Expect the unexpected

This week we have heard of a few families close to us that have suddenly had their plans for the next couple of weeks scuppered and it's thrown me into a 'this could happen to us too' kind of spin of needing to get things done while I can!

First off, our daughter was getting herself in a tizzy about whether or not to send Leo into school after Friday 11th.  Her thinking was that if he went into school this week and then his class had to isolate, he would still be in isolation for Christmas Day.  On Thursday I had a call from her, in floods of tears.  After she calmed down she explained that the school had three members of staff who had Covid symptoms so they had made the decision to close the school early for Christmas holidays.  She was so relieved that they had made the decision for her!  All was well until Saturday.  When she received the email to say that one of Leo's teachers was one of those three and so his whole class would have to isolate.  Now this is good because his ten days will be up by next Monday, but they had plans for seeing Santa on Friday and then other things organised for the weekend.  

Then I had a message from a friend whose daughter's partner had had a positive test so he was in quarantine and now she would also have to isolate for ten days and hope she didn't develop symptoms as well.  Christmas plans to see each other after many months apart now looking a bit sketchy.

Then another friend said her daughter who was a teacher had tested positive too but again, will be out of quarantine in time for Christmas.  So when the guy came to do our weekly tests yesterday it suddenly hit me that although we are very careful when we go out, it could be us next and I am now in a frenzy of things I need to do NOW in case we have to isolate too.  

Now, number 13 on the Winter Photo Hunt is 'something beginning with C' and I am desperate for it not to be the C that we have heard far too much about this year!  So here is my photo

It's a cone!  You can't see it from the photo but it is a huge cone!  Paul belongs to a drawing and painting class and one of his prompts in the Autumn needed something from a tree.  Either leaves, or berries or ... cones.  There is a large tree near us but its branches overhang a stream and the best, largest cones were on those furthest away from the path.  We tried all manner of ways to pick one of the large cones.  Couldn't find a sturdy stick long enough, umbrella handles were too short, shaking the tree had no effect.  So he found a smaller one on the ground and decided that would have to do.  Fast forward to about two weeks ago and beneath the tree was a large branch that had been blown off in the wind, a branch long enough to reach the other branch with the biggest cones on - success - the cone was proudly brought home.  Too late for Paul's weekly project, but just in time for mine!

Have a good week!