Thursday 24th December 2020

Mal and I took Ellie out and the temperature had really dropped but everywhere was still very muddy.

Lorries are moving from Manston lorry park but are blocking the roads, even around Sandwich. A lot won’t be getting home for Christmas.

I cleaned the house, Mal and Tariq did all the prep for our Christmas lunch and we all watched lots of Christmas things on the TV including Gavin and Stacey previous Christmas shows. Then of course the Daniel Christmas tradition, we have to watch ‘National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.’ A classic.  Of course they started the Christmas munching!

Thought for the Day – ““Life has a way of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once.”  ~ Paulo Coelho

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Wednesday 23rd December 2020

Oh what a day! In spite of starting it being very positive, after 45 minutes stuck in traffic on the A299, next to the new lorry park, my positivity was waning. It appeared not only to be the fault of lorries but an accident. The only way we managed to get off was driving down an “emergency vehicles only” road. This eased the route for the police cars  that had to get ahead of us. What chaos. We had been driving to meet Rhys to exchange presents.

We just managed to catch Rhys but they had done their beach walk and were soaked.  We continued on the the beach and we were soaked too.

Driving back home we saw quite a few of the drivers wandering around looking for food / shops I would imagine. I feel so sorry for them.

We discovered later it was not an accident but the lorry drivers protesting! 

We watched the Spurs game……result! That was followed by ManUtd. Tariq again instructing each of his players what they should be doing and at full volume! So Man U and Spurs are in the semis for the Carabao Cup. In the draw we are facing Brentford and ManU face Man City.

Thought for the Day – “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” ~ Buddha

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Tuesday 22nd December 2020

The media tell us that the roads are full of haulage lorries in Kent and that the supermarkets are running out of food…..I doubted both but left for the shops at 7.15 as I can’t stand queuing. Plenty in the shops and lots of new signs  creating new freight lanes but nothing yet. As for the shops, I was in and out before the masses and there was plenty of food. We discussed our Christmas day menu the previous night and I have managed nearly all of it. I just wish we could keep to our original plan and spend the day and Boxing Day with Rhys and family. I know so many people will be breaking the rules.

There are a lot of helicopters flying above. It is the press taking photos and videos of Manston airport….now the lorry park!

Well done to the Sikh community for providing meals for those stranded in the lorry parks. I am glad someone is helping them. It must be so awful. We were told Manston airport was organised ready for this (and it isn’t even Brexit yet!) and it now seems they are not. They have only had 4 years to organise it!

In the evening we watched ‘Only Fools and Horses’ , some light relief from what is going on around us.

Thought for the Day – “You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.” ~ Mandy Hale

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Monday 21st December 2020

So now Dover dock is closed and we haven’t even got to Brexit yet. It will be chaos here in Kent but we do know they have been working on Manston airport so I guess they will be diverting them there.

I have heard from one of the Hatters who tells me she was singing in the choir at church yesterday and will be again on Christmas Day!! This is in Ramsgate…..I thought we were in Tier 4. No wonder it is so messed up when people misinterpret the RULES……OK for some but not for us. Sorry but this really is out of order.

In the evening we watched the Hammers game, good game, bad result!

Thought for the Day – “If you stumble, make it part of the dance.”

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Sunday 20th December 2020

Well, what a coincidence, we walked Ellie and happened upon Rhys walking his dog with Josie and Oscar. So we went on a very long walk together. They have been isolating and so have we, so no risk whatsoever. It was lovely to see them. Poor Rhys’s face is still swollen and painful.

Meanwhile Tariq went for a 20 km run and came back covered in mud. We just managed to miss the rain.

Later a bad Spurs game but a more exciting Man u game followed.

Thought for the Day -“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.” ~ Agnes M Pahro

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Saturday 19th December 2020

I am devastated at this afternoon’s announcement that we are in Tier 4 and so our Christmas Day with Rhys is now off. I have already lost one son and now I am forbidden to see the other on Christmas Day. So why did they refuse to close schools down? Funny they wait until the end of term and then hit us all with this news. Don’t they realise what they are doing to people?

Thought for the Day – “Kindness – the little thing that means the most.” ~ Jamie Thurston

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Friday 18th December 2020

We arranged to meet Tris on Margate beach as we won’t be seeing him over Christmas either. Ellie came too and had a long run on the beach.

It was cold so eventually we went and bought a take away coffee.  This is a hopeless way of pre Christmas visiting  with family! We handed over presents.

Back home and in the afternoon we watched “Elf”. We are starting to get in the Christmas spirit.

Poor Rhys has been suffering for a week with a swollen face and bad tooth. He is on antibiotics. He had an appointment for  23rd. Thank goodness they had a cancellation today. She took 45 minutes for the extraction and has put gauze over the gap as she has gone down to the bone as he had a twisted root. Poor Rhys, I just hope eventually the pain will stop, sooner rather than later.

Our later film was How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Thought for the Day – “You will face many defeats in life but never let yourself be defeated.”

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