Vaccine Time!

This week seems to have flown by! Two pieces of good news to report since I last wrote - my back is feeling very much better and, best of all, I have my first Covid vaccination booked for next Monday afternoon. A friend of M's told him on Wednesday that the NHS online booking site had opened up slots for over 60s, so I checked it out and was able to get a quick, local appointment. I was also able to book my  second jab for May at the same time. The timing couldn't be better, as M will be going back to work on Tuesday and TG will be going back to school on Friday 12th. She has to go in on Friday 5th for a Covid test, then the school are staggering returns over the following week, with her year group going in last. Getting my vaccine just as two family members start going out and mixing with other people is perfect timing. 

With my back feeling better we have been able to get out and do slightly longer walks again. Our wellies arrived so we tested them out on Tuesday. I rather stupidly decided we would brave the woods, and even with wellies it was a slippery, gloopy, unpleasant experience. There isn't any rain forecast over the next couple of weeks, so perhaps it will start to dry out. On Wednesday we walked into town as I needed to pick up a chocolate Easter egg I had ordered for H using a "click and collect" service. I have learned the hard way that dairy free eggs can be hard to find if not bought well in advance, and she had spotted this particular one (salted caramel, "milk" chocolate) online and dropped a large hint, so I decided to be efficient and buy it early. After a walk round town and collecting the egg, we went into a coffee shop and picked up sweet treats to bring home for all four of us, and a coffee for me to drink on the way home. 

As we walked back we spotted this narrow boat carrying cargo - apparently it delivers fuel for people living on houseboats. Yesterday we met friends for a walk round the woods and country park. We walked in two separate pairs to keep to the exercise rules, but stopped at a cafe which was doing takeaway food and bought sandwiches and coffee for lunch. All the picnic tables were taped off to stop people sitting down and eating, so we perched on a little wooden wall to eat and drink before walking back again. Since we walked the same route with them back in January a lot of trees had been cut down to open up the area and try to reestablish the native heathland. It will be interesting to see how it develops over the next few months. 

The weather has been so much better this week, bright and sometimes almost warm. I have been able to wear a lighter jacket rather than my winter coat. It is also really noticeable how much noisier the birds are now that spring is round the corner. Today's walk was along the canal. This route passes a lock which is having its gates replaced. The new gates have been lifted into the drained lock, and are waiting to be put into position. These things are huge - I would guess about 12 feet tall - and extremely heavy, so replacing them is no easy job. 

Talking of tall, I measured TG today. She has grown again and is now 5 feet 5 inches tall. After spending years desperate to grow - she has always been very petite - she has decided she would like to stop now, thank you. Apparently average was all that she required, and she doesn't want to get any taller. I am slightly annoyed as I was convinced I was going to have one daughter shorter than I am - nope! Apart from going out for walks, things have been very much the normal lockdown routine of puttering about at home. I am getting some time in on research and writing, nearly through reading Jan Morris's first book on the British Empire (an excellent read, but not a quick one), and am now on the second sleeve of the jumper I am knitting for myself.