general chit chat – Page 23 – where the journey takes me 2

September 27, 2018February 3, 2019

dEAr diary ~ enjoying the slower pace of life

It was sunny and dry for most of the day, the day before yesterday at least while we were in the garden – it has turned out that we picked a good few days after all to visit the cottage. Thank goodness as there is so much to do in the garden and we are trying to take it slowly and sensibly to avoid an achy back. I have areas to put to bed but also areas where I want to have a move around – plants that have outgrown their space or would be better in a different location. When I started in this garden it was a case of getting anything in to cover the ground – well it has done that and more. Everything here gets a bit oversized because of the mild climate.

I will be doing a garden update soon of our progress – perhaps a few before and after pictures if I can remember to take the ‘befores’! Bramley apples

The windfall apples are outside our gate now waiting for any takers – I am hoping people will come with large bags or big pockets as it would be a shame for them to go to waste.

Tuesday afternoon we had to drive in to town for more provisions and to swap the empty spare gas cylinder. Living so far from the nearest town (15 miles) it is essential we have a backup in place. The place we buy the gas is one of those places that sell all kinds of oddments and the guy was selling off bags of branded farmyard manure for the garden at £1 a bag – normally £4. Bargain – so we bought 3 bags.

All though I never need an excuse to visit a stationery shop I had to buy a birthday card for my older brother (he is 70 at the weekend…blimey!) so I took the opportunity to have a quick look in W H Smiths for a new notebook at the same time. I could only find page a day diaries and they are expensive, but on buying the card I was given a voucher for 25% off a 2018-2019 diary. It doesn’t really matter that the pages are dated I can ignore that if it makes buying a notebook cheaper. I didn’t go back and buy one – I am taking a moment to think about it.

We stocked up again at the supermarket – all the ‘cheesy’ rolls had gone so we chose crusty baguettes instead and then found we couldn’t buy a small jar of mayonnaise other than in plastic – I prefer a glass jar and anything in a glass jar was the large size. It can be difficult buying for two so must be virtually impossible for one. None of the large hand cooked crisps were on offer either – so in the end being frugal we did without.

By tea time the weather had turned unexpectedly cooler with a little drizzle – so far this visit it has been good gardening weather, but that could all change overnight as I suspect it could easily become much colder. I have noticed that over the last week the trees and hedges are all turning brown along the shore road where they face some quite strong winds.

We were glad to get back into the car to warm up and on the way back to the cottage we had a slight detour round to Portpatrick, a little harbour village that faces out into the Irish sea, just to sit and look out to sea for a while. The wind had got a little stronger by now causing a big swell to the incoming tide; I love to see the frothy white waves rolling in and sending up a dramatic spray into the air as they crash against the rocks. Standing at this point to take a photo of the sea can be a bit treacherous – It is a really windy spot and the water on the floor is from the sea spray coming over the top of the large rocks on the left and at high tide can easily sweep you into the sea. So I didn’t linger! Round the little harbour the Council have put a string of lights which are quite pretty – Portpatrick is a well visited tourist place and a lot of money goes into its upkeep – much more than our little village where the council seem to only spend the bare minimum.

Yesterday (Wednesday) it was very overcast in the morning and we ached from too much gardening the day before (and old age of course) so feeling a bit rickety we allowed ourselves a day off to recover. I quickly made some sandwiches with the crusty baguettes; filled with crumbly cheese and a dollop of chutney, added a small container of salad – no crisps or mayonnaise of course – a piece of sultana cake and a flask of hot chocolate. Then we headed off round the bay to the Machars to the Wigtown Book Festival.

This is the best part of not having to go to work you get to decide what you want to do and when and you can make those snap decisions to just go out.

I will update you with photos from the event later. x

August 21, 2018February 13, 2019

dEAr diary ~ mEAndering and rEAsoning

Life has been busy recently but today, right now, is the start of my new journey. We have a bit of a gap this week between our commitments and obligations – paid work is behind me, at least for the moment, though I haven’t as yet ruled it out altogether and I just need some me time, time to think or rethink my life, time to ponder and reflect.

We had a lovely few days in Yarm with my mum and we took her to see Mount Grace Priory which is nearby. If you are ever in the area then do go and see it – I found it a fascinating place. Most of the priory is in ruins but they have reconstructed one of the 25 monk’s cells to look around, however, don’t be misled by the term ‘cell’ as they are more like small houses which served as a private monastery for each monk – 3 rooms downstairs; living room, study and bedroom with a private chapel and a large work room upstairs for spinning and weaving. Outside each house had a walled garden to grow herbs and vegetables and a covered walkway to the latrine as well as a private cloister for meditation. I imagine they were pretty comfortable living here.

The Carthusian Order is a solitary order and the Monk’s spent many hours each day in prayer and meditation with vegetarian meals being brought to them and left in the little hatch to the side of each doorway. Only on a Sunday did they socialise and pray together.

I was quite taken by the peacefulness and simplicity of the place – set in beautiful surroundings and everything in the house made of natural materials (no plastics to be seen) which gives it a very earthy, solid quality that feels timeless and you are left in no doubt that as it has been there for many centuries already quietly following one season after another, it would still be the same many more centuries ahead.

Compare this with my lifestyle at the moment and my own abode – I have to confess I am in catch up mode, as my house is basically a mess added to which I have no idea on our financial situation, our diet is not as healthy as it should be and I am desperate for sleep and rest as well as exercise. I feel like I have just completed a marathon in the last three weeks and my lack of posts and comments are proof of just how busy I have been.

After leaving mum we collected Little L on the way home to stay with us for a few days. Each day we packed a picnic and set off for an adventure. We didn’t have to go far – a few swings, a river to paddle in and ducks to watch and this is more than enough to keep a 4-year-old content. On the final day we baked buns and made jellies with custard topping all decorated liberally with sprinkles.

After taking Little L back to her mum we came home and just flopped on the sofa and watched TV too exhausted to move! It has been a long and tiring few weeks and I have been yearning for a few days rest and time to gather my thoughts. I desperately need to change all this busyness for a calmer, simpler lifestyle but with so many conflicting demands I know it won’t be easy.

I don’t doubt there are many of you reading this that can identify with my plight – ‘not enough hours in the day’ syndrome. My challenge now is to turn this around one day at a time and get my house in order.

To help me capture my random thoughts and tasks I bought some of those coloured index cards, from a well-known store, each of the four colours representing a major area of my life.

I have chosen pink for Health, yellow for the Home, blue for Finances and green for Self, Lifestyle, Hobbies and Socialising.

I have made a start giving each card within the category a sub-heading such as meal planning, skin care, exercise or decluttering and these will be the areas to focus on at some time as I get to them. This may all seem a bit drastic but for me having the cards is a bit of a prompt and I like to get my thoughts and ideas down on paper so I can see clearly what I need to do; declutter, clean and maintain – with what I would like to do; sketching, gardening , healthier lifestyle.

It is all a question of balancing. At this present time my life feels very unbalanced and reactive as different situations present themselves. I am struggling with minor health issues that I want to address to prevent them turning into anything more major and I often feel daunted by the amount of tasks and maintenance that needs to be done.

I have until the weekend to make a start before we have my mum for a visit over the bank holiday and possibly followed by Little L again. So next week will be a slight interruption to my plans but come September my time will be my own once again.

One of my first tasks is to go through my kitchen cupboards and check for food going out of date and restocking. I am not sure what I will find lurking at the back.

Have a lovely day – back tomorrow x

July 20, 2018February 14, 2019

dEAr diary ~ teamwork…many hands make light work

Yesterday certainly lifted my spirits. Thank you to everyone for the good wishes. It was such a busy day and a pleasure to see my friends and family.

Today it was back to work – no not the office – my daughter’s garden. DH spent his time this week putting the first stabilising coat of paint onto the hallway and staircase walls. We are using the Polyfilla paint that prevents cracking – we have used it before with great results.

But today, for a change from sanding and painting, DH gave me a hand with the preparation of the gravel patch in the garden. His job was to put the edging boards in place which involved hammering wooden pegs into the ground and screwing sawn planks of wood to them, whilst I raked over the ground. The weather was slightly cooler thank goodness.

With both of us focused on this area we managed to get a lot more done and our SIL arrived home at lunchtime to help – he was going to dig out a row of old raspberries but then it started to rain and so we had to down tools and pack away.

After lunch it was still raining so we decided to come home and I went up the road to visit my friend and neighbour to wish her well with her operation on Monday. After a quick natter and a cup of tea it was time to pop down to town to Sainsbury’s for a few groceries and fresh veg ready for my mum coming tomorrow. She loves Cauliflower Cheese so I bought some ready prepared broccoli and cauliflower and a tub of cheese sauce – normally I would make my own but I know if we have been out for the day we will need something quick to make. We will have new potatoes with it, button mushrooms and grilled cherry tomatoes.

I desperately needed to buy a retirement card and a small gift for a friend – it was her last day at work today (she is/was a teacher) and has taken early retirement to be at home with her husband. Both are much younger than me, still in their 50’s but have enough put by now to be able to stop working. There was only one suitable card so I added a bit of my own decoration with some stamps and ink to personalise it. I should really have bought a card long before this so it wasn’t such a last-minute dash. Hopefully, when I finish work I can get myself more organised.

We pick mum up tomorrow morning in Derbyshire and will treat her to lunch somewhere – there are always plenty of tea shops out there. Afterwards we might visit the well dressing at Stoney Middleton and I am hoping that the church there (St Martins) will be open. Built in the early 15th century it is quite a special little place with an octagonal shaped nave and last time I went it had been beautifully decorated with flowers. It is a few years since I have been to this particular village but I remember it as having some rather nice little nooks and crannies to photograph.

It may be a day or two before I get to write a post about our adventures over the weekend – it is always a busy time when mum comes to stay – at 92 she still has more energy than me!

Have a lovely weekend, back soon x