Another sunrise this morning, but a good one, with the feeling that it might be a good day. I am not sure if I am going anywhere. Mr. Swiss has his second veccination jab this morning and will probably have some after effects, although they usually only arrive a few hours later.

I spent an hour yesterday completing my shopping list for next week. As there will be no online deliveries on Friday and everything will be a little more stressed due to the holiday, I decided to get the list done early enough and send it off at the week-end for delivery on Tuesday, I really had to concentrate to make sure I have everything I need for the week until after Easter. Yesterday I travelled into town to the store to organise some meat from the butchers. It is always an advantage when I can choose the meat I want and the quantity. It is now in the chest freezer for when I need it. I have decided to make my own pizzas at the week-end with my own pastry and filling. No longer just putting slices of tomato on the surface, but cooking a tomato paste and spreading it over the pizza surface, just like the professionals in Italy. I have enough time on Saturday afternoon and most of the time I will be waiting for the pastry to rise and the sauce to cook. A housewife’s work is never finished and you can always learn something new.

I have been doing the shopping for the past 52 years but it changes through the years. It used to be a physical task of going to the store with a list and hoping that nothing is forgotten. Today I sit at home, or sometimes am hugging the bed. The computer on the table or the iPad next to the bed and everything is done online in comfort. You have time and when something comes to mind, I return to the list and hope that eventually everything is complete when I transmit the order to the store. No more stressing off to the store.

Mr. Crow arrived again yesterday and even did a dance for me. Needless to say when he left there were no more peanuts on the ground. Actually something strange is happening here. I have two large pots outside containing two calla plants which grow back every late spring. Yesterday one had a pile of earth next to it and a deep hole inside the pot. Something decided to investigate the pot. I suspect that whatever it was, it dug out the bulb and made off with it, but I am not sure. It was definitly not one of my birds that did it and I suspect that a fox might have taken a walk on my porch. We have a few around, but they are usually only seen near the fields and not on the estate, but you never know. It must have happened during the night. I also had some walnuts outside for the crows. The crows usually pick them up in their beaks and carry them off for a snack in between. This time something had broken open the walnuts, eaten the contents, and left the shells. I do not think if was the big birds, as in the last ten years this has never happened and suspect the unknown large animal.

There was not a lot happening in town yesterday, visitors being more sparse most of the time. I noticed that they have again turned on the fountains in town which makes it a little more habitable and there are even a few people taking walks or relaxing on the grass. The stores are now again open in town but I see very few people shopping there. Even the supermarkets are not crowded so much.

Everywhere was looking quite empty. There used to be more hustle and bustle on the streets and the tourists would now begin to arrive to add to the crowds, but that is now a thing of the past. Yes, Covid has changed our lives in many ways. Everything is so much quieter.

May you all have a good day, a start to the week-end tomorrow and here we will be losing an hour’s sleep on Saturday – daylight saving time or something like that.