Friday 9th April
It seems as if Winter is reluctant to let a warm Spring take over. There was a glorious hint of Summer for just a couple of days in the middle of last week, but the Almighty deemed that the Jet Stream was too far north and that the U.K. should be bathed in ice cold currents from the Arctic. Hill walking was thus not an attractive prospect, but opportunities to continue recording the “collection” and decluttering presented themselves. The main bedroom which for years had become a store room which could not even be walked across could now be used for its original purpose, either a bedroom or “upstairs lounge”. In fact, with the far reaching view of Axe Edge, it’s now a very nice place to enjoy a coffee. The week has thus not been squandered.
Saturday 10th April 2021, 23.13hrs
The plan was to go “over the road” for lunch yesterday and go for walk in the afternoon. As I mentioned earlier, although not bitingly cold, neither of us felt too much like traipsing across local countryside. A phone call from my garage confirmed that my red car was ready for collection after replacement power steering equipment. It was nice to have the convertible back even if lowering the roof would have been foolhardy. Driving back, I turned on the car radio, in the middle of a news report that somebody important had died. It did not take long to comprehend that it was The Duke of Edinburgh who had passed away at Windsor Castle in the morning. He was just weeks away from his 100th birthday on 10th June. Remembering how frail he appeared to be when discharged from hospital, I was not overly surprised, but still taken aback at the unexpected suddenness. All main T.V. channels and radio stations suspended their schedules and by the end of last night, I had learned much about Prince Philip than I ever knew previously. Although I saw him only very occasionally, and at some distance, I do feel a sense of bereavement.
Today, I feel slightly numb, and intentions to press on with cataloging and decluttering were not carried out. I did make a rather nice lunch which I split into an afternoon and evening meal.
Already the day is over; the week is over, having seemingly flown by in record time. On Monday, the shops open, and more lockdown restrictions are lifted. Hopefully, the return of Winter will be short-lived and that coffee at the Pavilion Gardens (outside) on Tuesday will be in the warmth of late Spring.
Many thanks for reading, David 23.42hrs.
David's Cruise 