Running free together

Attempt three!

I've written a few non starters this morning, this one, hopefully will make the grade (also a change of subject will help!)

When Youngest was at senior school, I would walk up to the local nature reserve to meet him as he hopped off the bus. He would rather I collected him in the car, but I had a dog to walk (Moss) and a brain to clear (mine) so walking it was. The silly thing was, at the end of it we always had a good walk, time to chat and if the weather was good and the homework not too demanding, we'd end up in the cafe for a hot chocolate and put the world to rights.

I would try to get to the reserve earlier than needed so Moss and I could walk around before the bus arrived.  And, as you do, you get to see the same folk wandering around with their dogs too. There was an older chap with the most glorious head of white hair and the twinkliest blue eyes with his border collie.  We would chat as we passed each other around the paths.

Our first meet was to exclaim how alike our two dogs were as they were both strikingly unusually marked border collies. There were subtle differences however the similarities were impressive. Over the year of walking and waiting for Youngest at the bus, Angus and Zack were regular ports of chat each afternoon.

We, Angus and I, often wondered if our dogs came from the same breeder as they both had the white face with a large black 'cape' of fur on their backs, Zack's fur was longer but they could have been 'cut from the same Border Collie cloth'. They were both failed farm dogs with good breeding, had professional sheep dog training and came from the same area. Their gait and their behaviour were incredibly similar and although Zack was two years younger than Moss - they could have been litter mates.

Moss died roughly two years ago - her liver riddled with tumours and her heart failing - she was only ten and it broke my heart.

Zack died two weeks ago - of the same disease......... he was ten. 

I found typing that last sentence hard - I know that Angus will be as devastated as I was. A mutual friend commissioned the pebble, I was going to deliver it to her today, that will have to wait - It is a bit of a blizzard out there - Willow might just have to hang on for her walk a little longer. 

Not that I think she is fussed about at the moment as she is asleep in her bed underneath her duvet .... spoilt? 

Not in the slightest...

Whilst watching the snow fall

Last night was my leaving do from work. I will be honest, I was feeling a bit apprehensive - but then I do when there are these sort of events. I feel out of my depth and although it was with some of the loveliest people I could have met and worked with - I still had the jitters. 

However, it was a enjoyable evening spent with some very special folk and I came away feeling both loved and rather overwhelmed. And it seems I will not be able to finish quietly, there is another get-together planned later on in the month and I have been told that I must be there ... or else!

Any hoo - last night was good and by the time I drove home - it was late, so this morning when Willow and Himself were up and ready to go downstairs I was feeling a little less enthusiastic. After waving Himself off to work and waiting for Willow to finish her breakfast, we returned to bed for a little more 'recuperating'. Gone are the days when I could work all day, stay up and out late and bounce back the next day - I now chose to do one or the other and not all three hahaha.

After an hour or so Willow decided that she'd 'recuperated' enough especially as she'd not been out so late as I. A quick breakfast for me then after wrapping up well we set off. Hells teef - the wind!! We were buffeted and blown from side to side. The wind ripped and roared through the trees along the valley, the hills vanished beneath the grey sky, and at one point, it felt like I was the only dog walker out.

Eventually even Willow started to shoot dark looks at me over her shoulder - I knew it was time to shorten the walk and head directly home. 

I love living in a village. I returned and on the wall were four jars of home made marmalade waiting for me. A parcel was waiting at the front door - this one was for Willow and a neighbour popped round to see how she is settling in.

Now, as I drink a mug of tea, watch the snow flurries whirl around outside there is a small red and white dog fast asleep behind me.

karma

It is early morning, the snow has all but gone, replaced by a gentle dull drizzle and drifting grey coloured mist. The brightness and clarity of the last few days has dissolved into the more usual leaden hues of a northern winter.  Everything is coated in a fine mizzle with jewel like droplets at the end of each branch. And it feels cold.

There is a whirling flash of wings flying back and forth past the bedroom window. 

The starlings are back. 

Our neighbour's bathroom roof has a conveniently starling size gap beneath the slate tiles and the millstone grit stones. It used to be inhabited by a garrulous family of house sparrows until the starlings in a rather nasty take over bid killed all the fledgelings and hounded the adults. It took nearly nine years before the sparrows returned to our garden.....

I digress. The present incumbents - the starlings, have raised between two and three broods every year for over a decade now and seeing that in the wild, starlings live between three and five years, it does mean several generations have passed beneath those slate slabs.

After the flurry of raising fledglings until the last minutes of summer, the starlings suddenly vanish, turning from parents to small dots within those magical murmurations. Then, as autumn begins to soften then decay, they return. They (are 'they' the same birds from summer? without ring ID - who knows?) return and begin prospecting, researching nest sites for the coming spring. 

Winter comes and goes, or lingers depending on her mood however the starlings have a fixed schedule and for the last three or four days the birds have been flitting in and out, squeezing below the snow melt to investigate their potential nesting spot for 2025.

The roof space above the neighbour's bathroom must be filled to the rafters with decades of nesting material. The previous owner, an older lady who although she owned the house for around ten years only really lived in it for about four as she suffered ill health. She was quite happy that the birds lived in her roof saying she was more their landlord that the owner resident herself. There are now new owners, a young couple who have been rebuilding the entire house for the last 18 (very long and dusty and noisy) months who I made aware of 'our' starlings in their roof and until today I thought the birds would be safe for another season. 

Today I heard work starting in the bathroom. I might gently remind them about the birds in the roof or suggest to the starlings that their residency, like the house sparrows they evicted, has now too come to an end.

           

Not quite as planned

Today has been an odd day, one that any plans, simple or otherwise have taken a journey of their own and despite all good intentions - 'things' have happened.

An entire can of carpet glue exploding upstairs and spiralling furiously as it sprayed the stickiest 'web' everywhere until it expired

A water pipe being pierced by a nail by a previous unknown workman and on removing the nail some decades later - a present workman created an unwelcome water leak. He was horrified and very apologetic even though it was not him.

Decades old pipes, wires and a 1976 newspaper lying amidst so much filth and dust between the floorboards that it felt like an archaeological dig rather than a repair job

A lemon drizzle cake - usually the mildest and meekest of bakes - fought back and caused so many deviations that subsequently a lot more washing up was created.

All this before lunch............

And now, sitting on the floor, listening to the ice melt dripping, the neighbour drilling and the radio churning out over-cheerful yabba, I am mending Himself's hat. 

And it suddenly feels a whole lot better.

tip my hat

 A personal challenge - try and write something every day for January 2025 

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Having come home (albeit a little earlier than normal) from the day job, I'm doing my 'homework'. A portion of my day is computer related which I choose to do at home. Today I am planning and designing a treasure hunt for children based around the park, a 'bingo' card for littlies to tick off as they run around the gardens and an adult level anagram and word search. 

However, I keep being distracted.

I'm in the lounge which faces the lane through the village. Any movement makes my eyes flick over towards the window. So many bobble hats, beanies, trapper hats, berets, slouchies, hoods and caps trog by. After my eye was caught yet again by something colourful bouncing along as the wearer made their way down the footpath, I stopped trying to avoid looking out, leant back and gave myself permission to enjoy the visual feast.

Most folk seem to be ensconced in some variant of woolly type head gear, whether knitted professionally or by their gran, they all seemed to be tugged firmly down around the ears, resting just above or over their eyebrows. 

A few fleecy type hats have loped passed, usually more trendy in appearance with bright colours or patterns. The best so far has been a furry trapper type hat. The kind that have long 'ears' which can be fastened tightly below the chin with the hat part pulled down deeply, keeping the head and a goodly part of the face covered .... except this one was not.

The hat was jauntily perched above a cheeky chappy's face with the ear flaps sticking out horizontally, very reminiscent of Grogu's own ears, bouncing quite merrily in time as he walked.

About a half dozen of teenage lads then lanky-legged by in their school uniforms - no hats or scarves and certainly no coats. At what age do lads mature into hat wearing, coat donning, scarf wrapping, fee paying members of the public?

I 'double-hat'. 

I wear a thinnish skull cap type - usually crochet cotton courtesy of my sister in law, this acts as a heat trapping layer, topped off with a thicker knitted slouchy beanie. This allows me to removed the outer hat if I get too warm without actually exposing the horrendous bird's nest hat hair that lurks beneath. It does not matter one jot if I contain my feral hair as tightly as possible, I know that once it is hidden deep in a hat - it goes even more wild and makes me look like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards.

The view through the Victorian Folly towards the Italian Gardens and Chinese stone lantern

we are all things to all nations if nothing else here at the park...

Laying down the first tracks

 A personal challenge - try and write something every day for January 2025 

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The crusty crunch of our boots on the now frozen snow was the loudest sound first thing this morning as we kissed our goodbyes. It was still dark and the thermometer in my car said it was -7°c .... it certainly felt like it.

the track last week before more snow 

was unceremoniously dumped in large quantities

At work, I turned into the small access lane along side the park. It is a rough and unforgiving little track in the best of weathers so I knew today was going to be a rather bumpy ride. And it was. As I reached the far end, I noticed that were no other tyre marks - I was the first to arrive but not only that - the first to drive up the lane and onto the carpark since the more recent heavy snow .... I slowed down, carefully pulling into the small space we share with the Council lads and gently reverse parked hoping I would be able to drive back out.

Later I was cheerfully informed that everyone who'd tried to drive in a day earlier had to be dug free ....   It was good to catch up with some of the volunteers and the staff.  My 'work family' are actually special to me - but don't let them know that, it would go to their heads! 

Glad to be home though, I've had enough of this intrepid-driving/working-in-the-snow-lark - give me warm sunshine any day.

Ginger cats

A personal challenge - try and write something every day for January 2025 

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Like much of the UK, when I flung the curtains open this morning, I was welcomed by a brightly white view. Snow.

Himself and the cat seemed firmly burrowed in the duvet, so I pottered downstairs and while I waited for the kettle to boil, took photos with my mobile. Quick snaps as proof in case the rain came and spoilt everything, washing the brilliant white away and replacing it with the usual dismal and drab northern winter.

Sipping our tea and coffee, watching the snow flurry this way and that through the window,  suddenly message after message from the family pings up - photos of their snow, their happy snow chatter, so I sent them ours and it felt lovely that despite the boys being in their own homes - we were 'all together' watching the weather and comparing depth and snow fall type.

Himself wanted to get out and experience the snow so we wrapped up warmly and set off. The cottages in the village appeared to hunker down in the mounds of snow, clustering around the lane running through it. There was a thin wind curling around the trees and funnelling through the stone walls and slicking across my face making my cheeks feel brittle, however I could not feel my toes...

After about three miles, Himself and I returned, shed our many layers, put the kettle on - time for a mug of tea and  still warm 'ginger-cat' biscuits.

Random Notes on a Thursday

The promised snow has arrived, swirling small pellets of white covering the garden and dusting the trees. Despite this, the blackbirds are cheerfully kicking around in the flowerbeds unearthing morsels and the robin in fiercely guarding the bird feeder. I am so glad I am not at work today!

Definitely knitting weather (and red petticoat weather too!) I have the warmest red flannel 'underskirt' I wear with my tartan pinafore - that with thick leggings - I find cozier than wearing jeans, tights and boots. 

At work we keep finding conkers the local park squirrels have buried in the kitchen garden. Some have started to germinate. So seeing the same squirrels keep digging up our snowdrop and bluebell bulbs we see this as payment and have gently planted up the Horse Chestnut seeds and hope they all grow.

It is so dark inside today - I have switched on our fairy lights and moved the glitter ball to bring a little 'light' relief into the lounge. I also lit a candle for the wax burner and now the room smells gently of amber and warm spices, perfect for today's weather outside.

Yes I am waffling - sort of procrastinating too - I am part of a weekly art challenge to get us all back into 'arting' and once I have started - I am fine, it is the STARTING I am dancing around. That and the theme this week - PIRATES. Hmmm. I don't want to draw something gimmicky or box office inspired (think Pirates of the Caribbean) so this needs a bit of thinking. Last week's was BIRDS and I was in my element!

 

Still snowing..... Oo arrr me hearties - I better get swashbuckling!

Post Script: Blogger is still playing up - I am unable to comment on several blogs - so excuse me if I seen to be silent, I am not. I have, however, found a couple of ways to get around signing on and not be anonymous hopefully things will get back to normal soon - here is to spring xx

Bugged

It was ... - 9°C (15.8°F)  this morning when we got up - well I say we - Himself had to chisel his van out of the ice box it seemed to have acquired over night. He'd covered the windscreen and set up the van heater ready to switch on as soon as he was up.

Me? well, I was in bed still nursing a mug of steaming hot tea.... did I feel a tad guilty? Sort of.... 

...But not quite enough to do anything other than weakly offer some help which he (fortunately) turned down.

I don't work on a Thursday - so although I was home yesterday (Wednesday) it was still technically a work day so I cracked on with some paintings I am doing for the garden. When I initially took over the job, one of the first things I noticed - the lack of any insect or bird life. The walled garden (still very new then) had the occasional crow or pigeon visitor but on the whole - a very quiet and lonely place despite being situated in a park and surrounded by gardens.

So - as soon as I could I started to 'age' the garden, fill it with not just monoculture rows of vegetables but flowers and shrubs. Slowly but surely the insect population began to increase. I had an apprentice and a student the first summer and we did a 'non-scientific' but serious-to-us insect survey and found that in those few short months - we had more than I had hoped which confirmed my decisions. 

Since then we have pushed the garden to have many styles of planting - not just for interest for the visitor but to increase biodiversity and introduce the idea that vegetable gardening can be not just productive but ornamental as well as being pollinator friendly.

This summer we'll be adding these painted plaques (plus more which are being painted by an artistic volunteer) around the garden where the insects have been spotted. On the backs we are going to write their Latin and common names - hopefully it will spark interest and curiosity and encouragement.

The bird life has improved too - I am more than delighted. There is room for improvement but as far as things go - I am very pleased.

The insects are: Ground Beetle, Hairy Shield Bug, Garden Bumble Bee, European Bee (honey bee) and Rosemary Beetle.

Post Script : It is a really chilly but beautiful day, think I might venture outside with a mug of tea and my camera and try to capture the magic of a sparkly ice encrusted twig or two, besides I need to feed the birds and top up their water. But first I think I need to put on a whole lot more clothing!! What are you doing today? Keeping warm I hope and enjoying the clear blue skies.