Tom's Retirement

Friday 12th March 2021 to Thursday 18th March 2021

A cold and wet week.

going for a walk was a little challenging

But the flora says spring is on its way!

Cherry blossom

Sunday I had a quick trip up to Manchester to drop Lily off; bored of Reigate she wants to see the bright lights!

Manchester has changed a lot since I was a boy

What on earth are they up to in Europe with this vaccine? First they take months to sign a contract, then they are surprised they are at the back of the queue, then they won’t use it cause it’s no good, then they have a 3rd wave so decide it is good after all!

I think anyone whose booked a summer holiday in Europe is going to be disappointed. I am not too confident we’ll get away in October; it’s a complete cake and arse party.

Friday 5th March 2021 to Thursday 11th March 2021

The week started off cold and grim.

We only had one  day of decent weather

But things weren’t all bad…

there was a great day for Manchester United…

and a great day for Britain

Friday 26th February 2021 to Thursday 4th March 2021

A cracking start to the week weatherwise so I had a lovely walk up Boxhill.

The Sussex Weald from the viewing point at Boxhill

The week got better when I got my COVID vaccination invite 😀

The British one too, no of your foreign muck!

Friday 19th February 2021 to Thursday 25th February 2021

Nelly is back home!

Since last June starting Nelly has been a bit of a hit and miss affair. More miss than hit lately. The RAC man thought it was the battery and replaced it twice. It turned out the solenoid was physically lose.

100% ready for lockdown to be lifted

Boris has spoken and he says the stay at home law will end on 29th March and probably from the 12th April pubs and restaurants with outdoor tables can open 😀

So it looks like Devon & Cornwall in June & July is on 😀 😀

Cfor’s still taking lockdown in his stride

Friday 5th February 2021 to Thursday 11th February 2021

The week started off lovely and bright and I even had a ride on Zippy 😀

Snowdrops

but by Sunday it was bloody freezing again with a bitter wind as storm Darcy swept in.

Then the snow came…

turns out Snowdrops don’t really like the snow

poor Zippy

Cfor doesn’t worry about the snow

he takes it all in his stride

Friday 29th January 2021 to Thursday 4th February 2021

Week god knows what of this lockdown and the weather is wet wet wet! I’m so bored I’m doing DIY…

Lockdown fever

Meanwhile in the woods…

the bluebells have got their boots on

The EU vaccine fiasco goes from bad to worse, now they want to buy some Russian vaccine! What an utter shambles. If they don’t sort themselves out PDQ then I think our chances of getting over to Europe this year will be very slim. I’ve booked a couple of months in Devon & Cornwall starting at the end of May, we should be out of lockdown by then.

Boris has had the pair of them 😀

Friday 22nd January 2021 to Thursday 28th January 2021

A beautiful start to the week…

The first blue skies in weeks

But they didn’t last long…

stopping by the woods

With the EU cocking up their COVID vaccine orders it looks highly unlikely we’ll get to Europe any time this year 🙁 Hopefully once all the old & infirm have been vaccinated here they’ll start opening businesses up and we can spend a month of two enjoying the Cornish rain!

Friday 15th January 2021 to Thursday 21st January 2021

The week started off wet 🙁

and got miserable & wetter as storm Christoph rolled in

No such problems on the Algarve

Friday 8th January 2021 to Thursday 14th January 2021

A bloody cold start to the week…

Frozen

The weather got warmer…

but that turned everything to mud

I’ve done the local walks to death and I fed up of the TV 🙁

As part of their FA cup coverage Sunday the BBC showed the celebrations from exactly 10 years ago when Crawley scored their winner against Derby.

Julie and I are in there somewhere on the left

It turns out Elizabeth tested positive for COVID so Julie and I had to get tested. Julie’s result came back negative but for some reason they couldn’t read my sample but 7 days later I feel fine 🙂 and Elizabeth is over the worst of it now 😀

Friday 1st January 2021 to Thursday 7th January 2021

New Year’s Day and after 10 days of quarantine and last night’s pastry-led buffet I start the new year at 13st 12lbs 🙁  So I think this year’s resolution has to be to be 12st something this time next year.

a muddy New Year’s Day walk

The New Year’s good news keeps coming as Boris puts the whole country into lockdown not that it’ll make much difference to my routine. I just wish the weather would improve.

Something stirs in the woods; the first sign of this year’s bluebells.

Elizabeth thinks she has covid and I shared a car with her on Tuesday 🙁