We were on a break

Hello there,
I have been absent for a few days and to be honest that was a pretty calculated decision. After all it's not as if my social life has suddenly taken an upturn, keeping me away from home or even just the laptop for hours on end.
Rather, it felt as thought these entries were becoming rather repetitive, slightly samey and dare I say it a tad depressing. With little to do other than write, bake and create meals from the depths of the freezer I wasn't the only person comparing these days to Groundhog Day.
Aside from this there was great sadness on Friday with a wonderful local lady who was a dear friend  to many being laid to rest. In these difficult days funeral services are restricted to close family only with others unable to attend and pay their respects. For this lovely lady the church or chapel would have been full to overflowing but instead of attending we lit a candle, raised a glass and sat with our thoughts and prayers.
Sadness is a strange thing, and can be quite overwhelming at times. We are so fortunate here in having a large house with a garden that has a beautiful deck, comfortable furniture and the perfect suntrap. In any other circumstances it would be a joy to sit and enjoy the sunshine with a good book, a cuppa or a cocktail, and the sound of the waterfall.
Of course all of that is still possible but underneath the enjoyment there is the nagging fear of this deadly invisible virus. The doorbell may go with a parcel/delivery and rather than being filled with jo it is so easy to worry about unpacking it and disposing of the cardboard safely before washing our hands for the zillionth time. The  radio is on as background entertainment throughout the day but every hour the reality that is the news update breaks back into whatever we are doing and unfortunately no news seems to be good news at the moment.
Yesterday should have been our younger daughter's Hen Do. I won't say what we were going to do as that may yet happen and we don't want to be spoiling any surprises.
Rachel herself had reminded our family WhatsApp group that it was supposed to have been her Family Hen, and also announced that she would therefore be doing "Girlie Stuff" with her fiancé Rory. We had dived in with our suggestions such as a manicure, drinking cocktails and of course watching Dirty Dancing. But what actually happened? The next post will reveal all!