If last week felt more ‘normal’, this week feels like I am back into my covid routine. As Monday morning arrives with nothing out of the ordinary planned, no small social gatherings, visits or trips to look forward to, I feel a bit of the Monday blues. And yet, when I think about it, my newfound routine has plenty of social contact in it from weekly jogs, walks, Amazon deliveries, shopping, Slimming World, family and surprises in the mix.

Surprise number one of the week is an unaccompanied greyhound we find wandering a side street on our morning walk. As I coax the dog onto the pavement and look around for an owner, I spot an open door not far away. Looking back on the experience an onlooker might have thought me mad but who says dogs don’t understand English? After asking the dog: ” Do you live there?” Opening the gate to the house with the open door and saying “Home.” And watching as the dog responded and went inside, it all seemed far too easy. I then knocked on the door to check with the owner that it was in fact their dog and to let them know they were now inside. The chilled-out response: ” must have been a builder we are getting works done.” The experience made me question what is normal? It is clearly different to everyone. 🙄

Surprise number two of the week arrived when we change up a normal route on our jog. We take a well-known route that follows a footpath through a field, only the field has been churned up. Leaving my friend questioning if it was the same field and our route a muddy adventure to reach the other side. Having enjoyed crossing the field to the point we would normally turn around I enquire: “I have always wondered where the footpath goes.” Curiosity gets the better of us as our sense of adventure leads us to a bridge over the A19! I feel a great sense of achievement reaching the road out of town and it was a pleasurable way to achieve a 10K jog.

Surprise number three is delicious. An unplanned meal out with a family member leads us to a very normal Chinese buffet. Variety, good quality and a good opportunity to catch up, the meal was far from a normal meal out. However, the buffet was back to normal, serve yourself, with hand sanitiser widely available. Up until now I have not been to a Chinese buffet since the pandemic began, so this surprise was an unexpected treat of the week

If this week has taught me anything is that adventure can be found even in the most normal of plans.