100 days of lockdown - part 1, the list.

 On 23^rd March I began posting daily “things to be thankful for” on Facebook.  I didn’t know how long I’d go on doing this but eventually decided I’d stop on day 100.  That day is today.  This first post is simply the list of each thing I’ve been thankful for during the first 100 days of lockdown, mostly without the explanations that often followed.

1.      It has been lovely weather today.

2.      The osmanthus is smelling wonderful.

3.      Lunch outside in March. And this lovely soda-glazed bowl by Lansdown Pottery

4.      I treated myself to new pyjamas, for loafing about in after baths.

5.      My local stationers, James and Owen, while shut are still answering the phone and for minimum order of £10 are delivering while they have stock.

6.      It's my birthday, in case you hadn't noticed 

7.      I have a garden.

8.      My local garden centre is doing deliveries.

9.      There is a peacock butterfly in my garden most days.

10.  Birthday daffs. Arrived as buds so had no idea they were going to be double blooms.

11.  I'm still able to do my own shopping at Waitrose. 

12.  Roger has found a way to upload photos to Instagram on the PC.

13.  Roast beef this evening and I found some Yorkshire puddings in the freezer!

14.  It still hasn't rained! Allowing me to make slow but sure progress in the vegetable garden.

15.  A neighbour I didn't really know brought me a gift way out of proportion for giving them some seed trays.

16.  I bought more and different tulips last autumn than I remembered and now they're coming into flower.

17.  Saw an orange tip butterfly in the garden.

18.  BT OpenReach, who sent someone immediately to investigate my disconnected phone and established exactly where it's disconnected

19.  My life is so easy compared to many. I'm aware that this could be transitory, so I am living each day as best I can.

20.  My cousin's wife is happy to do my parents' shopping so their carer doesn't have to go out.

21.  I am discovering the benefits of WhatsApp groups.

22.  My beetroot have germinated and are visible above ground.

23.  I have lots of sparrows in my garden.

24.  My landline is fixed!

25.  Amazon.

26.  Rubbish tv

27.  Rain, for the garden.

28.  The mahonia smells so strongly of honey, even when I'm 6ft away the other side of a fence.

29.  Butternut soup for supper today.

30.  My friend Anne, who not only collected my prescriptions this morning but also went back this afternoon for the one they'd forgotten and topped up the bird feeders as well

31.  I've just slept for 45 minutes without neck pain.

32.  I am able to sleep lying down!

33.  My GP, who really didn't seem to mind my asking for another telephone consultation.

34.  Today I am feeling better than yesterday, probably back to how I was the day before, so I have had a shower and brushed my hair!

35.  A nice day where it wasn't expected, so I was able to walk around the garden taking photographs.

36.  Another rain-free day when I managed a few more outdoor tasks.

37.  Rain, for the garden, which was fairly desperate for it and my usual firm of gardeners, who are still at work.

38.  Being in touch by phone. I find I'm making more effort to phone people I don't usually speak to very often.

39.  have yet to be bored!

40.  I have lost 60lbs since I began to take myself in hand at the end of 2011.

41.  I'm learning to live more slowly.

42.  I find that I am interested in work again. I wasn't sure I would be when I retired.

43.  My knees are almost back to where they were, following falling down the stairs in November.

44.  These beautiful Californian Poppies, which are annuals but overwintered in my garden.

45.  My zoom 'socials' with crafty friends.

46.  Not one but two friends sat 2m away from me on my patio and had a drink today, at two different times.

47.  Brassicas have been in the garden 24 hours and so far not eaten by anything.

48.  Even on low days there are friends I can phone.

49.  A good audio CD to listen to while doing boring dressmaking.

50.  Not all my brassica plants have been munched and none so badly that they won't survive.

51.  

52.  An unexpected phone call from a cousin.

53.  The garden centre has re-opened and I had a lovely drive over the common to reach it.

54.  I have rediscovered fresh yeast. It is *so* much better than dried.

55.  Had such a nice day doing 'stuff' that I almost forgot about this!

56.  All day breakfast for supper tonight.

57.  A new CD arrived today, though I haven't had time to listen to it yet.

58.  Pea plants went in yesterday and so far un-munched.

59.  My parents (91 and 92) are on the Waitrose priority booking list at last.

60.  The ice-maker in the door of my new freezer. I've always wanted one.

61.  

62.  The recipe for carrot cake that is from a magazine and in my recipe folder. It's the best carrot cake there is.

63.  Four weeks after being chopped down to 1ft high because of two years' of terrible aphid infestation, my forty-year-old honeysuckle is sprouting again.

64.  Another pleasant day.

65.  Got all my veg planted out now.

66.  The Californian poppies (that Joy gave me the seeds for) have been the star of my garden for weeks and weeks.

67.  The bed we ordered in February, for my parents' carer, has finally been delivered.

68.  After quite a long time watching videos and taking measurements, have a mask pattern that really fits me nicely.

69.  Six rather nice bottles were delivered to me yesterday, as a gift.

70.  Ten weeks and I'm still here.

71.  My parents; ageing all the time but still themselves.

72.  I have some lovely friends.

73.  Rain.

74.  Wine

75.  Home-made cream tea.

76.  I find it so easy to make meals that everyone likes.

77.  Managed to get out of the bath at parents'.

78.  Sweet peas are blooming beautifully.

79.  First veg of new season for supper tonight: spinach.

80.  Sunny photographs are good to look at on a dull day.

81.  Watching a squirrel searching for the nut feeder which had been there earlier was really entertaining.

82.  New Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse just worked perfectly straight away.

83.  Helped a couple of people feeling low today.

84.  Picked blackcurrants and a few red gooseberries this weekend.

85.  I'm still sticking to my eating regime and losing a little weight here and there.

86.  A really good day today.

87.  I had a nice tax rebate, which more or less paid for the new laptop which was delivered today.

88.  Day 2 of a 3-day almond croissant recipe. This has given me something interesting to do with food but which I can't eat yet!

89.  A new Dylan album.

90.  Walnuts keep well for 11 years in the freezer.

91.  Rain made the vegetable garden soil extremely easy to pull weeds out of without the aid of any implements.

92.  I can't follow the post I shared this morning with something I'm thankful for because it would seem incredibly petty, whatever it was.
So today I'm just thankful.

93.  Today some purple crocs arrived that were the right size.

94.  Gloucestershire has an R rate of 0.6 at the moment.

95.  Had a wonderful one-to-one tutorial with Amy Surman Jewellery - Home Jewellery School this afternoon.

96.  Though it's not the whole story, I seem to have got my creative mojo back.

97.  My friends are all sensible. They, like me, take a long view of Covid-19.

98.  Winning a game of chess.

99.  I don't do a job where I have no choice whether to be inside or outside

100.    I've survived 100 days of lockdown without serious

           health problems, physical or mental.