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

October Sunshine

 

It wasn't the best start to the week. Storm Ashley arrived, and we were battered by strong winds and heavy rain. Roads were flooded and branches were strewn across pavements. Having transferred my pots into more sheltered corners of the garden, thankfully, the only damage here appeared to be my poor second sunflower, which snapped at its base, even though it had been securely tied. Never mind, it had been lovely while it lasted. 

Besides the storm, it's been a quiet week, all told, mainly taken up with work and other uneventful happenings.  I've managed to settle into a new routine, clawed back a little time for myself, and as a result, I've felt much less stressed. On Tuesday, after a three week break, I went swimming again, which felt wonderful. I'm not a very strong swimmer, and I'm certainly not fast, but I managed to swim a mile, which is a great achievement for me. I'm going to try and keep it up as a regular activity now. I've already put in a request for some swimming goggles as a Christmas present. Next on the list will be a swimsuit that I actually feel comfortable wearing :)

Another activity, which I've been enjoying this week, is crochet. Yes, I've finally picked up my hook again, after what has felt like a very long time. Probably because it has been. With the help of an online tutorial, I've got my head around waffle stitch (thank you, Joy) and I've made a start on a baby blanket for a friend's grandson, who is due in January. It feels good to be doing something gently creative again, especially as it doesn't require too much thought or concentration on my part. I've no photographs to show you yet, but I'll be sure to take some for a future post. 

The clocks went back in the early hours of this morning, which is why I'm awake ridiculously early, and I'm trying hard not to think too much about dark, gloomy evenings. Instead, I'm focusing on bright cold days, filled with autumn sunshine. Since the start of the week, we've seen a great improvement in the weather, here, but it has felt unseasonably warm.

Later this week, it will be Hallowe'en. In a few days I will decorate the porch with cobwebs, spiders and bats, and our cauldron will be filled with sweets to welcome any scary visitors we may receive. To be honest, the cobwebs and spiders are often to be found there, but I'll add some fake ones for visual effect. 

There are still the pumpkins to carve, and although I often have thoughts of doing something a little bit different, I usually keep with tradition and stick to a regular, scary face. 🎃 And another thing I definitely shall be doing, is toasting the pumpkin seeds. Delicious!

At the weekend, we will be wrapping up warmly, and meeting with friends at a local bonfire and firework display. Still making the most of those moments, before my thoughts turn to those end of year festivities. 

Back soon. 

J. X

Sunflower Surprise 🌻

This has been the first year that I can remember in which I haven't had any success with my sunflower seeds. Naturally, I was disappointed. They are my favourite flower, after all. So, you can imagine my surprise when I looked out of the window the other day to see this beauty had appeared, in amongst all the wildflowers. I can only assume it grew from a seed which fell from the bird feeder nearby.

A happy surprise! 🌻 🌻 🌻 

J. X

Sunshine on Leaves

All credit goes to Lily for the title of this post, from her exclamation as we walked through the woods at the weekend. And apologies to those of you, who like myself, now have a certain song by The Proclaimers stuck in their head. Oh well. Who doesn't love The Proclaimers!

Our walk took us along some of our favourite tracks. Often completely empty during the autumn and winter months, they are now beginning to fill with summer visitors. I sometimes resent having to share 'our' woodland, which I know is completely ridiculous. But it's where we go to escape. Where the air smells earthy, and yet fresh. It's where we observe the changing of the seasons, gather elderflowers, wild garlic and berries. And for Lily, it's where the best sticks can be found! 

And at this time of year it attracts so many butterflies. 

It's where we walk when we don't want to venture far from home. It's where we eat chocolate, sat in our favourite spot, upon a fallen tree. It's where Lily explores independently, where her once tiny hands held tightly on to mine. It's where wellies are worn to allow for walking along the stream. It's where we look up at the sky through the gaps between the trees.

And it is where we gaze in wonderment at sunshine on leaves.

J.X

A Mog's Life

 

Spring is here! And so the days are growing longer and the weather warmer. The sun shines on the front of the house during the morning and Mog likes to make the most of it, curled up asleep on Lily's bed.

Not a care in the world. Happy and relaxed.

Back soon. 

J. X

Evening Walk

I hadn't planned to do much on Monday. I had some forms to fill in for the insurance claim and then I needed to drive to the car repair centre in order to get an estimate. In all honesty, I also wanted to get some of the housework done - there is only so much I can overlook before it gets too much for me and I feel the need to give everything a thorough clean. The kitchen and bathrooms are now spotless and I also vacuumed the whole house from top to bottom. There is still some dusting to do, but I can live with that for now. 

The next job on my list was to wipe down the paddling pool and inflatables, and put them away for the time being. I always feel a little bit sad to do this, as I never quite know if the weather will be warm enough to get them out again over the summer. The pool has been cleaned and is drying out at the back of the house; I don't want to roll it up while it is still wet. The inflatables are already packed away in their bag. I like to look after them, especially as, aside from the doughnut, they were all bought for Lily's first holiday to France when she was only three months old. I should have realised back then that she'd be a water baby :)  Happy memories.

In between chores, I spent some time catching up reading blogs and I enjoyed a mostly relaxed afternoon. It was while I was eating dinner that I thought about a spontaneous walk up a local fell. With several small fells to choose from we settled on the one farthest from the house which we thought would be the most quiet.

It was a typically bright summer's evening and the air was still very warm. We walked steadily along the path, stopping regularly to take in the views, although we were briefly distracted by the sight of some large raspberry bushes. We might have helped ourselves to a few but I must remember to see if there are any left over where I usually pick mine. 

The fell wasn't only quiet, it was completely empty, aside from some sheep and cows. It is most unusual not to pass the occasional runner or dog walker up there.

It felt so good to be out, making the most of the evening sun. 

J. X

We Made It!

This was the view from my ride to work on the last day of term. Once again, it has been a challenging year but we were some of the more fortunate ones who made it through to the final day without the need to isolate. I feel relieved for us, yet sad for the students and members of staff for whom the school year ended rather more abruptly. This summer's break has arrived not a moment too soon and I really hope we will see some semblance of normality when we return at the beginning of September.

Sports day still went ahead last week, albeit without parents in attendance, but thanks to online learning platforms the school was able to share footage from most of the afternoon's events. Lily was thrilled to come first in both her running and skipping races. She is rarely seen in the playground without a skipping rope in her hand, and I'm sure she is faster running with one than without :)

The ritual of emptying both school and PE bags is now complete and I am looking forward to spending the next seven weeks with very few commitments, and days to fill just however we please. 

Here's to summer!

J. X

And Then the Sun Came Out

A little later than usual, courtesy of a mainly overcast May, but the lanes and pathways are overflowing with Cow Parsley, Clover and Buttercups and, for the time being at least, it looks like the sunny weather is here to stay. And, better still, it coincided with my week off work. I had a lovely week and it was just what I needed, especially after feeling under the weather beforehand. Time spent relaxing at home, as well as days out, making the most of the warm weather. I really feel as though I've been away on holiday.

Our first day out included a walk up Blea Rigg from Grasmere. A few weeks back you might remember Lily and I walked up to Easedale Tarn then on up to Tarn Crag. This walk followed the same path to begin with but ascended the opposite side of the tarn to the fell beyond. It was a beautiful, hot day and Lily had fun cooling off in the tarn on our way back to the village, where, of course, we treated ourselves to another ice cream. I also treated myself to some new biscuit cutters from the Herdy shop. Because who wouldn't want a biscuit in the shape of a sheep. 🐑 

The following day we enjoyed a slightly later start and went for a walk through the woods. The light is beautiful in there now, when the sunlight filters thorough the leaves, and there is still a strong smell of Wild Garlic in the air even though the flowers are just beginning to fade. In the evening we went to the the beach and enjoyed a chippy tea. 

Mid-week, we set off early again to find ourselves a deserted spot by the lake for some paddle boarding. Even as the morning went on, it remained fairly quiet, which was a pleasant surprise after everything I had read about the Lakes being inundated with visitors. Perhaps it was, but just not where we were. And now that the water has had the chance to 'warm up' a little, we enjoyed a quick swim, something we have missed doing regularly during the last year. I think we will be swimming at the lake for much of the summer now, though I'm not yet brave enough try it at any other time of year.

Once again, we are participating in 30 Days Wild. Every June we are encouraged to participate in random acts of wildness throughout the month. This year we have planted wildflower seeds in the garden instead of vegetables, and it's wonderful to see how quickly they have grown. I can't wait to see them all in flower. One of the suggestions in the challenge is to visit a local nature reserve, which was where we spent a lovely morning watching the dragonflies and damselflies by the pond. Disappointingly, we didn't find any lizards on this occasion but I was more than happy not to encounter any adders, which have apparently been spotted there recently. 

Our last day out of the week was a walk up to Glenridding Dodd, then on up to Sheffield Pike. Two small fells on the western shores of Ullswater. These can be climbed from Glenridding itself but we took a lesser known route up through the trees which opened up to reveal some beautiful views of the lake below. 

This week has seen us return to work and school and I'm beginning to get my voice back - at last. Much to my relief but not necessarily everyone else's :) In the garden the strawberries are beginning to ripen and in the lanes the elderflower are almost ready for gathering. Summer is on it's way and I can't wait. 

J. X