The Blogging Break is Permanent

 

I have decided that my blogging break will not be coming to an end.

After just over a month without writing a post of any description I have discovered a freedom and a freshness to life that I did not expect.  There has been no more reaching for the camera to photograph something that I am doing or something that I think other people may like or want to see ... I simply enjoy it in the moment for myself, and in that simple action of not reaching out, enjoy it all the more.

No one needs to know what I am doing or eating, where I have been or where I am going, and just this simple mental letting go has been truly liberating.

I did briefly consider shutting down all but one of my blogs, but then after checking the daily reading figures on all of them, having a good look at the statistics over the last month when they have been left to fend for themselves, and seeing the daily traffic that uses them to access other blogs I have decided that I will leave them online for the foreseeable future.

Thank you for reading my writings over the last 15 years I hope it has been interesting for you.  

If on a rainy day you want to have a read of the ramblings of girl who moved from town to country, from farm to smallholding, from smallholding to caravan and then a settling down in a small town by a canal, the pages of the blogs will be there for you to find through the links on the sidebar.

Wishing everybody that reads this, all the very best for the future.

Sue xx

Taking a Break

 

For various business and health reasons I am going to take a break from my blogs for a while.  I will be turning comments off from today so that I do not have to worry about missing any of your messages ... or of course that all intrusive Spam.

It's time to take a step back and revel in some peace.

Hopefully I will be back soon, if not please don't worry there is nothing drastically wrong.

Wishing everyone love, light and happiness ... and a cosy Winter season.

Sue xx  💖

Awww ... Suky's Mum

 

Aww ... look what popped up in my Facebook Memories on the first of this month.

It's little baby Suky and her Mum in a photo that we used on a calendar, we had it made for us and a few family members who got their copies as gifts for Christmas 2016.

They all loved it by the way and it seemed to be a novel gift idea, perhaps we should do it again one year, or maybe not it would never be original again would it, perhaps we could do it just for us next time.

Suky's mum was a Welsh Pug called Lady Midnight Star and her dad was a black Pug called Kenmilleven Graphite, I'm guessing he was called Ken for short!!  I remember sharing her family tree when her Kennel Club registration came through and it turned out that one of my blog readers had a Pug with the same dad as Suky.

It's funny to think that both our dogs are Welsh.  Suky was from South Wales but bought when we lived in Oxfordshire, and obviously Mavis is from North Wales.  So we cover nearly all the UK between us, me and Ginger are English, Alan is Scottish and the dogs are Welsh.

Suky last month, looking much older than her Mum now, but still just as gorgeous in my eyes.

Sue xx

Singer ... and the Rag and Bone Man

 

I just had to share this image isn't it gorgeous ... although if it were in my home the walls would be that lovely retro green.

But isn't it a good use of an old Singer sewing machine table.  My Mum had exactly the same one and used to treadle away in the early days of her marriage making baby clothes and things for the house.  Then Dad, who was always nifty with adapting things got a conversion kit and turned her machine electric and made it a handy little box to sit in.

Of course he claimed all the drawers for his shed to keep his 'important' things in, and although I don't know for sure, I should imagine the metal base went to the rag and bone man who came down our street every Monday.

https://youtu.be/L3wKzyIN1yk?si=QeNCD_tSX95uVm6-

Sue xx

I Think I'm Going to Need a Bigger Garden ...

 

The September issue of Kitchen Garden magazine came with it's usual three packets of free seeds, I can't remember what they were, but I know one was cabbage and they will be going in this month, if I can fit them anywhere.

The thing is there was a free offer on the cover which I thought was really good, and it fitted in with my little garden now being a Victory Garden ... three 250g packets of onion sets.  Now to my mind 250g seemed to be a small amount and I imagined a dozen of each at the most .  

Nope there are loads of them!

The onion sets were free if you ordered one other thing and as I needed some garlic that worked out just fine.  I can see my little Victory Garden being absolutely full of onions come next Spring.  🧅🧅🧅

I think I am going to need a bigger garden!!

Once again I am debating whether it is worth me carrying on with my subscription of Radio Times.  It's £4 a copy now and although I do enjoy reading about new programmes and doing the puzzles at the back, I don't know if I can justify spending that amount of money on a magazine each week.  Four pounds might not seem that much but when you think about it being £16 a month and over £200 a year it's starts to seem a lot more. 

When I am trying to save as much as I can this year by keeping the food spend to around £10 a week, while I am eating down the food stash and living on WWII rations, spending almost half of that amount on a magazine seems ridiculous. 

I don't think I am going to have to think too long or too hard about this one.

Sue xx

And because she was ...

 

When she was a little girl

they told her she was beautiful

but it had no meaning

in her world of bicycles

and pigtails

and adventures in make-believe.

Later, she hoped she was beautiful

as boys started taking notice

of her friends

and phones rang for

Saturday night dates.

She felt beautiful on her wedding day,

hopeful with her

new life partner by her side

but, later,

when her children called

her beautiful,

she was often exhausted,

her hair messily tied back,

no make up,

wide in the waist

where it used to be narrow;

she just couldn't take it in.

Over the years, as she tried,

in fits and starts,

to look beautiful,

she found other things

to take priority,

like bills

and meals,

as she and her life partner

worked hard

to make a family,

to make ends meet,

to make children into adults,

to make a life.

Now,

she sat.

Alone.

Her children grown,

her partner flown,

and she couldn't remember

the last time

she was called beautiful.

But she was.

It was in every line on her face,

in the strength of her arthritic hands,

the ampleness that had

a million hugs imprinted

on its very skin,

and in the jiggly thighs and

thickened ankles

that had run her race for her.

She had lived her life with a loving

and generous heart,

had wrapped her arms

around so many to

to give them comfort and peace.

Her ears had

heard both terrible news

and lovely songs,

and her eyes

had brimmed with,

oh, so many tears,

they were now bright

even as they dimmed.

She had lived and she was.

And because she was,

she was made beautiful.

Author: Suzanne Reynolds, © 2019

Photo credit: Nina Djerff

Model: Marit Rannveig Haslestad

This came up in my Facebook Memories from last year, and I just had to share it with you. I hope you like it as much as I do. 💖

Sue xx

Time Out, Coffee ... and Don't Get Arrested

 

Gosh I'm feeling like a time out at the moment.

Inspiration has temporarily dried up leaving me feeling very strange.  I'm halfway through three books and not that inspired to finish any of them.  I should be planning out next weeks rations but haven't even started yet.  

I have hoovered.  😃

But perhaps I'll just wander off and search for a coffee.

Because ...

Sue xx