Sunday and I wake up at 8:30 and think I will get up and have an earl start to the first day of March. The next thing I know it is 11:30, and I wake up feeling quite distressed that I have slept so long. I get myself together and put away my fresh laundry before making an early lunch. While tucking into my egg noodles I watch River Dance on Sky arts and get quite hooked on it. Eventually I shake myself and get out to the garden to refill the bird and squirrel feeders. By the time I return to the comfort of the sofa my partner is engrossed in the episodes of Bridgerton. As an alternative I retrieve my hand casting Christmas present and set about casting my hands. There is a prolonged process of reading the instructions and being clear what the time limits are. Once started the process has to be done quickly as the components go off within two minutes.

I thought I was doing well until it came time to put my hands into the first latex mould. It was necessary to hold my oiled hands in the bucket of latex until the green liquid turned blue and became the solid mould. The instructions said it would take 3 to 10 minutes for the latex to set. So I am standing at the kitchen table with my hands in the casting bucket watching my phone timer. Firstly my phone timer screen blanks so |I have no idea how long I am standing there. There is no sign of anything tuning blue and my back is beginning to ache as I try to hold my hands still in the bucket without touching the sides. It seems to take an age until the green latex starts to turn blue. Eventually the liquid hardens and I can feel it form around my hands. In good time I am able to ease my hands out of the mould.

With the mould made I have to make the plaster to fill the mould. It is against the clock again, to minutes tops from making the plaster to pouring it into the mould. I set to work and soon I am ready to pour. Its a tricky process but I get the mould filled and then there is a period of “jiggling” to ensure any air trapped in the mould is expelled. I put the mould bucket to one side to set and will revisit it in the morning to release the whatever has set. I am intrigued to see what turns out, especially as I was wearing my rings.

Tea time comes around as does the evening TV and my chance to catch up with drafting the blog. It will be an early evening, early night meds, the final Tesco order adjustments and then bed because tomorrow is a 28 day jab day. Yep tomorrow I will head for the the GP surgery mid morning to be jabbed and then wait for the post jab symptoms to kick in. It will be grim 48 hours, so looking after me will be a priority. I might be quiet for a little while.