Lockdown loosening walk - Saturday

Mr Life, who pays attention to what he reads in the paper, knew (unlike me) that the Carrick Knowe golf course doesn't reopen till Thursday, so we set off in the heat of the afternoon to walk there. It was very quiet, with few walkers, so presumably other people didn't know either.

Lots of empty space.

It's buttercup time - so pretty.

However, we can across a couple of groups of golfers who had similarly not read the news ...

so at that stage we left the golf course and walked along the track by the railway and tramway. Several depressingly empty trains and trams passed.

The ox-eye daisies are coming out nicely.

2.8 miles.

Then when we got home, Daughter 2 video-called with Littlest Granddaughter. Littlest has taken against wearing clothes. Daughter 2 dresses her and Littlest immediately undresses herself. Because of the warm weather this doesn't matter in the house, but Daughter 2 draws the line at going out in public with a naked toddler. Anyway, we had a nice naked (her, not us) chat.

While it was absolutely lovely to see two of the grandchildren yesterday, it did bring home how much I miss them and the others. And I don't suppose there's any chance at all of seeing any of the others any time soon.

It's been strange, this lockdown time. For parents of children, it's been difficult in various degrees. For a lot of people, it's been very difficult indeed in different ways. But for us - it's been like a strange sort of holiday: no commitments, no entertaining, so no cooking to speak of - I do cook for Mr L but my standard vegetarian meal for myself is a one-egg omelette - and no driving or child-minding. Lots of walks, reading and in my case, quilt-making. Just pleasing ourselves on the whole - but missing the family so much.

Before the Edinburgh family came yesterday I opened up the sandpit and filled the paddling pool. At one point, Big Grandson said to me, "It was nice to arrive and find that you'd prepared for us." In fact I'd prepared much less than I usually do, since there was no cooking involved - they brought their own picnic lunch, according to Government instructions. Presumably Grandson just thinks that meals arrive on the table by magic at Granny's! So sweet.

"Peely wally", an Scottish expression I used in yesterday's blog, means "pale", by the way, Margaret, with a suggestion often of unusually pale, ill-looking, eg "He's looking a wee bit peely wally - I'm gonie phone the doctor." Here I just meant pale and unsuited to the sun, as opposed to tanned.