Posts

The birds and the bees

Image
I had suggested some time ago to Lee that we could put a bird feeder in the back garden, for the good of the birds and for our enjoyment She had not been keen initially. We re-visited the topic during our cocooning and both decided it would be fun and a justifiable expense. We ordered a bird feeding station special offer from the RSPB, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. This was a kind of starter kit with a bird feeder stand, some bird feeders, and some bird food. We discovered later that bird food is available more economically elsewhere,, as are better quality bird feeders, but our RSPB kit was a great introduction.  In case you were wondering about the title of this post, we also decided to buy a butterfly and bee nectar feeding station. We were very sceptical about this, wondering why such creatures would choose to use such an artificial device.  We learned that we could use diluted sugar or honey solutions in place of nectar. I had actually made some dandelion honey an
Post a Comment
Read more

Having fun

Image
Life in a cocoon was not just about physical survival and avoiding contact with the virus. It was necessary to have some fun too, and keep ones senses alive. I am a keen gardener. I also like sports. One morning a lightweight football had appeared in the back garden, presumably kicked or thrownover from the field behind. A large empty plant pot weighted down with a suitable stone, together with the ball provided plenty of scope for practising basketball skills.  When the fun of gardener's basketball wore off, I turned again to the defunct microwave. One of the parts in a microwave is a microwave turntable support ring. Naturally there were watering cans to hand. So, gardeners' quoits was invented. This turned out to be far more challenging than expected and led to some very competitive matches, often decided by very low scores.  Games that were to be more taxing mentally were soon to follow. One of Lee's marvellous nieces was kind enough to begin the organisation of a Thurs
Post a Comment
Read more

Making do

Image
In the early days of our cocoon existence we had some concerns about our supplies, of food particularly groceries. We are fortunate that we both have children who live within a few miles of us, and my partner has a host of nieces who are also close by. I have been a fan of online grocery shopping for some time; I am not a lover of shopping in supermarkets.  Even less so now, I will return to that topic later. I happened to have a couple of orders pre-booked for delivery to my own home. These gave us a buffer zone, a little time to feel our way through this unprecedented health crisis, and make some tentative plans about how we could survive and thrive. We also found several local suppliers of fruit and veg boxes and so on. The fine selection below was from such a supplier. I was able to add sufficiently to these orders to make sure my youngest son, Jack, still at home; and the two of us in the cocoon household would all be provided for if our online grocer had available stock. The orde
Post a Comment
Read more

Living in a cocoon

Image
Thriving in a time of quarantine Life in the period of the coronavirus crisis of 2020 was very different from normal for many people. For me it meant moving home temporarily. My partner was advised to self-quarantine for a period of at least twelve weeks. I decided to move in with her to provide support. As I write,  the potted red maple tree in the back garden here is looking magnificent in today's brilliant early summer sunshine, However, in the middle of March, a mere eight days before I arrived here, the maple had looked like this. I use these photos to try and demonstrate the fact that we can thrive and prosper in tough times as well as in good times. This Spring was one of the sunniest and driest of all times. The maple, being enclosed in a pot, needs attention to thrive during these arid times.  The term 'lockdown' has been widely used to describe the restrictions in place. These rules attempt to reduce the spread and impact of the coronavirus. Lockdown is an ugly wo
Post a Comment
Read more