Derbyshire 174 - Chesterfield /Looking back over my shoulder/ No flour, no eggs /no holiday Chesterfield number 59

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Who would have thought I would be writing blogs about Chesterfield on such a regular basis . They were never my intention . I wrote the first Chesterfield number 59 over five months ago without any idea that today I would be in August and writing number 174. There was never going to much of interest to write home about . A walk , a trip to the supermarket under lockdown . A complaint about having to cancel the Scandanavian holiday . No swimming , daily broadcasts from the Prime Minister or one of his sidekicks . A lack of flour and eggs . Looking back I never expected this to be still going on and ruining - yes ruining our lives . I sat early on enjoying the Spring sunshine . Sitting in the garden on special leave from work . Drinking wine on the patio in the afternoon Spring sunshine . I never expected to be working from home in August . By Summer I told myself that my walks would be over . I would be back at work . Back at swimming . Back to buying everything I wanted from the supermarket . Things would be normal and we would be on holiday in September . Looking back over my shoulder none of that happened for a long time . Ok I am back swimming and not walking so much . I can buy eggs and flour in the supermarket but I have to run the gauntlet of ringing Eurotunnel this week to cancel our September holiday . Moving it to December and hoping that things will be normal and travel possible by then . I dont want to waste a months holiday doing nothing just sitting around and feeling miserable . And that is how I will feel . There is no doubt about that . Missing one holiday is careless but missing a second is unforgiveable . Or something vaguely like that . I feel like a caged lion looking at the world out there and wondering if I will ever get back to it . Will Gabby become a white elephant on the drive?

We emptied here this morning and switched everything off . We ought to use her for a break in September but where to go ? That is the question . Everyone talks about our wonderful country with all its changeable weather and amazing scenery . Our castles and stately homes . Our beaches, towns and cities . But none for me compare with Europe . The kids will be back at school . That is a bonus . Perhaps there will be less tourists about . They are not travellers but just tourists to British hotspots . Perhaps the beaches will be empty . Perhaps we will get parked up somewhere . And then there is all this booking to see places . Can we be bothered? We are more the pass by, see something and stop to look at it . If we have to book or it is a guided tour we move on . Decisions and even more decisions .

It is Monday and the start of another week . I wont try Eurotunnel today . Too busy and who knows Boris might sack his Education Secretary for the fiasco of the exam results and pigs might fly as he takes France off the list of banned countries . I can hope and as I swim I silently think please Boris - there is Corona Virus everywhere . Am I being selfish wanting a holiday ? A break away from normal. We have a viewing on Wednesday . I spend the day cleaning . It is not that the house needs cleaning but when you are selling you find yourself forever cleaning the windows even though they don't need it . So today I mostly spent cleaning and tidying , cleaning and more tidying . Putting things away and then taking them out again . Are you like me and grateful to sleep at night hoping that tomorrow this nightmare of Covid will be over ?

Tuesday and I wake early . It is walking today . As I walk I wonder if the Education Secretary will do the right thing and resign . I know he won't do that and Boris does love a good friend . Too much to sack them . More cleaning , more wandering round thinking of ways to sell our house . My watch no longer reads 6.30 . A trip to the DIY store provided me with a new battery £3.50 I could never ever find a cheaper battery in the country . Another viewer booked . This time 7pm at night . Who books to view a house that late ?

Wednesday half way through the week . The sun shines and we get a bit of rain . It is shopping day . A day that sends me into overdrive . Why do all the shop assistants stand around talking to each other? None keeping a decent distance apart . And why do they not wear masks ? 9 out of 10 are maskless . Is their employer a good example to all of us letting them remain maskless ? Is it one of the better employers who employ people with health issues ? So many of them must have health issues if they dont wear masks . I know I dont know the answer but I get annoyed . I cannot help it - I am suffering from Covid Rage . Made worse by not getting a holiday .

Our first viewers arrive. I bring them in . I apologise we were not here last week when they wanted a viewing . I make light of the awful weather . Dull days are not the best to view houses are they? They dont show them in the best light . They dont seem bothered . They like what they see . Whilst I dont feel positive I do feel they are mildly interested . That enthuses me and I go round telling them the delights of our village and walking . My lovely house with its views . Ourside they skip quickly through the garden and the garage . I think I am losing it now . Then through the gate into the upper garden . They look at each other and I am told that they were disappointed at such a small garden until they saw the top garden with its patio, its area for a veg plot and its privacy . I feel a bit more confident . If they love it they will be on the phone this afternoon I thought .Are things looking up?

The second viewing comes round . In and out like a dose of salt . No interest and I wondered why they were wasting their time and mine . Bit like Covid 19 is wasting my time .

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