Sunny May Days

 

Ahhhhh! The beautiful month of May. And it's been especially lovely this year. May has always been one of my favourite months, with the promise of summer being just around the corner. But this year, it's as though summer has arrived earlier than usual, and I've been enjoying every moment. 

It has felt energising and restorative being able to spend so much time outdoors. We've already  enjoyed more meals in the garden than during the whole of last year, and there might also have been a glass of wine or two for me :) 

I finally got around to repotting the blueberry bush and filling the new strawberry planters. And a small tray of marigold plants have added some much needed colour to the borders. 

In the daytime, the sun has felt delightfully warm on my skin, but the nights have been comfortably cool, lacking that intense heat that can often cause restless nights. But the ground is looking parched, the streams are dry and the lakes are low. As I write, I can hear the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance, which will hopefully bring with it some much needed rain.

Since I last posted, I'm feeling much more at ease. I've been reassured regarding some of my working hours, and I think my new role will work much better for me. It should mean that I will spend more time focused in one area, rather than constantly changing. It will also, hopefully, be a longer term position. 

Another difference, since I last posted, is that Lily turned 12. I have so many feelings about this, that I'm not quite sure where to begin. I turned my back for a moment and it's as though she's all grown up. Of course, I know that's not really the case. Not quite yet, anyway. 

She chose to celebrate her special day quietly, with a picnic at the lake. Several of Lily's birthdays have been spent here, as it's one of her favourite places. First, we went for a walk at Aira Force, where the lack of any recent rainfall was more than evident. Then we spent the rest of the morning beside the lake, although for one of us there was quite a lot of time spent in it :) 

After drying off, we took the longer route home, stopping off at the dairy farm for ice-cream. 

I chose liquorice...

It's so lovely there, and the ice-cream is absolutely delicious. We enjoyed our ice-creams, then Lily had a great time playing on the slide. Maybe she's not quite so grown up after all. 

J. X

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

The Langdale Pikes

As is always the way, it was a relief to reach half-term week in one piece. I am very aware that I'm just about managing to keep going at moment, but that is all set to change, moving forwards. There are seven more weeks until the school's summer break, after which my hours will be reduced, and my working days will become shorter. As much as I am looking forward to feeling more in control of my time, it will also feel bitter sweet, as I will no longer be taking Lily to school each day. Another milestone reached, but how fortunate I am to have experienced these early years with her. 

Anyway, we're not there quite yet, but this week off school couldn't have been more welcome. I had, however, warned Lily that she wouldn't be enjoying a lie-in, that first morning. The weather looked good for Saturday, but rain had been forecast for the following  two days, and I didn't want to miss an opportunity to complete a walk, which had been suggested to me. 

Starting from one of the more popular areas of The Lakes, an early start meant we could avoid the crowds, as it can get incredibly busy here, especially on Bank Holiday weekends. 

It was a lovely sunny start to the morning, and on our first ascent we enjoyed regular stops to admire the views. It was a steep climb but it wasn't long before we could see our first summit of the day, Loft Crag. It took me a little while to figure out my bearings, but I was soon able to recognise the outlines of the more familiar fells around us. 

From here, we could see across to our next fell, Pike o'Stickle. And yes, we did need to use our hands as well as our feet on the final scramble to the top. I do enjoy a bit of variety on our walks :)

The next summit of the morning was Harrison Stickle. And this was where we encountered a rather large walking group. Not being used to busy summits, we quickly 'bagged' this one, before moving on towards the next, Pavey Ark. It was at this point that I realised, most people we came across were walking all the same fells, just in a different order. 

After a brief stop for lunch, there was a short walk over to Thunacar Knott, and then along a grassy stretch, to take in the views from High Raise. Here, we could see right across to the Western Fells, and Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite to the North. Again, we didn't hang around, the hiking group was approaching from the opposite direction!

From here, it was all downhill, with the exception of a brief detour to bag our final summit of the day, Sergeant Man. The path then dropped down towards Stickle Tarn, which boasts the impressive backdrop of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle, which we had climbed earlier, before descending Stickle Ghyll, and back to the car park. 

It was an invigorating walk, although the problems with my foot did cause me a lot of discomfort towards the end. Still, that's another seven Wainwrights ticked off, but more importantly, a very enjoyable day out on the fells. 

J. X

In and Out the Dusty Bluebells

 

Does anyone else have that song going through their heads whenever they see bluebells? I am reminded of the game, which usually started off well, but nearly always ended in chaos, as children got tangled up, beneath the 'arches'.

Since returning from London, last week, I've hardly stopped. On the Monday after the marathon, my train pulled in at the station at 12.35, then I began work for the afternoon at 1.15. Perhaps it wasn't the best approach to my recovery, but it was an unavoidable one. Thankfully, having kept moving, it meant that my legs didn't have the opportunity to seize up or feel too achy. But I did experience moments during the week when I would feel extremely tired, although that was understandable under the circumstances. I did say, 'Never again', and yet for some unknown reason, I found myself entering the ballot for next year's marathon :)

By the time the weekend arrived I felt depleted, but there were still the usual household chores that needed my attention and some coursework which needed to be submitted. Once this was finally out of the way, I was able to take a little time to recharge, with a walk to the bluebell woods. Having previously thinking that I might have missed my opportunity this year, it was such a delight to leave the main pathway and walk up the steep track to be greeted with the now familiar, yet still breath taking sight before me. Beneath the trees, was a carpet of blue, and the dappled sunlight only highlighted how beautiful they were. 

I love that Lily will still indulge me by tagging along for these walks. Even if these days it comes with a side order of eye rolling. She soon perked up, however, when we discovered a rope swing tied to one of the tree branches; thankfully there are some things we never grow tired of. We spent just over an hour in the woods, and we were lucky enough to have them all to ourselves. Not many people are aware of the bluebells there, as they are not very easy to see from the main footpath. 

I don't wish to speak too soon, but this week there has been a great improvement in the weather. The grass is finally beginning to dry out, after what has been an incredibly wet winter, and the garden is looking so much better for having seen several days of sunshine. The vegetable seeds are beginning to sprout and the lemon trees might even need to be re-potted again soon. They are growing fast. 

I've replaced the solar lights on the shed, and it has been lovely to see them from the kitchen window after sunset. Then, after I decided that some other lights, which I placed in the flower bed, were a waste of money, as they weren't working. I actually discovered an on/off switch, hidden away beneath the bulbs. I will now have to wait and see if they come on tonight :)

J. X

Beda Fell

For a while now, I had been meaning to walk up Beda Fell, on the eastern side of Ullswater. We had already climbed it's neighbouring fells, so on this occasion there would be just this summit to tick off our list. The starting point which I had in mind for this walk was a little bit out of my way, and with limited parking available, I knew an early start would be required. That was until I realised we could actually reach that side of the lake by boat - I know, I even surprise myself at times :)

We still set off reasonably early, allowing for seasonal traffic, but the drive was very quiet and we arrived in Glenridding with plenty of time to spare. We left the car here, as our route would eventually bring us right back again. And it was here that we boarded the steamer, making sure to sit at the back to enjoy the best views, as we travelled up the lake towards Howtown. It was a pleasantly warm morning and we were soon able to take off our jackets, before getting off the steamer at the lake shore beneath Hallin Fell. 

Our walk began alongside the steep and winding lane which leads to the church at Martindale. We then dropped down into the valley, before following the straight, clear track leading up to Alan Crag, then a little way farther along to Beda Fell. It was perfect weather for walking. The light cloud cover prevented us from getting too hot, and there was barely a breeze. The views towards Ullswater were beautiful, and we  had to keep stopping to look back and appreciate them.

I always love to see Bog Cotton. A clear indication to stay on the path. I had also hoped we might have caught a glimpse of the red deer, which are found in this area, but disappointingly they were nowhere to be seen.  

Beda Fell summit. Looking towards Ullswater, with Hallin Fell in the centre. We stopped here while we ate our chocolate, then descended towards Bordale Hause, a pass which links the Boredale and Patterdale valleys, where we ate our lunch. From here we headed down towards Rooking, re-joining the Ullswater Way path to Glenridding, back to where we started, and where we treated ourselves to an ice cream. 🍦

J. X

Catching Up

I'm feeling a little weary today so, aside from working, I'm giving myself permission to do very little else. Which is all good in theory, but we all know that very rarely actually happens. Even now I'm thinking I should go and put a wash on :)

The last two weeks have been rather busy and so have passed by all too quickly for me. I'm looking forward to having a week off at the beginning of June, and fingers crossed it will coincide with some good weather just like the last time. I've not been terribly impressed with the cold and damp we've been experiencing lately, although the wildflowers in the garden are growing rapidly thanks to all the rain. I can't wait to see them all in flower. I'm also happy to report that, after my initial lack of success, I decided to sow some more sunflowers and another pack of sweet pea seeds, which have since sprouted and appear to be growing well. I'm determined to attract a garden full of pollinators this summer. 🌻🌺🌻

Where's Lily?

Last week we enjoyed a walk up Holme Fell, near Coniston. We set off from the shore of Yew Tree Tarn, which is very close to Tarn Hows, where we had visited the previous week. In fact, if we had wished, we could have reached it just by walking further along the waterfall trail. Although the morning wasn't particularly sunny, it was still dry and bright, and just perfect for a short walk, as rain had been forecast for later that day. Whilst we listened to the intermittent song of a cuckoo somewhere close by, we made our steep but not overly strenuous ascent up the path, which opened out to some beautiful views stretching right over the Langdale valley.  And, in the time it took for me to take just a few photographs, someone couldn't resist taking a short detour from the path in order to climb some very inviting looking rocks! After reaching the summit, we dropped down to eat our lunch beside one of the two small reservoirs on the fell, then descended the track further again to walk back alongside the Tarn and return to the car. Although, not before we had been for another quick look at the Tom Gill waterfalls, which were definitely holding far more water than on our previous visit.

Since my last post, we have celebrated a birthday here. Lily is now 8 years old! Of course, I baked chocolate brownies for the occasion and even though I thought I might get away with just buying a number '8' candle, Lily still insisted on having individual ones as well, so it was a good job I had some to hand. And why not. You're only eight once. 

She spent her special day paddle boarding on Ullswater, with sisters also around to join in with the fun. With any luck, another year we should be able to have an actual party, although Lily was perfectly happy with her more reserved celebrations. She was thrilled with her gifts as well, especially her shiny new bicycle which she's going to enjoy a proper ride out on this coming weekend. 

J. X