Life Lately

I've been a bit rubbish about posting in this little space recently. Good intentions just seem to constantly fall by the wayside. I keep thinking to myself that I'll just get through the next busy week, then things will settle down, when something else throws me off course and I find myself repeating this thought over and over.

Also, at the moment, my work pattern keeps altering on a weekly basis, which is fine for the time being. I really do love all aspects of everything I do. No two days are ever the same, so it's never ever dull. There's a rumour going round that things might be more settled in several months time, but I've heard that one before. It certainly keeps life interesting. 

But on the whole, life is pretty great. I'm becoming much better at prioritising my own needs, and with practice, I'm finding that it's getting a little easier for me to let go of things that I have no control over. Perhaps it's an age thing :) But whatever it is, I am here for it. 

Last week we were down in London again, for a couple of days. I always love our visits to the city, and of course, the reason for them. And I still get a thrill when I see all the iconic landmarks, but over time Lily is becoming less and less impressed at the sight of the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and Big Ben. We had a lovely time, though, and she did enjoy her promised trip on the pedalos in Hyde Park. We also spent some time at the immersive Outernet experience, which was quite mesmerising. Huge wrap around screens playing images, including underwater scenes, space, and blossoming trees. It was amazing to experience, but not quite as pretty as the real thing. 

The trees here are full of blossom just now. They are so beautiful, but it's sad that their loveliness is short-lived. All too soon the petals begin to drop, like nature's confetti, creating a  carpet of pink beneath the branches.

And the bluebells...

Naturally, we had to go to the woods so that we could witness the annual show of bluebells. A very special place, where only those who know can get to enjoy this stunning display. 

Easter was spent fairly quietly, here. In the morning, we went for a lovely walk overlooking the bay. It was a little more strenuous than I'd anticipated, but the views from the top were absolutely stunning. In the afternoon, Lily insisted on an egg hunt, and we made some of our favourite chocolate cornflake nests. Just for a change, I also baked some delicious cookies using broken up mini eggs instead of chocolate chips. 

And that brings me to this weekend. Yesterday morning, I ran in my very first Parkrun. I'd thought about it for a while now, and I'm really glad that I decided to give it a try. I'm sure it did me good to push myself, and everyone there was incredibly welcoming and supportive. I think I'll try running another one soon, and see if I can beat my time.

Today, I've done the weekly shop, baked flapjack, and  I've been pottering about in the garden. I've finally re-potted the acer, which my lovely friend bought me, last year, and I used the remainder of the compost to top up the apple tree pots. This week, the spinach will be ready for it's first harvest, which is a good job, as I need some for a new recipe that I'm trying out. And the carrots, beetroot and spring onions all appear to be coming along quite nicely. It looks like I'll be getting a healthy crop of blackcurrants later in the year, as well.  The nasturtiums are also just starting to grow. I'll be keeping a close eye on them, so that they don't get out of control. 

And my forget-me-not plant, grown from seeds given to me after my dad died, and which had been killed by the hard frosts, must have self seeded into the lawn. So now, I've carefully transplanted several of the little flowers into a small pot. I really hope they'll continue to grow.  

Back soon(ish).

J. X

Filling My Cup

It isn't very often that school holidays and decent weather coincide, but we've been incredibly lucky this week. It hasn't rained in what feels like forever, in fact, there's hardly been a cloud in the sky all week. I've been watering the raised bed most evenings, which is unheard of in April. 

As you can probably imagine, I've been busy making the most of the glorious sunshine. There have been some quiet grumblings from the not-so-small person, but even she realises that when the weather is good, we need to get out and enjoy it while it lasts. 

We started our week with a walk from Honister Slate Mine. The morning air felt fresh, and there was a bit of a breeze, but this made it the perfect weather for walking in. Our route took us past Dubs Hut mountain bothy, which of course I had to have a nosy in :) and also afforded us a stunning view over Buttermere and Crummock Water, finishing on the summit of Haystacks. The walk wasn't too strenuous, and after a brief stop at the summit cairn, we dropped back down by Innominate Tarn to enjoy our lunch. 

The following morning we set off a little later, to take a picnic down by the lake. Just as I'd expected, it was rather busy there with holidaymakers all enjoying the sunshine. Especially the area around the pier, where the lake cruises depart. But when you walk a little further along the shore to the car ferry, for just a couple of pounds, pedestrians can cross to the other side of the lake where it is much quieter. We also stopped off at the Claife Viewing Station to enjoy the view. The last time we were there it had been a little bit overcast, so it was lovely to capture the sun shining through the coloured glass. 

Monday morning got off to a more gentle start. And besides a short walk in the woods, we stayed at home. The woodland floor is carpeted with Wild Garlic just now and we gathered just a small amount, mixed it with a little salt and butter, and used it to make our very own garlic bread. Never having made this before, I can confirm that it was absolutely delicious. 

Another day, another picnic. But first we walked to the viewpoint of Castle Head in Keswick. And what a fantastic start to the day. We sat on the bench here and just soaked up the view... 

...before walking down towards the lake and enjoying the calm of the morning looking down towards Borrowdale.  

Of course, the morning involved some messing about on rocks. And yes, after several warnings to take her trainers off, she did slip in, and so she had to walk back to the car with one rather wet foot.

Enjoying some delicious strawberries in Hope Park.

The next day we walked the Coffin Route from Grasmere to Rydal, then back again along the lake shore. After the previous day's incident, I made sure to carry Lily's water shoes with me, but of course she chose not to go in the water this time :)

As a last hurrah to the week, we finished off by bagging 3 more Wainwrights - The Nab, Rest Dodd, and The Knott - taking our total to 124. This photograph was taken on our ascent of The Knott, looking over Brothers Water towards the Eastern Fells. It was such a fantastic day to be out on the fells. Even more special was that we caught sight of the Martindale red deer on the flanks of The Nab. 

Then we'd almost made it back to the car when I spotted a lamb stuck on a waterlogged rock at the side of  Hayeswater Gill. It must have fallen down and the sides were so steep that it was unable to get back up. There was no way I could have reached it from the field side, without falling in or injuring myself, so I made my way carefully across the beck, over some large rocks, and with it firmly under my arm, carefully pushed it upwards towards the ewe, hoping it would then be able to continue up the field by itself. Unfortunately, it must have been too weak, so tucking it under my arm again, I pulled us both up the field, by holding on tightly to clumps of grass, and managed to get it to the path at the top. It didn't appear to be injured in any way, I think it was probably just exhausted and wet, so I left it in the sunshine to dry off, and managed to locate the grateful farmer in the village to let him know where it was so that he could check on it. 

Back soon.

J. X