A Wild Life

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What a glorious day. We actually got outside in shirt sleeves, even if it was to work hard in the garden. 

One of my first tasks was to empty the water from the reservoir of a self irrigating trough for tomato plants. I'd left it in the greenhouse undisturbed at the end of last season after a family of frogs had taken up residence. So much for my plans, they were still there enjoying their indoor pool vacation! There was no sign of any frog spawn but as a gesture of goodwill we've let them stay, although we've moved the trough outside and put a cover over part of it for protection from hedgehogs and other predators. Hopefully I'll get to reclaim it, when my tomato plants are ready to transplant. It may be a while as I'm only just thinking about sowing the seeds.

It is amazing how much wild life you actually see when you have the time to stop and take notice. Every year at this time though, we generally spot a pair of mad March hares boxing in the field at the other side of our hedge. There was no fighting today but two appear to have become three.

I also managed to escape the house for essential travel, exercise and helping care for the vulnerable. My first jaunt was by car to the Surgery which is a dispensing practice to collect medication for an elderly couple as well as myself. I have to say it was a little surreal. Walk in appointments have been  cancelled and only one patient is admitted to the premises at a time. There was nobody else there so the receptionist, donned in a mask and protected by an extra table and barrier as well as her desk, operated what is normally an automatic door to let me in.

Then the lady behind the dispensing counter (again masked) took my details and placed three bags onto the counter whilst I stood back behind a marked line on the floor.  She then closed the window behind which she works and I stepped forward to pick up the packages with gloved hands.

Back at home and after going through the routine we have set up for washing hands, disinfecting door handles and disposing of gloves I was able to walk through the village to deliver the goods, ringing the doorbell with a tissue and then standing halfway down the garden path as the door was answered and the bags collected.

My walk for exercise (tagged onto the delivery of medicines) was equally as eventful, meeting the Chair of the Parish Council for a chat conducted at 2 metres distance outside her house. Then I inadvertently broke the restrictions set out by the government for meetings of no more than 2 persons, when, coming down the hill to our home, one neighbour was in conversation from one side of the road with a couple on the opposite side. To keep my distance, I took a midway route down the centre, stopping to join in. You could say I was living dangerously at risk of being squashed flat by a motor car, but with non-essential travel forbidden there really is very little traffic.

The highlight of what you can tell was a truly exciting day (well I enjoyed it anyway) was, however, a parcel delivered by the Postman as far as our gatepost. We retrieved it and whereas we have started to leave post for 24 hours in case of contamination, excitement got the better of us. "Be kind to one another," we keep being told and my sister had excelled; it was a Hotel Chocolat Easter Egg.

Easter of course is still over 2 weeks away. Would it be considered wild to go hammer and tongs at it in advance? (Asking for a friend.) 

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