At the End of June

The year is marching on. It's only a few weeks until summer break and the end of Lily's first year in secondary school. It feels like no time at all since we were preparing for the big transition, yet here we are already twelve months on, and wondering what all the big fuss was about. Some things don't change, however, as I've been busy ordering new shirts and trousers in readiness for the autumn term. 

This week, I've been finding comfort in the ordinariness of my days. Weekend plans were cancelled at short notice and, although disappointed, I found myself relishing the lack of time constraints, and of the need to be organised. Monday to Friday it often feels like every single minute is accounted for, so when these opportunities arise, I embrace them, as I realise they are few and far between.

The weather has been fairly mixed here, and the warm summer rain has kept the garden well watered, so I don't have to. I think the flowers are looking at their best just now. In just a few more weeks, they will begin to lose their colour, and look a little worse for wear. In the raised bed, I'm  keeping a close eye on the beetroot and carrots, but the spring onions are being used regularly, most recently in this evening's stir fry. Unfortunately, the lemon trees still haven't produced any flowers, so I'll just have to remain hopeful for another year. They are, at least looking strong and healthy. 

Another garden I've also enjoyed recently, was at Sizergh Castle, and it's looking incredibly beautiful just now. To our delight, the Lily Pads appear to have taken over the pond, and we enjoyed watching the damselflies and dragonflies hovering just above them.

And of course, for my very own Lily, no visit to Sizergh would be complete without seeing Charlie. 

Also, this week, I'm excited to have begun work on a new crochet project. It's something I've had in mind for a while now, and just another small part of trying to reintroduce some colour into my life. I'll share more soon.

J. X

Seizing Joy

 

Lately, I've been thinking even more about finding joy in simple pleasures. Life just keeps getting busier and busier, and if I'm not careful, I can easily get caught up in the everyday, mundane routines, leaving me with little time for more enjoyable activities. And yes, that includes blogging :)

The thing is, over the last few weeks, I've made a determined effort to seize more of these little moments of joy. I've prioritised my own wellbeing (this is still very difficult for me),  and I've really begun to feel a difference in the way that I feel. Better still, others have noticed as well. Even when I've been feeling tired, I've somehow found a little bit of motivation to do something that I know will make me happy. And believe me, that can be more than a little challenging at times.

So, I thought that I would share with you just a few of the very ordinary things that have brought me joy recently. 

First off, was going paddle boarding with Lily. Last weekend we spent a very enjoyable time paddling out on the lake. It was early in the morning, so there were very few people around, and the water was lovely and still. There is something almost meditative about being on the water in this way. Very relaxing. 

After the long spell of spring sunshine, the elderflowers appeared much earlier than usual, so I thought I might have missed my chance to make some elderflower cordial. Luckily, I remembered a couple of trees, not too far away, that were able to provide me with just enough flower heads, so that I could enjoy my favourite summer drink.

The blackcurrant bush provided me with plenty of fruit this year, and I've now got three jars of delicious jam in the cupboard.

While we were in Copenhagen, Lily enjoyed one of the chocolate chip scones from the bakery. I remembered that in my old Bero book, there was a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I thought was very similar, and she loved them! I guess I'll be baking them more often from now on. 

The garden has been looking lovely this last week. The flower beds have filled out and the beetroot and carrots look to be coming along very nicely indeed. 

Preparing my lunches for the week. I feel much less hurried when I'm organised. And getting my meals ready in this way, means that I know I'll be eating something that's good for me.

Favourite flowers from a friend. Just because. Isn't that kind!

I've been out running several times, along the lanes and through the village. The hedgerows are looking gorgeous just now, and the scent of the Honeysuckle is so strong. 

A morning walk along the shore. Sea air, sand, and I even fouund a few small pieces of sea glass. 

Watching a deer up ahead of me, on the path through the woods.

And finally, catching a Solstice sunset at the end of a busy week.

Back soon. 

J. X

Wonderful...

 

At the beginning of this year, I mentioned how excited I was about a particular city break that I'd been thinking about. 

Copenhagen is somewhere I have been wanting to visit for a long time now, and in the spirit of being a little more adventurous, and seizing moments of joy, I decided to just go ahead and book it. Go me! I'm becoming quite adept at this 'seizing' lark. And I am so incredibly glad that I did. 

Copenhagen is beautiful. The colourful buildings are delightfully pretty, there are so many green spaces, and the canals...

Not to mention the bakeries :)

The city simply has a great feel about it. And, also, a lot of bikes! The cycle lanes even have their own traffic lights.

We arrived in the evening and enjoyed a short walk around the city streets so that we could find our bearings. Our hotel was fairly central, which meant everywhere we wanted to see was conveniently within walking distance. The following morning, after stopping at a pavement cafe to enjoy a delicious breakfast of coffee and pastries, we visited the Rundetaarn, or The Round tower. The Tower was finished in 1642, and it is a fantastic way of taking in a 360° view of the city. To reach the top, we walked up a tiled, spiral ramp, then there was a short, narrow staircase to access the viewing platform. From there we could see right across the rooftops of Copenhagen and over as far as Sweden. Lily and I tried to count how many Danish flags that we could see, but we lost track - there were so many.

Our next stop was Nyhavn. This is the area often seen on images of the city because of it's colourful buildings and bustling cafes. We'd been told it can get 'rammed' there, but it was actually okay when we visited. From Nyhavn, we took a canal trip on one of the tourist boats, and enjoyed an informative and, at times, rather amusing commentary about the buildings we could see. And I must mention the need to be seated each time we went under a bridge  - they were very low! 

From Nyhavn, we continued walking towards Frederik's Kirke, an 18th century church, which boasts the largest dome in Scandinavia. And it was impressive. They ask for complete silence while you are inside the church, so it was a very special experience. But I think I preferred the view from outside, as it is approached from Amalienborg, the residence of the Danish royal family. 

Much less impressive, however, was the Changing of the Guard at Amalienborg, but at least we can say we watched it ;)

A little further along the waterfront we visited The Little Mermaid statue. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen, the bronze and granite statue, although restored several times, has been there since 1913. A lot of people I spoke to were quite underwhelmed by it, but I found it really quite lovely. I think they expected it to be much larger than it actually is.

We'd been walking all day, so by early evening it was time to go back to our hotel and get showered, before going out to dinner for some delicious pizza and pasta at a lovely Italian restaurant that we had come across earlier in the day. It was still pleasantly warm, so we sat outside to enjoy our meal. We were lucky that we had such great weather for our visit. Apparently, it rains a lot in Copenhagen.

The next day was a little more relaxed. We had a mooch around various shops and visited the beautiful Botanical Gardens. The gardens contained so many different varieties of plants and were incredibly well cared for. We didn't go inside, as part of the Palm House was closed off for renovation.

Then we went on to Rosenborg castle, which houses the Danish Crown Jewels. Again, the gardens there were beautifully maintained and it was lovely to sit for a while and just enjoy the sunshine. 

Our trip was over all too soon, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I'd love to return to Copenhagen one day. Visit some of the museums, climb the spire at Vor Frelsers Kirke, and maybe even go for a swim in the harbour.

Back soon. 

J. X