Early May

It's been a rather pleasant start to May. Usually, there would be one really great week of glorious weather, but we've had continuous sunshine since the beginning of the month, with even more forecast for the week ahead. I'm reminded of something my dad used to say, 'The sun is out, the birds are singing, and the bees are humming. It's a beautiful day!' And I'm absolutely delighted to say that there have been plenty of those recently. 

I'm still struggling with finding some balance to my days, and I've been feeling really weary this last week. I'm sleeping a little better, at least, but work has been pretty full on, consisting of long, demanding days. Again, this should change moving forward. I just need to find out what my proposed hours are going to be, then see if any adjustments need to be made. One way or another, after the summer, I can no longer carry on trying to juggle several roles, as I am doing now.

Although life in general is incredibly busy, I've been trying to grasp those little moments of joy whenever I can. Each morning, I've been spending a few minutes in the garden before Lily wakes up. I peg out any wet washing on the line, then I like to check on the vegetables. I also look to see if there's any evidence of our visiting hedgehog. Besides the cockerel crowing, it's a lovely, peaceful start to my day. 

The longer daylight hours are good for my soul and make me feel much lighter and happier. I've been in out in the garden many times already today, pulling up the few weeds that I'm sure must have appeared overnight, and topping up the container pond - it really is so long since we've had any rain! I also like to sit on the step and drink my mug of tea, while watching birds. I feel quite comfortable there, so I very rarely use the garden chairs. And I'm not the only one enjoying the sunshine. 

Our little raised bed is already proving useful. The spinach has been added to various meals, and Lily used some to make a cous cous salad last week, which was absolutely delicious. This morning, I put some in a homemade quiche, which we will eat for dinner this evening, served with some tomatoes and coleslaw, and maybe a baked potato - I'm very much enjoying these quick to prepare meals. The beetroot looks to be growing well, as do the spring onions. Like last year, some of the carrots seem to have simply disappeared, but the ones that remain are looking okay. I've just sown some more beetroot to fill in the gaps :)

Last weekend we visited Coniston, where we enjoyed a lovely hike up The Old Man. We took the lesser walked track along Little Arrow Edge, which took slightly longer, but avoided the busier, more direct route from the centre of the village. 

The birds were singing, and the bees were humming. It was a beautiful day. 

Back soon.

J. X