Groundhog Day in The View from the Terrace

It feels like Groundhog Day here in Cardiff. Once again the streets are quiet, as all but essential shops are closed. All, that is, except the little decorating shop opposite where the old man who runs it sits patiently and illegally with his two dogs, picking up custom from bored locals who have decided to repaint the living room to kill the time in lockdown. He stayed open all through the last lockdown. I don’t know how he gets away with it. Even the shops that are open are only allowed to sell essential goods. It was very strange in Sainsbury’s last Friday, where all of the clothes were covered with polythene sheets. Hubby says that lots of Welsh people are crossing the border to shop in Hereford presumably to buy the forbidden inessentials. It really is awful the way people break the rules for frivolous reasons.

It will be Halloween on Saturday but no one is allowed to celebrate it; no trick or treating and no parties. You can’t buy the costumes anyway as they are inessential and behind the polythene sheets. Louise has bought a pumpkin which she is going to carve later today. On Saturday we are going to have pizza and chips followed by ice cream and then watch The Shining. I haven’t seen it for years.

I saw on the news about the Kurdish Iranian family who drowned in the English Channel trying to get into the UK; the parents and three children including a baby whose body hasn’t been found. It doesn’t bear thinking about. I know a lot of people who feel we should keep migrants out and look after our own people. My feelings are, ‘There but for the grace of God go I’. My heart goes out to their relatives who were waiting for them in this country.

It’s been raining on and off since yesterday morning, which was Louise’s main wash day. I have given up hanging out the clothes and then dashing down the steps to retrieve them when they are even wetter. We are drying what we can on the radiators.

The garden looks very pretty and Autumnal, though it’s getting rather cold to spend much time out there A couple of weeks ago we planted a lot of spring bulbs. Soon it will be time to put the tender plants in the garage for the winter.