Slow progress

Sunday 22nd Jan 2023

Under the brown leaves near the hedge, I can see pale bent stems, they are like the top of crochet hooks for those of you who remember. And today one ‘hook’ has risen enough for me to see a bright yellow flower. Here come my winter aconites again. Eventually they will crowd the narrow border with dots of light. I have struggled to get these flowers to grow and just when I think that I have failed, here they are again, with their bright globes and green choir boy ruffs. I can almost hear them singing.

And here again are the snowdrops. Their flowers are out in shady places with a promise of more. Daffodils are shooting and the yellow catkins are already hanging from our hazels. But winter is far from over.

And, it seems, that COVID is far from over. My nephew has let us know that he has caught it. He is in the vulnerable group that is immunosuppressed who need antiviral drugs which thankfully were delivered to him today. We are still wearing masks when we go out and I have had a new delivery of even more efficient ones that protect us better than the thin blue ones. Just when we thought it was going to end my friends and relatives are catching it. Some of them thought they were immune but then got quite ill for others it was fairly mild.

It seems that one day, one way or another, we will all get the disease even though I have not had it yet.

But we are having a new bathroom! I thought that as we have replaced the (woodpecker) window we might as well carry on and have the whole room renewed. It is all very old and has been here since we came over thirty years ago. The bath is hard to keep clean and the huge basin is cracked so this is the right time.

In my naivety I thought I could simply say to a plumber, “I would like a new bathroom, please”. But of course, it is not as easy as that. The glossy catalogues offer endless choices. I am bewildered before I even look online. I must decide on size, colour, position, type and tiles, to name only a few of the alternatives. And before all that we had to have the lovely hanging candelabra lights replaced because they do not comply with the new regulations for bathrooms. I bought that fitment the year Princess Diana died and now I must move on.

Progress is slow as we wait with interest for a sparkling computer-generated picture to replace our old familiar friendly bathroom.

(Taken from my column in the Shropshire Star)