Wednesday 13 May 2020

Time Off Work

Being one of the fortunate ones who have been able to keep working all the time since the start of the corona-related restrictions, I was nonetheless really looking forward to 1 1/2 weeks off. 
For the past four years, O.K. and I have always been on holiday together at the beginning of May and then again in September, and this year is no different in that respect, although we were of course not able to travel to the spa hotel in the mountains we had booked for this holiday. Instead of cancelling our booking, we have moved it to September, hoping that by then the situation will allow our stay there as planned.

Before I left for O.K.'s on Wednesday, the 29th of April, I kept going on after-work walks. Most evenings, I walked between one and two hours, and usually went for a run once a week with my friend. Here are a few pictures taken during those evenings before the start of my holiday.

Pink blossoms were featuring strongly on April 15:

 The next day (April 16), I came past this hedgerow of yellow roses, near my old school:

The office building around the corner of my house is greatly improved by the beautiful wisteria (which gives off a wonderful scent):

From when he was about 12 years old until he married my Mum, my Dad lived on the ground floor of the house you can see to the right. 
The outbuilding in the middle of the picture used to house everything that was needed to do the washing of the families living in this house and the one next door. And in his late teens, when my parents were already dating, my Dad made the top floor of the wash house his room - great for hanging out without the danger of his parents walking in on them!

On April 26, it looked like rain (but didn't) across the fields:

This young cat lives on one of the farms:

At 7:15 pm that evening, I was on my way back home:

Saying good-bye to my parents on April 28, before leaving for O.K.'s the next day: 
(Note that I am sitting far apart, and there were of course no hugs or kisses! We had planned to meet outside their front door, but it had been raining in the afternoon and the garden wall where my parents sit when we meet outside was still wet, so we decided to go inside - me entering my parents' flat for first time since mid-March.)

I returned home on Sunday night and have been working again since Monday morning (from home, of course), and am now going to start putting my holiday posts together.

23 comments:

  1. It's lovely to see a new post from you and have more holiday ones to look forward to. So your Dad had a bachelor pad. Such fun. I'm glad you got to visit your parents inside, and am wondering who took the photo. I also love the picture of the yellow roses. In my yard I have a "yellow rose of Texas" (Harrison's Yellow) and a Mai Gold in the front yard which, sadly, does not give me many flowers. I love yellow roses. (And apricot ones, and all shades of pink, and white roses, and even red ones!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kristi! As for my Dad's bachelor pad - after she saw my post, my Mum told me that she had in fact never been up there, it was entirely my Dad's own place, his retreat.
      Like you, I love yellow roses but all the others, too. The creamy ones are lovely, aren't they!

      Delete
  2. Look forward to your holiday posts. Hope the weather was decent for your time off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was, Mary! There was one rainy day (with the rain being VERY necessary and welcome) which we used for household things.

      Delete
  3. Interesting to see some of the architecture and also the flowering trees around your area. Hope the holiday was a great success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was, Pat! Too short, and three days back into my working week I feel ready for another holiday...

      Delete
  4. Love seeing you with your parents - they always look so nice!
    Hopefully we can start hugging our loved ones again soon.
    Looking forward to your upcoming travel stories.

    Stay well dear.
    Mary -

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mary! They look so nice because that is what they are :-)
      You too stay well, enjoy your beautiful garden and keep those great pictures coming!

      Delete
  5. Welcome home! How nice that you had the opportunity to get away and spend time with O.K. Your pictures from your earlier walks are beautiful and in that one walk you saw some pretty dark clouds. It's good to see your sweet parents and their home too. I hope you are getting settled in to your job and home routines. I'm looking forward to hearing about your holiday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Bonnie! It almost feels as if I have not been away - but I know that I will relive each day as I post about it, so I have twice the enjoyment.

      Delete
  6. How lovely to be able to be with your parents for a while, albeit at a distance. I FaceTime my little grandson almost daily and he shows me his toys and books, but it is not the same as being there to give him a cuddle!
    I'm looking forward to seeing your holiday photos in due course.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Being there "live" (and not via a small screen) and still not hugging Mum and Dad feels very odd. I wonder how many people, given the opportunity, push caution aside and do hug in such circumstances.

      Delete
  7. Good that you could see your parents. I am the one who has the same birthday as you but I am 17 years older. I did say that I would be doing a blog and have finally got round to it. If you want to see it it is www.parsonwife69.com - hope you can access it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Pat, and thank you for letting me know about your blog! I am going to pop over in a minute.

      Delete
    2. PS: I'm afraid it says "Server not found" when I try to follow your link. A typo in the url? If you blog was on this platform (blogger/blogspot), it would be accessible through your profile, but there is none.

      Delete
    3. sorry I put parsons wife but it should be www.pastorswife69.com Hope you can get to it now

      Delete
    4. Thank you, Pat - the link works now, and I shall have a look soon!

      Delete
  8. I hope everyone's safe and staying safe. I just read that the virus is mutating and getting much more dangerous. I don't want to alarm anyone but it's time to get right with God, cause this is getting downright scary! Stay home and stay safe, guys!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been scary from the start, Anonymous. You too stay safe, whoever you are.

      Delete
  9. Oh, I get to see your parents! (And I am happy you got to see them also but forgive me, I think of myself first, I guess! LOL!)
    Thanks for showing us where your Dad lived, it is gorgeous, just like where he lives with your Mom now!
    All the blossoms are beautiful but I especially like the ones from April 15th! We can say that is just THE best day, it was my birthday! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, the photo of me and my parents was put there mostly for the benefit of my blog readers, so you are welcome to be happy about getting to see them!
      Where my Dad lived as a boy and young man is a much older building than where my parents live now (their place was built in 1987-88). But both are nice houses, I agree.
      Please consider those pink blossoms your birthday flowers then! After all, the pictures were taken on your birthday :-)

      Delete
  10. As usual I'm late to the party and I have to say I'm glad I managed to get here because seeing the beautiful blossom (the wisteria reminds me so much of New Zealand) was a joy and seeing your Dad's home as a youth was very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't know that wisteria also grows in NZ; somehow I think of more exotic plants when the opposite "end" of the globe is mentioned.

      Delete