It's Just a Walk in the Park

 

Who's that coming towards us through the trees ...

Me and Suky have arrived in the car as arthritic little legs and painful backs are not conducive to long walks, she sits by my feet in anticipation of Dad and Mavis joining us at any moment.  She can't see much these days but hopefully she can almost hear me as I tell her 'here comes Dad and Mavis ... should we go for a walk?'

After a brief rest for Alan who has walked from home through the houses and along the main shopping street with a very happy and full of beans Mavis, we all set off for a lap of the park.

Past the play areas of which there are three for all ages of children, past the little wild beds that are always left this way, not just for the 'No-Mow May' that we have just had here in England ... which is playing havoc with poor Alan's hayfever as the mowing has begun in earnest all at once on verges and roundabouts in our area.

This is a well used and very community spirited park, along with the play areas there are various wild life areas, bug hotels, herb and strawberry beds that you can actually take things from.  British trees of all ages and some planted in little copses that will be wonderful as they get bigger and bigger.  There are areas that children from the local schools can sit and do their nature lessons and a couple of undercover areas so that all is not lost if the rains come.

There are winding pathways with arches covered in foliage to keep toddlers entertained but safe and a few memorial or remembrance gardens that are always beautifully looked after.

And after one last photograph of a beautiful little rusty metal Robin it's time for us all to take the path that leads to the little car park at the Scout Hut, pile in the car and go home for a well earned cup of coffee ... well the dogs actually prefer water and a gravy bone after their exercise, but we'll stick with the coffee.  😃

Sue xx

When the flowers go on and on ...

 

Sometimes flowers go on and on and sometimes they wither and die within days.  

These are some of my Mothers' Day flowers bought for me by my eldest son and  his girlfriend and they were still looking good at the start of this week.

How they started off on Mothers Day.

The little Carnation head had snapped off in the letter-box style package the flowers came in so I thought I would give it a chance to bloom and put it into my tiny jug, I'm so glad I did as it turned into a magnificent little pink pom pom.

Sue xx

The Holly and the Ivy

The Holly and the Ivy in one spot together on the riverbank ... every bloody day when I pass it it gets the song in my head and I fight to shake it off for ages.  Very festive but very annoying ... although in a good way I guess.  😄

 

Fuelling me at the moment are simple meals made from simple ingredients.  

I made a gorgeous Potato, Quinoa and Chickpea coconutty curry for my tea yesterday but while I let the flavours develop more on that, there was a baked potato and homemade coleslaw for my lunch  I feel better for eating more nutritious food, but it's a vicious cycle isn't it, when you most need it you feel the least like making it.  I had to force myself out of a fug of eating all the packets and ready made things in the cupboards and actually get out some ingredients before they all went off.

A woman can not live off vegan sausage rolls and crisps for too long!!

Cheering me each day have been my Advent Calendars ... I know I'm just a great big kid 😁

But searching for the date, opening the little door and revealing a Christmassy image in one, a jar of jam or marmalade in the other and a little animated clip or cartoon in the Jacqui Lawson online one is making my day.  Finding the little Gonks is also proving fun and having them ding, dong and dance on the shelves of the Christmas holiday cottage makes me laugh, you won't know what on earth I'm on about if you haven't got this years calendar, I've not lost my marbles completely ... honestly!!

Sue xx

Walking into Autumn ... and Trapping the Sunshine

After a weekend of not enjoying her walks, suddenly yesterday Suky found her stride again.  

We wandered along the high bank that comes between the flood defence field over the river from the caravan park, and the mixed area of skips, hardstanding and general detritus that a caravan park throws up over to our right.

It doesn't sound like a good walk does it, but it's good if you keep your eyes on the nature and greenery all around you, watch the sheep through the gap in the trees ahead and the horses in the field and stables beyond the skips, ignoring the deserted steps, fridge-freezers and various caravan parts that litter the ground waiting to be enough to be collected for scrap metal, or called into service in some unexpected way by the campsites brilliant handyman. 

Suky loves it when it's just the two of us and lots of delightful doggy smells, she runs ahead then stops and sinks her face into the long grass burying her face in the smells that she loves so much.  Dogs can pick up so much from the scents around them and to see her enjoying herself makes me smile as I catch up and then overtake.

Two minutes later she streams past me again, her little curly tail waggling away in her happy rush to find the next delicious odour on her adventure.  We took our time and as I stood and took some photos and drank in the fresh air and blue skies it was on my mind that Summer is over.  Best to enjoy any patch of blue sky that comes our way and really make the most of it.

So when we got back to the Van I watered the houseplants ... Van plants? ... and put them out on the decking for them to soak up some sunshine for a few hours.

Later in the day the regular coolness came back. 

The nights have been drawing in quickly for the past week or so, and each evening I go round the Van closing the curtains on the shady side and making sure the curtains on the side that catches the evening sun are wide open.  As soon as the sun dips low in the sky all the curtains are drawn and for a while the Van fells cosy and warm.

 I've only succumbed to the central heating a couple of times, usually in the morning and only for an hour or so even then.  Free heat is good heat so trapping any warmth from the sun is good, once again this year I have had a gas bottle that has lasted me far longer than is usual.  So each morning my shower feels like a game of Russian Roulette ... will this be the day that I get the drenching in ice cold water as the gas runs out and the boiler switches off?

I've been lucky up to now ... but how long this luck will last I have no idea.

Sue xx

Becoming Unbusy

There's a lot of talk on the internet and on blogs about keeping busy during these strange and worrying days.  Keep your mind and your body occupied and there won't be time for worry. 

Now there's absolutely no harm in this and at first being back here in Wales I too have felt the urge to keep myself busy, to get things done, achieve all those things that I've been putting off for so long.

Now it's time to call it a day on that.

This is not me anymore.

When my Mum phones she frequently says at the end of a call  'I'll let you go now, I know how busy you are'. 

 I'm not, if I was I won't be anymore ... I don't need to be.

I don't want to be.

Exactly this!!

We seem to put more value on the people that are busy.  The people that rush around doing this and that and never say no to doing just a little bit more.

If you want something done, ask a busy person people say.  And yes, I used to fall right in that category.  Always squeezing just a little bit more into my day.

And losing a little bit more of me each time I did.

Now is the time to claim that bit back.

And this enforced time at home to think quietly about this has been quite cathartic for me and has only reinforced my knowledge that for me the way forward is complete and utter simplicity.

A call back to a simple way of life, here for the moment, back in the Van when I am able.

While I'm here I will be whittling down my possessions, so that when I am able to return to the Van packing my life into a tiny Fiat 500 car will not be a problem.

Someone who knows all about and lives a simple live is Niamh over at Fairyland Cottage.  Her videos published each Sunday are an oasis of calm.  If you don't already watch them or subscribe to her channel do so you will love what you find.

Her sunrise of birdsong is wonderful to hear.

Sue xx

Retreating to Sanity

Images today from Google Images

It's time for us all to step back from the madness and remember who we are

We are the folk that can cope, that can sit back on our heels and relax those tensed up shoulders.  We can take a breath and let it out, another and then another and then open our eyes and our hearts to the realisation that we will get through this.  We will come out the other side, wiser, calmer and hopefully healthy.  

We will learn about who our true friends are, who cares for us and how much nature can help to settle our minds, rest our hearts and fill our lungs with fresh air.

We can fling open the windows of our homes and let the freshest air there has been for years flood in and fill our rooms with a vitality that might have been missing all Winter.

We can self isolate in a happy way.  Cleaning, gardening, reading, watching television and then watching, reading about or listening to just enough of the news to keep us informed but not to rear up once again those feelings of panic and worry.

We are so fortunate.

We have fresh water, roofs over our heads, the love of friends and family, and even if you are alone in the real world reading this proves you are very much part of the wonderful world of blogland.  Readers and followers are friends and blogging family, and each of us bloggers in our own unique way will be here whenever we can to make you smile, to help you laugh, to make you think and at the very least … and this is me folks … to give you some drivel to read.

Stay safe.

Stay well.

And know that you are welcome here whenever you want.  

Here at the Van the kettle is always on, and my words will stay and I will try each and every day to give you a little bit more drivel to read. 

Oh and don't forget to wash those bloody hands  😉

Sue xx

Rosemary for Me ... and Fat Treats for the Birds

The Rosemary plants in the old tin bath  have gone rampant.  One in particular was about to go over so I went out armed with strong scissors and gave it a good 'haircut'.

It looks so much better now and hopefully won't go to seed, and it meant that I had some lovely big branches to process in the kitchen, ready for use in the next few weeks recipes.  I love rosemary and use it in all sorts of things, it goes wonderfully on roasting vegetables or salmon fillets for Alan.  The smell alone in the kitchen is simply wonderful.

First I pulled off all the little leaves that would have sat below the water line in the jug.  I simply checked for bugs and then put them on a tray in the bottom oven of the Aga until they were fully dried out.  It took about 30 minutes, with me giving the tray a shake every few minutes to make sure they all dried out evenly.

After that time this is how they looked.  I then chopped them up very finely and tipped them into a clean jam jar.  Now they are ready for use in any soups, stews or breadcrumb mixtures that I make over the next few months.

The large branches are now in one of my old jugs on the worktop.  

They are better than a vase of flowers in my opinion and every time I'm close by I can't resist a stroke of the leaves to get that lovely aroma onto my fingers.  The good news is that even after just a couple of days, two of the branches are already showing signs of  getting little roots, which means I will be able to pot them up and perhaps take a couple of pots to the Van next month.

And the fat of the title?

Well, I was sorting through the fridge and found a block of coconut fat, so far past it's use by date that even I decided against using it.  Although it did still smell fresh!!   Not one to waste food though I immediately thought of all the little wild birds that are currently pinching our chickens layers pellets and corn each day and so thought I would give all our feathery friends a treat. 

I just left the fat to melt near the Aga and then tipped into it a mixture of finely chopped nuts, seeds, some leftover cooked pasta and a couple of handfuls of oats.  Once I had filled the fat with as many tasty treats as it would hold I popped it into the fridge and left it overnight to set.

The next day I chopped it into 'brownie' sized chunks and scattered them around Chicken World.  The birds loved them, both the chickens, the now resident Pheasants and all the little birds that have made our property their home.

And listening to the cacophony of birdsong I caught on my phone the other day, it sounds like they are all happy little birdies!

Sue xx

An Imposter in the Ranks

 

Chicken World is busy these days.

As well as our remaining eight chickens there are a plethora of small wild birds, a small gang of Starlings, a couple of crows and the most recent addition is as beautiful as any of our girls or boys. 

 They are all here, on and off,  all day every day, eating the food and drinking from the drinkers.  Our boys do tell them off in the morning though and hold them at bay until the hens have had their fill at the layers pellets and corn.

Spot the Difference.

They are all boys ... but one is not a chicken.  

Luckily for our new resident Pheasant, Alan already has a joint in the freezer ready for Christmas Day, otherwise his days may have been numbered!!

Sue xx

It's the simple things ...

It's the simple things that make me smile and brighten my day.

A £1.69 bunch of flowers from Aldi in a jug on the mantlepiece, that catch my eye over and over and seem to help banish the greyness of the day that is outside the window.

Suky helping me in the little laundry room this morning.  If you can call it 'helping' having a Pug lick the freshly washed sheets as you fold them.

Meanwhile back home in Wales the animals helping theme continues with Ginger seemingly proof reading for his Dad.  Yes, this was this morning, Alan has just forgotten to flip the calendar over … perhaps I should have told Ginger to remind him!!

Finding pleasure in simplicity.

Sue xx

Back to Coffee

 

We are enjoying some wonderful weather here at the Van.  

The morning walks taking us across the river are beautiful, with the sound of the river much calmer now after the deluges of last week.  There are blue skies overhead and the sounds of birds singing their hearts out in the freshness of the day.  As we tramp through long, wet grass and along stony paths my mind is free to wander and plan the day ... as much as my days are ever planned.  The mess at home in Wales as our house is literally being dismantled and rebuilt, is temporarily forgotten about and I can pull my mind to the moment I am in.  

Keeping a watchful eye on an exploring Pug with a definite mission on her mind is easy, she knows the path and  loves the freedom of our daily walk.  She runs ahead down the stone road that leads to the farm gate, and once I can see ahead of us that the gate is closed I can relax knowing that she will wait for me if she gets there first … and she always does.  And of course she enjoys the walk even more when it leads us to her favourite place as it did yesterday.

" Are you going to the counter yet Mum, we need coffee and cake? "

Suky's wish is my command and returning to an occasional coffee after my Challenge of last week is nice.  Although I must add it is never daily ... well rarely 😉

Sue xx

Magnolias and Bees

The Magnolia's flowering like mad this year.  

Week after week of day-long flowers ... yes, I know they are really the blossom of the Magnolia plant but how can something so huge and so magnificent be called a blossom, it is a floral delight.

In other nature-y news, I was walking around the paddock with the dogs yesterday in the cool of the early morning, knowing that later it would be much too hot for a certain little Puggy lady to want a walk.  When I came upon this little fuzzy buzzy bee lethargically plodding along in the grass.  Not wanting to uproot him from his spot in the field I knew he needed some sustainance so I pulled off a freshly opened foxglove flower and in he crawled.  Thirty seconds later he came out slightly refreshed but not totally back to normal.

So I got him another one.

It worked a treat, and after his treat he looked much more like a fuzzy buzzy busy bumble bee should look. We left him to it and went back to put the first load of washing out on the line.  I'm making full use of this wonderful sunshine, heat and the gentle breeze to get all the washing from the Van washed dried before I return at the weekend.

Sue xx