Still here!

Christmas is coming!  And we are still here!  In fact we've been here so long now we are thinking of making it a permanent move.  Watch this space!

We have passed the time during the various stages of Lock Down, relaxation of Lock Down, and Lock Down 2, in much the same way. It has been delightful and has felt reasonably safe from Covid. 

Mike has put a huge number of Middlesex peals on to Bell Board, starting with the formation of the Association.  I have been working backwards through the reports from the present day doing the same, and we are currently only about 30 years apart.  He has also written some interesting articles for Bell News on the peal ringers of those early days.  

When we were allowed to do so, we rang several handbell quarter peals with Tim - first in his garden, then in his garage and latterly (until the second Lock Down followed by Tier 2 restrictions) in the Church Hall next to his house.

Having formed a bubble with Peter, we continued to ring handbells with him twice a week either at his place or ours.  We got into a routine of going for a peal on Saturday mornings at our house, followed by lunch, and going for a QP on Wednesday evenings followed by supper - either in a pub or cooked by Peter at his place.

Performances with Peter 

We both rang a proper tower bell for the first and only time since March when we rang for a wedding at Highweek - and got paid!  We had to wear a mask all the time and stay on the same bell.  It felt a bit weird and I was glad I could remember how to do it.

Other ringing has been online - and we have gradually taken on more and more regular sessions with different "bands" so that we are now ringing almost every day and sometimes twice (or more) on the same day.   Ringing Room (the online platform) has proved invaluable for the learners in helping them to learn and ring methods without the distraction of trying to handle a tower bell, and several of them have taken up handbell ringing too.  In fact, Mike and I have notched up over 40 Quarter Peals since Lock Down, many of them firsts for other people. 

Ringing Room has also been useful in keeping local bands in touch, and we have a regular Monday Chiswick practice online. It has been nice to be able to participate for a change - much easier on the wrists than ringing tower bells - and indeed I have also enjoyed doing more ringing with Mike.

I have also enjoyed going out cycling and walking with Mike.  I have kept a separate record of our cycle rides - the hills are hard work on the cheap Amazon bike with only 6 gears.  I was hoping to bring my posh new bike back from London - but I wanted to get my handlebars changed from butterfly to straight first by Wolseys (our friendly cycle shop), and I had to wait until November when they were less busy.  Then there wasn't room in the car!  So that will have to wait until next year.  Now that the weather is colder and damper we have taken to walking more anyway, and often take Suki out at the weekend for a walk unless it is pouring.  I take her carrier so that I can carry her when she gets tired or starts to limp badly (see photos of the carrier on the Suki page).   Last week Mike and I went to Teignmouth and walked from one end to the other and on along the Dawlish sea wall to the tunnel, and then back again.  It was about 3 miles and Suki was very glad of the lift. We had wonderful fish and chips sitting on a bench on the sea front afterwards - just finished off the day nicely.

I haven't kept up the exercise regime I started so enthusiastically at the start of lock down, nor do I get out walking as much as I would like, but I have occasional bursts of activity and take myself off to walk on the moor and explore the paths and new routes for walks. Jayne and I walk with a friend, Jackie, most Wednesdays.  I devised a few walks for us around the Hound Tor area, which I haven't explored much before, whilst out on my own.  I have kept a separate record of walks on the Walking page.

We popped back to London a couple of times.  Mike went back on his own in July as were were having the front of the house painted.  Then we both went back in August for a week - I took the opportunity to get my hair cut, see the dental hygienist and have a manicure and pedicure, as well as taking Suki to the vet for a half yearly check.  We had an enjoyable evening with the Chiswick ringers in the churchyard ringing handbells (suitably distanced) and then a nice supper at the pub, and I was able to visit a couple of friends for coffee in their gardens.  At least during all this enforced solitary confinement we have had good weather for socialising in gardens and churchyards.  It was rather strange that I did more walking in London than I had done for a while in Devon.  I walked each time I had to go to the Chiswick High Road for my various appointments, I went for a walk with one of my friends around Harrow Hill, and I walked to Wormwood Scrubs park to meet up with another friend for a short walk and to pass on some Middlesex Annual Reports.  I managed to avoid public transport altogether! 

Another week was planned at the beginning of November to supervise the painting of the back of the house, but then Lock Down 2 was announced which started on the Thursday of that week.  The decorators decided to postpone, so we decided to stay for 2 days and then get back to Devon on the Tuesday, before we found ourselves stuck in London.  We travelled in separate cars as we had each got appointments for our cars to have an annual service, and in addition I managed to squeeze in getting my handlebars changed, Suki's annual vaccinations and a hygienist appointment.

Mike went back yet again at the beginning of December for the deferred painting of the back of the house, but I stayed in Devon because we were having the bathroom here converted to a wet room at that time, and I needed to supervise the exact placement of the various fixtures and fittings.  See separate post.  I must admit though I was sorely tempted to go with him by the thought of a lovely hot shower - we'd been washing in the sink for 10 days by then.

We were lucky enough to get away for a few days on a canal boat trip in October with some friends who had bought their own boat - see separate post.

So now we are in the run up to Christmas.  The turkey is ordered from the local butcher, and I have actually made my own Christmas pudding and mince pies for the first time ever!  

Jayne will be with us which will be nice.  Peter, Mike and I have been practicing ringing Christmas tunes on handbells with four bells each - with a vague idea that we might be able to ring for a Church service or for the local care homes (if we are allowed in).