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So - it's Thursday evening UK time as I write.  I haven't got my photos together yet, that'll have to wait, but journalism is the first draft of history they say, so here goes.


Tuesday, 24th of March.

It takes a while to put the house to bed until the next visit; and this time it's possible, nay desirable, that Guy and Julie may come to use it over the summer.  So I spent quite a lot of time producing a "what's where" list and a guide to opening and closing the house, together with a list of our dearest friends and closest contacts.

There was a bit more hanging of pictures; "The Matthew" to the blue room, James likes that picture so it seems appropriate that Cabot's ship as reconstructed should be there. 



"Abergavenny - Spring time", painted en pleine air is now at the top of the stairs.  "Burlesque" is in the dining room.  It's interesting how having pictures up has subtly changed the cottage into a rather chic habitation!  


Or maybe it's just the change.

 
















I finally sorted the "Peter's bits and bobs" drawers, now on the landing, to reflect "Outdoor", Electronics" and "Others".  That's a bit better.  I poured loads of Meths ((Methyl anhydride?) into a new pack of baby wipes and carefully marked it with an M.  Wouldn't do to be using it on sensitive parts, would it?!

 


Ginny and Iain (Bryony was self-isolating; she undoubtedly now has the virus and is really not very well).  offered to come to the airport to collect us in our car.  I contacted Sue McKinney (who is with the Police - sort of ;-)  ) to ask about "necessary journeys".  She felt that this was justified but offered herself - and then her husband, Dick, to bring their Campervan up to collect us.  Oh, and did I need any shopping?

"Our pleasure to help, Peter. 

 Dick has suggested he collects you as he thinks it possible he had the virus and is now all clear so minimum risk for him catching it. 

We will monitor the arrival and wait at home for the flight to land before setting off.

 Please call his mobile when you have bags and through   customs, he will pick up at drop off car park on the left as you look out of the terminal. 

Of course I'm thinking you will now be self-isolating for 14 days and if you are over 70.        ( I know Ali is) you should anyway. I know this is going to be very strange for you both as you are so used to helping other people! 

 Compile a list of shopping that will at least tide you over for the weekend then we'll go from there. There is lots of help available and we will continue to help you.  Does anybody have a key to your house, and we can drop shopping beforehand.?

Dick was also going to cut the grass at yours this week, he is happy to do it before you return but wondered if you would rather do it yourself as you may be twiddling your thumbs for a while? entirely up to you, he  is more than happy to do it if you would prefer to return to a tidy lawn? 

Drop me a quick e mail and shopping list when you can."

I admit that I've been very apprehensive about going home.  But firstly, the ordinariness of the Service last Sunday from Flax Bourton, and now this email began the healing.

The deer - notably absent all trip - put in an appearance last thing; three of them.    Oh, I forgot; the porch automatic light came on a couple of nights ago - it was Racoons, two of them, bumbling through the spent food litter on the lawn and around the feeders.  So, we've had a really good haul of wildlife this season.

We packed and grazed the ever-more-troubling news until bed-time.












Wednesday, 25th of March.

A steady, much-practiced run-up to 13.00.  The usual list of chores, the toboggan to take luggage down to the car - the drive was thawing but still treacherous and needing crampons.  Fond farewells and "see you soon, little house" and then the drive in to the village.  And back.  I remembered (fortunately) that I had not turned down the thermostat in the living room.  Wally.



















From there to the spring for water for bottles for the drive down and a smooth, very low traffic journey to Rod and Wanda's.  Their daughter, Hannah, was giving a piano lesson by Skype to a pupil whose parents had taken the family North from the city for the duration.  Apparently, the poor, 12 year old child was playing a foot-pumped harmonium up there and struggling to work the bellows!  Needs must, eh?

In due time, to the airport which was like a late Sunday evening it was so empty.  Really helpful staff as ever and through security - 2 metres apart - to wait for the flight.  Sitting in space-marked seats to reduce contact I felt really calm.  I'd done this before, I would probably do this again.  All was well.

KLM.  What's to say?  So proud of their national carrier, so kind to their customers.  A mix of masked and unmasked crew (we were masked and gloved by now).  A smiley, very welcoming Senior Purser met and greeted us; the Captain came on to the intercom to explain how the protocol would be different on this flight.  One choice of food for everyone - Business class and Tourist.  No alcohol, soft drinks only; a snack to take with us as we left.  All this to reduce contact between passengers and staff.  But given in a calm, almost avuncular tone.  After the hysteria of the media, we felt cared for at last.

And it went on.  After supper, the purser came to show Ali and me to where there were four empty seats together, and how to arrange them so that each of us could stretch out.  In the end, I reckon that we must have slept four to five hours each.  Unheard of!

And, at the end of our journey, he gave a deeply felt and comforting homily almost, and then played Vera Lynne, singing "We'll meet again".  The younger of you won't remember this perhaps; it was a second war deep favourite.  It wasn't tearful; it was a memory of how much we as Europeans have shared, and will again.

 






Thursday, 26^th March 2020

A long wait then in a nearly deserted Schiphol airport
 

and then the shuttle to Bristol.  Two busses to the plane so that we could keep the contact spaces reduced.  And Dick was there, in blazing sunshine, embodying care and positivity.  Thanks, mate.


He drove us home; Charlie came with the car from its MOT and service; our fridge was stocked; Carmen came to bring an enormous lasagna; we chatted to Geoff over the newly replaced dividing fence.  And then we fell asleep.

 

Supper, a Zoom conference call with the Benefice steering group.  Blog time.

The garden seems hardly to have come on since we left; the apples are just coming in to bud.  I shall have time for the garden this year.

 


I think I'll probably keep up the blog - but on a linked site.  I'll let you know.  Oh, and Bryony seems to be on the mend.  Hooray - one bit of very good news.

Supermarket sweep

Monday, 23rd March





Lots to do of a very mundane nature, not really worthy of note here.  Encouraging words from Church at home; little bits of tidying and organising here.






We were in the middle of e-exchanges when the subject of food came up - and this lunch offering wandered past the window!  I have to admit, if I lived up here, there might be a case for a cull!

Yum!














And we have heard of dreadful incidences of stripped shelves and arguments in British stores.  Not quite the problem here - they're short of chicken apparently!

Local supermarket; 16.55


UK has declared lock down.  Remind me, WHY are we going home?

I know, it''s sensible - but we shall miss this place for a while!

On their way!

Saturday, 21st March 2020

Very cold overnight, and still crampon weather this morning.  Guy backed his car down the drive but couldn't bring it back up, so we finished loading there.







One last gathered photo in the warm,

Then picking our way down the slope to the car - and away.








This has been great; safe travels and safe return.







We sat for an hour or so, listening to the quiet albeit with half an ear cocked for footsteps on the drive – just in case.  But then, pretty certain that they must be clean away, the day came back in.  I grabbed a shower, Ali found things to do.  The ribs which we bought ten days ago were cooked, with plain potatoes and some of the huge bag of green peas which the children so like.  Guy Skyped at 19.46; they're home.  Gooood time!
Silence; preparations for Sunday service via the internet.  A new normal.

Sunday, 22^nd March

 


An early start with a lovely service from Flax via the internet.  James (Rector), Richard and David lead Communion.  It was very peaceful, very involving.  Lovely.


 

 And then we put the bedroom to rights; we made secure the chests of drawers to the wall, positioned and hung some pictures (Breakup, Polar Bear and Happy Owl from the AGO last year, Herring Gull goes on top of the chests (Adrienne)).  We think it looks lovely.






















An email from Richard Greatrex asking about the Station of the Cross which we have made for virtual Easter in Flax.  Our Station is 13. Jesus Dies on the Cross (Luke 23: 44-46).  We wanted to say something explicit about Christ taking on the sins of theworld; the idea’s OK, the execution – all digital – not brilliant.

Could we get it to him? I wrote to Fosseway printers to ask whether they could print it as a poster and send it straight to Richard.  No problem.  Aren’t folks nice?





























There are all the little things to do here; I have heard from the IT company that we have used 95% of our monthly allowance.  The download profiles are very telling…….

Pot-luck for supper.  No harm in that!

Changing times

Thursday, 19th February.


We started, determinedly, with the plan of having a Grands / grands expedition; Ali and me and Lila and James.  It had been fairly cold overnight so the snow was still quite firm without snow-shoes.  Firstly, a trip to the recycling for a can (the best recycling is re-use) then to the basement for a coat-hanger (and an awl) before raiding the fridge, the cupboard and then the staggered logs at the meadow end of the house where I knew I had cached a chain.

The morning had been punctuated by protestations by James about what he didn't want to do but somehow he was won round, booted and coated and hatted and we were off.

 

 
Up the trail to the first crest then into the clearing where we initially made fire on the snow all those years ago.  Logs on beaten snow, kindling and firewood cut and sorted, "First a twist of birch-bark, as dry as dry can be...."  And the magic happens!


This is one of those "silly" little skills that has given me endless pleasure; the sooty smoke from the birch-bark, the crackle of the little twigs, the slight hesitancy as the pencil thick sticks catch; and then the stepping back and the growing comfort as the main logs, at first hesitantly and with little sign of certainty but then brightly as the flames catch, join the conflagration.  I've done this with all of the grandkids now; perhaps they'll remember.

The rest of the day, the weather has definitely warmed, was pretty nondescript.  Ali made us a great, modified Hampton pie.  I varnished the kids' bird-boxes which they have painted.  The cedar work hasn't - worked out, that is.  Another time.

 

Friday, 20th March.

Our changed flight bookings have come through; we shall leave next Wednesday, a week early.  But with the Spring thaw rushing on us, there's no reason to wait. Words from home are not reassuring, but we have to go.  As a dear friend wrote: "It really is lock down over here.  I will go to our local independent greengrocer tomorrow morning and restock - it's a better option than going to a supermarket at the moment and, in any case, I want to support our independents who are loyally carrying on their business.  It is all very strange."


 
 






Straight after breakfast, I started prepping for a sushi-making session.  We had such fun - and we even ate the sushi afterwards.  Please note, I'm sporting my best "Sushi-master" apparel.  Actually my dressing gown!











Then Ali and I rushed in to Tremblant.  Well, we didn't rush, it was too foggy for rushing!  We went in to Tremblant and picked up the far-too-late to be useful items from Rona and my last prints. 

 

 









At last, "Loon diving" is where it should be; on the wall of a cottage near a Canadian Lake.

 

Doesn't it look the  part; thank you so very much, Stephen.

















 

This is "the melt" 2020; rain, pooling on lac Alphonse.













 







Back to the village; rubber gloves and mask available at the hardware store.  Ali took a cheque for the rates to the Municipality - they're closed for personal contact - and ended up wading across a 3" puddle - over her boot-tops.   Hmmm.

 

 


However, back home, and still wet-footed, she 'shoe'd across the meadow to retrieve the clogged and festering alternative feeder.


Day's end.  Ah.