Snowdrops and Snow!

 This is a snowdrop walk  open to the public in Gloucester .

A friend and I went on one like it a few years ago. We made a weekend trip away, going on the Saturday and staying over night.  It was so pretty and I hadn't seen so many snowdrops and there was a scent as we walked along. Then we had a lovely Saturday afternoon going round some shops in the little town, we even treated ourselves to a Cream Tea. 

Our B&B was very comfortable , and I was pleased we had booked it, but we were very surprised when the lady running it asked if we wanted to stay on the Sunday night, because we had only booked it for the one night,  as we had work on the Monday.  She thought it might snow, but there was no sign to us that it might.

 But Sunday morning, when we looked out, it was white everywhere, it had snowed heavily in the night and the little road in the town was blocked and it was still snowing! 

Locals said it would be difficult driving and we were advised not to drive and wait to see if it would stop. It didn't and gradually got worse. Mid afternoon we both phoned our schools to explain the problem and that we wouldn't be there Monday morning. 

I arrived in school by Monday afternoon, and was astonished to see that there was no snow in Essex...but I had photographs to show I had indeed been snowed in, it was very deep and crisp and even!

Chrisxx

I'm so proud!

 These are from our front garden picked 15th January, would you believe it, still January!!

Quite a few years ago, when I was still working as a  teacher, I always wore a daffodil on March 1st, St David's Day.

The one year none of the shops in Billericay had any, and none in my garden either, not even a leaf. So I wore a silk one.

The following year, round about the middle of February I dug up a daffodil bulb, that had just a crown of leaves breaking through the soil. 

I balanced it on a slim jam jar with water in it, so that just the roots were in the water and kept it in the kitchen in the warm.

I had a sort of bloom by March, although I had to forcibly open the bud, but I did have a daffodil and of course that year every supermarket in town had bunches galore!!

What flowers have you flowering early, snowdrops?

Chrisxx

Precious or tutt??

 There are so many suggestions on decluttering these days, but it isn't easy. When we moved here four and a half years ago, we brought a lot of stuff we didn't need or indeed want, but it was still lock down and charity shops were closed. So once lock down was over, I tried to pack up at least one bag of 'stuff' a week. And I did,  and gradually Dh and I got rid of a lot of stuff. But then we got into getting the garden straight and time spent clearing stuff went and then it stopped!

I do have a dresser with 'precious' things, gifts, things associated with memories, my 'blue collection,' a jug that was a wedding gift of my mother's and eight different cats. I used to collect cats, there are only the eight left. I originally had thirty plus! It's going to be really hard to thin out my dresser things, I love them, that's why they are displayed there.

But so much of what we think matters, doesn't last. Not in the way we imagine. When a life ends, what's left becomes someone else's sorting job; someone else's burden, someone else's decision. 

When my Aunties' died, 1994, their house was full, full, full, full!!

I had to hire a skip even though a lot of stuff went to charity shops. It took a week and a school friend came to help. We had fun, trying on hats, and wondering why there was 3 ironing boards, 3 vacuums, and so many tea sets and dinner plates. Under the stairs was full of toilet paper, a side board cupboard full of sugar.. war time habits had stayed with them!

I must start sorting out my things regularly again, I don't want to think they'd end up like this skip!

Are you a regular sorter, do you have things that are precious to you, but may be 'tutt' to anyone else? Difficult isn't it?

Chrisxx

Getting healthy!

 Dh and I have been walking , not on this beach but on the promenade above it.. There was a sea 'breeze' but as we were wrapped up well, we didn't feel cold, even though it was only 4°C. Dh was wearing his bobble hat and to be honest I wish I had too, because my ears got cold and my left one is a bit achy, hope it calms down.

Doesn't this couple look nice with their dog, mooching along the waters edge, although a bit bleak. 

I felt invigorated by the fresh sea air and the walking gave me a good feeling too.

Something I want to do as often as I can, I won't say everyday, because I don't go out in the rain!! But this a step to getting healthier. We watched a TV programme Tuesday evening called, 'What not to eat,' and I'm proud to say apart from bacon, we eat very healthily.. It was all about ultra processed foods. They showed how the cheap ham is produced and it looked disgusting. So we're thinking should we reduce our bacon, but we do like our scrambled eggs and bacon! Any ideas on what we could have instead?

Chrisxx

GOOD!

 
Most people are good, most people kiss their pets goodbye.

Most people read just one more bedtime story to their children.

Most people visit their grandparents even when they have no time and even stop to check on some quiet friends after a long day.

Most people return their shopping trolleys, despite being late and let another customer with only one or two items jump to the front of the queue. 

Most people give money, even when money is scarce and worry about people they don't know day in day out.

When the  world seems bad, remember, most people are good.

Written by Donna Ashworth.

Chrisxx

A Blue Monday

 We got up yesterday morning to a dreary cold wet day..A typical winter Monday that I really don't like. I had not slept well, and didn't not want to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for our on line Welsh lesson at 9:30.. so Dh and I emailed our regrets and skipped it. Well we are adults and can choose what we want to do, but I still felt like a naughty child!

We just got on with a clean up of our lounge, although it only needed us to tidy round.. we are inclined to leave things around. And a stack of books had grown on the coffee table, because we had started to check which books we had both read, so we could give them away, we only had 2 and so 12 were to be put away. That was a bit of a fail and the books are now on the shelf under the coffee table, rather than on top of the table!

We're back on the SW food plan, I was playing catch up for Friday's extra treats. I had a few extras, which snowballed into eating everything and anything in sight. It can happen as you might know, if you've ever tried to lose weight. My Friday weigh-in loss at the SW group was 1.5lbs, not bad. 

Dh made SW's Hunter's Chicken Pasta for our evening meal and it was absolutely delicious. I could have eaten it twice over, and then filled up with frozen Raspberries and a Banana Custard yogurt, which hits my sweet spot. 

A satisfying meal on a blue winter's day was just what I needed. What does it for you?

Chrisxx

New to me.....

 the author...Elly Griffiths. 

Quite a few bloggers recommend this author so as this book was offered for only 99p for kindles, I decided to give it a try.

I quite enjoyed it; it was the first in the Dr Ruth Galloway series, and I was pleasantly surprised as to how good the book was.

The story starts with the discovery of some small bones, and being an archeologist Dr Ruth Galloway is called in for her advice by DI Harry Nelson.

I must say I liked Ruth from the very beginning, age 40, socially inept, over weight and living on the wind swept Norfolk salt marshes, with her cats; she is not the usual picture of a main character in a book.  Set in such a wild place, this was a brilliant location for murder, tension and excitement.

Ruth had no idea what a profound effect this case would have on her life. The bones turned out to be centuries old, but DI Nelson initially thought the bones were of a child who had gone missing 10 years previously with no trace of her or her body. Then a new young girl goes missing and letters are sent to the police with quotes from the Bible and Shakespeare 

It is very well written with twists and turns, which will keep you guessing and the author ably captures and uses the atmosphere of the Norfolk marshes to add to the mystery. 

I did really enjoy it, enough to read the next book in the series, where things develop between Dr Ruth and DI Nelson. Although I won't write about that book here, 'The Janus Stone,' so you can find out for yourself what happens and like me you might be surprised!

Chrisxx

Weather on the TV

 

 This photograph of Porthcawl light house is often shown on the BBC weather report.

And it was this evening.

It is quite a famous light house when there are rough seas and local people all feature photographs of it on the town FB pages.

Quite a spectacular photo.. the whole base has all been reinforced and work on it was only finished last year.

Strange to think I used to play all along this pier when I was young and also played dodging under the waves!

Chrisxx

Lessons for Women.

 I keep coming across articles about how women should look after themselves. The way I was brought up has prompted me to be a 'people pleaser.' But reading these articles has forced me to realise, I must really be looking after myself, a lesson I should have learnt a long, long time ago.

I only have one body and it has to last me, so I should be looking after it better, more moving, nourishing it, building habits that will support it and build it to be strong to carry me through life. 

Self care is essential and non negotiable.

There must be boundaries, like a safety net surrounding your mental health and sometimes physical. Anyone who tries to  make you feel negative about your boundaries, isn't looking out for what's best for you. Learn to say 'no.'

Your worth is defined by you and not others. Don't live your life defined by others.

Forgiveness frees you, not them. Forgiveness isn't for the other person, but lets you move on and process the feelings. It might take time to find a way that feels good for you and that's ok. Forgiveness, that's all for you.

Life doesn't owe you fairness, its unfortunate but true. There isn't a fair deal, a fair chance or a fair anything, it doesn't owe you.

Nature heals, get out and enjoy it. Regardless of what's going on, spend time in nature, it heals!

You're allowed to love girlhood, regardless of age, you can love pink and butterflies, dance in your pyjamas, you don't have to grow up and let it all go. You're allowed to bring the sparkle and curiosity of girlhood into your womanhood. Do the things that bring you joy, bask in them.

Curiosity keeps your brain alive. Never stop questioning.

Every woman should realise all these, before life passes them/us by. Accepting that life isn't fair, to making time for nature a priority; all these will help you grow, heal and  evolve.

This is definitely for me, what about you?

Chrisxx

Winged visitors.

With this cold weather we've been keeping all the feeders well stocked up.

I wish I was better at photography because when the Long Tail Tits are all on the coconut together, it looks like the hands on a clock face! And a pair of Robins are delightful, they sit together on the fence waiting for their turn on the sunflower seeds.. Dh, who is a great bird watcher says they're probably from Norway, flown here for the winter?  We're very popular with eleven different types of birds. 

Recently a chaffinch has joined the tits, gold finches, sparrows and doves.. They are all amazing to watch and when I sit where I can see the one feeder, time slips by.. hopeless on a Monday morning,  as its our Welsh lesson and its hard to concentrate, when there's such activity just outside the window. There's been quite a few times when I've missed the tutor asking me a question! Oh, dyma twp!!

Have you birds to watch too?

Chrisxx