It has been so cold this week, that I seem to have spent the week wrapped in a blanket throw at work (thanks to Covid ventilation rules and open windows) or under my cosy blanket on my sofa at home. We’ve had the icy weather and the wind chill factor but only a few little flakes of snow, see the flower photo above. The iced plants photo was taken this morning on our way to the farm, it was a spectacular sight.

Lockdown 3 continues with little more than work and home. We have a new game, a locally themed version of Cluedo which has been fun to play. I don’t know how but its the first time I have ever played Cluedo, I’m up on the rules now and have developed my own strategies. I definitely play to win.

Lockdown has brought some really random experiences. On Monday’s Scout Zoom meeting, Little Man did armpit cooking. It was as gross as it sounds and I didn’t try any of the chocolate fudge they made as I had seen how it had been prepared! Tonight, Little Man and I watched the final of the Masked Singer, such a random, bonkers programme but entertaining and harmless fun on a lockdown Saturday night. I correctly guessed one singer but am still very taken by Morten Harket aka Viking from a few weeks ago. I’ve seen A-ha in concert three times and although we’ve all aged a little, he could still be my bedroom wall pin up, 30 years later!

I did feel quite mature and adult this week as I needed to do some tax research. I’ve got part of Mr S’ tax allowance transferred to me now as he is no longer working and I needed to calculate all my allowances to check the figures of my new tax code. The HMRC resources were helpful and I think its the first time I’ve ever understood tax in all my working life. I’m not sure I would have investigated this fully if we weren’t in Lockdown, but it was genuinely refreshing to do something different and useful.

We have continued to watch the Marvellous Mrs Maisel, which is my favourite tv of Lockdown 3, it gets better with every episode (we’re now on Series 2, episode 6) However, this week I have also spent lots of time reading the Midnight Library by Matt Haig, a perfect story for this time. The story is simple, albeit with a bit of quantum physics to fully explain the plot, in which a woman takes an overdose and on the edge of life and death gets to live many versions of her life by making different decisions at key points in her life. Its very clever and life affirming and had me in tears at the end. By chance, as I finished the book, my playlist was playing Elbow’s One Day Like This, beautiful synchronicity. This is a hard period but perhaps one day we will look back at how it helped to reframe our lives.

Its half term next week, again a very strange week with none of our normal activities. Holidays and weekends feel like a game of lockdown bingo at present, board games, walks, baking, special dinners, family film, Nintendo Switch etc… Tick them all off to get house!

Have a happy half term.