It's been an expensive month so far. The vet (thankfully) is mostly covered by pet insurance, but we've also had to pay the balance on the new wooden shutters in the sitting room (very smart, despite a minor irritating difference in size/fitting/alignment on one of them) two lots of car tax, new front tyres on my car, and some unexpected dental work for Mr WithaY. 

We are fortunate to have some reserves to allow us to pay the bills. And, a delightful unexpected bonus, when the bloke was replacing my tyres he showed me that the brake pads are worn down, so I need new brakes on all four wheels. Yay. Still, I've had that car almost 3 years and it hasn't needed anything doing to it really, other than wiper blades and oil changes, so I don't begrudge it.

Also, I understand that properly-functioning brakes are quite important. 

We went to a friend's funeral a week or two ago - he had a terrible fall from which he wasn't able to recover, so it was a dreadful shock to everyone. Due to a technical hitch, the carefully-curated music couldn't be played, so the vicar said "We'll sing without music," and led the charge, belting out the hymns in a splendid full voice. I have NEVER heard such singing from a congregation - it was a marvellous thing.

I mentioned that Ma-in-Law was here. She has travelled over from France, via family in Dorset, to us, then on to family in Cambridge, and is due back to us in a few days, from whence she will travel back to France. She's 87, and is indomitable. I just hope she avoids catching Covid on the many planes, buses, coaches and trains she has been using. 

You'll be delighted to know that the Civil Service came through and I now receive my pension. Yay me being a pensioner. 

I have been idly reviewing local job websites, but haven't seen anything yet which I fancy, other than one job which I applied for and never heard back from. Bastards.

I did very much enjoy these two adverts. 

We have BOTH kinds of jobs here in Wiltshire!

There has been some discussion amongst our friendship group that Mr WithaY is qualified to do both jobs, possibly at the same time, which would be a sight to see,

It reminds me of the Futurama episodes with the terrifying robot Santa.

Oh! We've been going to the cinema a bit too - I can highly recommend Three Thousand Years of Longing. Idris Elba as a magical genie, what's not to love? 

See How They Run was less entertaining, but it was intriguing that two other groups of people in the audience (an older couple and three little white-haired ladies) giggled and at times guffawed throughout. Almost every line of dialogue elicited an audible "hee hee hee" from them all, and left Mr WithaY and I looking at each other in bewilderment. What were we missing?

We decided that they were all pissed.

One of the very real joys of not working traditional hours is that we can take ourselves off to the pictures on a Monday afternoon if we feel like it. Or go out for lunch on a school day. Or stay up late on a Sunday night. Mr WithaY has started his Autumn calendar of work commitments, so most of his weekends will be taken up with that, but we can still go out and about in the week, and I love it. 

My creative mojo has made a welcome return, and I have been dressmaking. I made a jacket: 

I used an existing edge-to-edge jacket as the pattern, and added the 1950s-ish collar. I like it, and have worn it over my many, many plain linen summer dresses. 

Currently working on a tunic top with grown-on sleeves, which I think will look nice when it's finished. The pattern has no pockets, so I am considering adding some, but can't decide if I'll just add simple patch pockets, or some slightly more complicated inseam pockets.

So, keeping busy. Hoping for good news about the dog's biopsy. Enjoying life. Trying to ignore the terrifying massive bin fire going on *gestures* everywhere.

Time Consuming

 Still waiting for a sack of cash from the Civil Service pensions people, but hopefully that will turn up in the next few weeks. If not, I may have to resort to busking on the streets of West Wiltshire to keep body and soul together.

It's been a whirl of creativity here for the last couple of weeks. Mr WithaY and I decided to go along to a Regency picnic at Stourhead, which we'd seen advertised on social media. A couple of re-enactment mates were also planning to go, so we met up with them and had a splendid day in the boiling sunshine. There were about 20-ish people taking part, but it was hard to tell as we were all scattered around the house and grounds, so I never counted heads.

The picnic was a great success; the weather was spectacular and we all looked marvellous. Well, to be fair, I looked like a red-faced, slightly overheated middle-aged woman in a bonnet, but that was pretty much the look I was going for. 

The "around the grounds" walk after lunch took ages, and boy, is it a long way round the lake! Fortunately the scenery is exquisite, and there was loads of shade, but I felt it the next day. I shall definitely do more Regency events if they involve sitting on the grass eating pie, and then sauntering about in a big hat. 

The village held a Jubilee picnic last Sunday to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. It was lovely to see so many of our neighbours after the last 2 years, and to meet some of the new people who've moved in over lockdown. Mostly from that there London. 

There was a Grand Jubilee Pudding Contest, with a Mystery Prize*, so of course I submitted an entry. I made a chocolate mousse cake, artfully decorated with Smarties in a rainbow motif. I didn't win, but it was all eaten (and not just by me) so that was a top result. 

The rain held off until late in the afternoon so everyone had a chance to chat, eat, listen to the band, and enjoy the novelty of being in a public space with almost the whole village again. 

I'm still going to the gym regularly, and enjoying it very much. I am also planning to re-kindle my very ancient tennis skills and start playing with a friend from the village. We are both Ladies of a Certain Age (although I am a bit older!) and I think it will be fun to get together and see exactly how eroded our techniques have become. 

Inspired by the recent Regency dressmaking, I have been doing a fair bit of research, and am planning to make some more historical kit so that we can attend events in future. 

I feel a trip to the excellent fabric warehouse coming on. 

*A John Lewis giftcard! I don't know the value, but I'd have LOVED it. 

Lady of Leisure

I've bitten the bullet and put in the paperwork to claim my Civil Service pension a few years early. This means that:

(a) I have a regular monthly income, albeit a smaller one than if I'd waited, and

(b) the pressure is off me to find another job, until I either get bored, or spot something I really fancy.

I've had a job since I was a teenager (part-time), throughout studying for my degree (part-time, and full-time on the summer holidays) and then after graduation for over 20 years until I left the Civil Service (full-time) so I feel like a bit of a hiatus now is not anything to get stressed about. 

And how am I filling my days, without the endless drudgery of earning my living?

Well. 

I have joined the gym, and am going along 3 times a week to try and sort out the annoying wheezing/coughing which has become much more pronounced since I had Covid. Also, it will get me fitter and hopefully give me more energy. My fitness instructor/lard wrangler was most helpful, and so far it's been very enjoyable. Let's see what I have to say in 6 months.

A holiday has been booked. We are off to France in a few weeks, to visit the gorgeous city of Lyon. I've never been there before and am very much looking forward to seeing the sights, visiting the ruins, eating the food and mangling the language.  We're going on the train, so will hopefully see a fair bit of the countryside as we travel down there. 

Dressmaking. Yes, I am once more grappling with my creative demons. We're off to a Regency picnic at the end of May (no, I don't really know what that entails) so I am making myself an early C19 outfit. I've made loads of re-enactment kit for myself, Mr WithaY and various mates over the years, but that was all either English Civil War or Medieval, so a more tailored dress in very different - and much less forgiving - fabric is proving challenging. 

So far in this project I have:

• Acquired a lovely Egyptian cotton duvet cover in a charity shop (£3!) to make a toile;
• Made a toile from a commercial pattern, then redrafted it to include more authentic C19 tailoring and construction;
• Cut out the new pattern in gorgeous embroidered fine cotton lawn for the overdress;
• Tried on the toile-and-overdress combo;
• Discovered that they are at least three sizes too big for me, and deconstructed them;
• Re-drafted the toile pattern to (hopefully) fit me properly.

I have also found some passable-looking footwear, some gloves and a straw bonnet which I can gussy up to match the dress once it's finished. I shall make a small bag to match either the dress or the jacket, depending on which fabric I have the most remnants left to play with.

Oh, and I have to make a jacket, but I think I can use the dress pattern as the basis for that, if I amend the neckline and add long sleeves. Plenty to do.

The dog is loving having both of around more during the day, and has lost weight due to the higher activity level this generates. We've also had family down (up?) to visit at weekends a couple of times, which has meant sitting in the garden and having drinks and barbecues. Lovely. 

So far, so good. 

Hay and other fevers

Our brush with DOOOOOOOM* seems to have passed fairly quickly, compared to some people. I still have no sense of taste and very little sense of smell, and we are both still far more exhausted and achy than usual - even at our advanced ages.

Despite this, or maybe because of it, I am trying to get stuff done every day so that I can at least feel like I am being reasonably productive. Admittedly, sometimes that stuff consists of "an hour doing my jigsaw puzzle" but hey, it's SOMETHING.  

Whilst in the throes of plague I wasn't able to concentrate or focus, so anything creative was out. I have a couple of embroidery projects on the go (one has been "on the go" for at least 5 years) but lacked either the eye-focus or inclination to make any progress. I have a couple of new dressmaking projects in mind, and it's only been this weekend that I've given any real consideration to starting them.

Today I have baked a loaf of bread, and had a go at making gnocchi for the first time, using leftover baked potatoes I made a couple of days ago. The gnocchi had a splendid texture, and I am reliably informed that they tasted of "mostly potato." Result. 

I boiled them for 3 minutes, then pan-fried them in sage butter till crispy on the outside. Served piping hot with grated parmesan cheese and (because we're BEASTS) tomato ketchup. I am quietly confident that if Stanley Tucci made my house a destination on one of his TV shows, he would not be disappointed by the food. 

Appalled by the leering middle-aged woman serving it to him, possibly. 

It was Mr WithaY's birthday yesterday, and we had been invited to lunch with some of the lovely neighbours. The sun shone, we sat outside and drank the finest wines known to humanity (I couldn't taste them, so it was a waste of fine-ness) and had a truly memorable meal.

I took along a coffee and walnut birthday cake for dessert, and some jaunty unicorn and rainbow candles, which were all eventually lit at the same time - it was breezy in the garden. 

When it was time to go, I boxed up the remains of the cake (I did check with the gracious hostess if that was ok) and took it out into the garden. 

As we were saying our farewells, the boxed cake was left on a low wall. Within reach, it turned out, of at least one of the resident black Labradors.

 It seems dogs like cake. Who knew?

Anyhoo, we had a slice of it today (not from the dog-nibbled side) and it was still delicious. Apparently. 

All I could smell/taste was a faint whiff of coffee.  The texture was good though.

I'll be glad when my senses are back to normal, and I can actually enjoy food again. And no, I'm not getting thinner as a result of not being able to taste anything, which is annoying.

Today is a Bank Holiday, although I suppose every Monday could be viewed as a holiday from now on. 

I'm starting to half-heartedly look at job websites, but haven't seen anything I fancy yet. I definitely don't want a full-time job, and I don't fancy working at weekends, so my options are limited. 

I might just become a lady of leisure, and swan about wearing a big hat and a flowery frock all day. Or become a village busybody, in the style of Miss Marple, delving into everyone's business, whilst solving murders and drinking tea with locals of note.

Early days.  

*Covid. It was shite. 

Update: COVID

 Remember when I said that we hadn't had COVID? 

Aah, good times.

This week we have both been hit HARD by the plague, and as a result have spent the last few days coughing, sneezing, groaning and (in my case) complaining that we can't taste or smell anything.

Fuck's sake.

I went into work on Monday, did a bit of useful stuff and then asked if it would be ok to go home early to finish a 700-page proof of Ordinary Monsters, which I wanted to return to the office before my last day on Thursday. Plus I felt a bit rubbish - sore throat, more of a cough than usual.

Tuesday morning I felt slightly worse, but well enough to read my book. But by about 3pm on Tuesday I felt AWFUL. Took a LFT and there was a veeeeeery faint second line.  Then came incredible chills and shivers, to the extent that I took to my bed before teatime, and did not emerge for another 14 hours.

Wednesday saw Mr WithaY announcing that he too now felt dreadful, and he took an LFT which popped up with a massive immediate POSITIVE result. Yay.  Interestingly, the phone app has told him to isolate for 6 days, but told me I had to isolate for 9. 

I did another lateral flow test on Thursday - couldn't have been more positive. Huge dark purple PLAGUE line flashed up immediately, none of this hanging about for 30 minutes nonsense.

Sent off for a PCR test, and had the result back in less than 24 hours, telling me that yes, I did indeed have COVID-19. 

Finally.  No more pandemic-FOMO for me.

So I missed my last day in the office, which made me very sad; it's been lovely working there, and I loved the team, as well as actively enjoying the work. Oh, and I won't be able to help out my lovely mate Jo with some cookery shenanigans next week. 

I know that compared to so many other people's terrible losses, that's very small beans, but I'm still disappointed. 

Today I left the house for the first time since last Monday (other than going out into the garden to look at the snow, the tulips, the pond or the stars) and went around the block with Mr WithaY and the dog. And, boyo, was I tired afterwards? Yes. Yes,  I was very tired.

Speaking of the pond, remember all the anti-heron precautions we took to stop any more of our beautiful Koi carp being stolen away by big flappy bastards?

We might as well have saved our money, time and effort, because whilst we succeeded in preventing the herons ravening through the group, we had not considered otters.

Fucking otters.

We realised that we hadn't seen much of the fish for a day or two, and went out to check on them. What we found was a scene of desolation and carnage - rocks and plants scattered, the underwater lights all knocked out of whack, and two sad little sets of crunched-up Koi scales on the lawn. And eyes.  Apparently otters leave the eyes.

No more fish for the WithaY pond, we decided. We're encouraging other sorts of wildlife to visit, as we already seem to have herons and otters. 

There was frogspawn last Spring, kindly donated from our next-door-neighbour's pond, which duly transformed into teeny frogs, all of which immediately buggered off into the long grass, never to be seen again. They probably headed straight back to their home pond next door. 

There have also been a few dragonflies, or possibly damsel flies. Water boatmen, snails and many types of bee, hoverfly and (bastard) wasps, all loving the waterfall. Oh, and the local pigeons have decided to use the pond as their preferred bathing spot - it is highly comical watching them flopping heavily into the water and having a good wash, before creaking up onto the nearby trees to dry off.

I'm hoping we've seen the last of the snow, as my tulips are flowering and I don't want them crushed by the weather.

I don't want any of us to be crushed by the weather.

The End of an Era

 18 months since the last post. Some sort of record. 

Lots has happened since then, of course, most of which will be all too painfully familiar to warrant re-hashing here. Bullet points relating specifically to the WithaY household:

• Neither of us has caught Covid, thankfully. Or not as far as we know, anyway. Those little lateral flow tests keep coming up negative, which may mean nothing at all, but we've clung to that, worn our masks, had our vaccines and (mostly) stayed healthy.
• We haven't managed to travel anywhere (like almost everyone else in the world) but Mr WithaY did venture over to France for a couple of weeks last summer, as soon as it was allowed, to visit his mother. The trip was a success, right up until the point where his overnight train from Toulouse to Paris was cancelled, and he spent the night sleeping fitfully in a train carriage, in a thunderstorm. He missed his Eurostar connection back to the UK as a result, and arrived home many, many hours later than anticipated. 
• Work for both of us has been variable.  All of Mr WithaY's work was cancelled very early in the pandemic so he decided to claim his pension a few years early, as a reduced income is better than no income at all. I was able to continue working all the way through the pandemic. 
• However.  Last week I was offered the opportunity to take redundancy - things in the world of bookselling are Not Going Well - which I took up. So this week marks the end of a 4 and a bit year stint with my current employer.  I might claim my pension a few years early now. I hear it's great.

Other than that, things have been more or less OK. The dog is still a source of great joy and comfort, even when she wakes us up at 5am by barfing loudly in the kitchen. Ah, Labradors.

Things which I am planning to do to fill the endless empty days include:

Writing. Yes, hello.

Dressmaking. Specifically, making a Regency style dress and jacket, because we're planning to attend a Regency picnic later this summer. I've never made anything from the Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century, so it will be an interesting project. 

Bonnet decorating. See Regency reasons above. I bought a bonnet "blank" from the Internet, and will be furbishing it up to match the dress I make. What larks.

Going swimming.  This is mainly because I treated myself to a nice new swimsuit and want to wear it. Bad luck, other members of the public. Prepare your eye bleach.

Experimental cookery. I've mastered making yeasted dough, something which always previously eluded me, and I am now keen to try out many other techniques - as I will have more time, why not? We bought a deep-fat fryer ages ago and still haven't used it, so I might crack on with some Japanese bar snack type food, which will be perfect for feeding to unsuspecting visitors over the summer.

So. Plans. All quite small-scale and domestic, but that's not bad thing.