A quick word or two

Sunday evening - there has been a bitterly cold wind whipping around, slicing through clothing and making being out quite a challenge. We did manage a walk this afternoon, I was so wrapped up that I looked and felt like the Michelin Man just very less smiley!  Moss on the other hand seems to be impervious to the wet and the cold and ran around like a loon (I didn't take my camera - didn't even want to consider taking my hands out of gloves to take photos). Any hoo - you haven't missed anything - it was grey and overcast.

On a different note - it seems you are all gluttons for punishment - you are happy to do the weekly one word photo hunt. I did pick up that most of you struggle with 'My Own Choice' so I will add an extra word for the final week and see how that goes too. And, with that in mind,  it will run until life changes - hopefully for the better and we all have lovely positive things to blog about❤️

So, welcome to February's prompts 

Friday 5th .... Lovely Memory

Friday 12th .... Starts with a W

Friday 19th .....  Unexpected

Friday 26th ..... Delicious

A gentle reminder that all you need is a photo(s) inspired by the prompt and a few words to accompany the photo(s), your stories are lovely and reading them is a delight. I will post a link up party and all you need to do is add your link (Julie - keep doing what you are doing and send me a reminder and I will add you!!)

It is definitely worth popping back as bloggers join all weekend with their lovely posts. 

Right, not much else to say, it is late and I want to get the words out in time for Monday - can't wait to see what you all come up with! Until then - have a good week xxx

Link up - My own choice

 

image courtesy pixabay

Welcome to week 4's Link Up Party for January 2021

This week is 

My own choice

If you are joining in,

just follow the easy link up instructions ☺️

and don't forget to link back to my blog xx

and, if you have enjoyed the weekly theme, 

just shout and let me know,

and we'll keep it going❤️ 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My own choice

 My own choice

A simple row of tete tete daffodils in the glasshouse. 

Whilst working in the glasshouse on Thursday with rain lashing it down outside and low cloud and mist making everything silvery grey, this splash of bright yellow was a delight. Happy happy.

Have a lovely weekend xxx 

It's not just a sunset

 

Life is, as you all know, is limited. It is not however limiting but, yes, it is limited. I find that my day revolves around simple things. 

Cooking. Walking the dog (and my head). Gardening. Crafting when the inspiration takes hold. Looking inward and keeping family safe, conversations light and positive and making sure I find beauty and good where I can. 

I refuse to be dragged down the the constant news of CV19, the still lingering and long term mess of Brexit, the 'when-will-I ... get a holiday/be able to go shopping/go to the pub/restaurant/hairdresser' moans, I will not be smothered by doom and gloom, whether it is via the news, the internet or people. Don't get me wrong - I am not blinkered and am well aware that all of that nightmare is real and is very frightening and very present and the medical profession is stretched to almost breaking point.

However, if I let it in, it will drown everything. So my way of dealing with it is to be buoyant and to remain afloat and to limit my time and energy with the negativity of it all. We all have coping strategies, this is mine.

Yesterday's walk was one such coping strategy and we were truly rewarded by the sunset. It made us both feel alive and so very glad to be alive.

Oh, and having dog that has absolutely no concept of all that goes on in our heads and probably has confetti and unicorns in her happy little heart - that helps, that helps a lot. 

Here, let me gift you a hug (if you need one) a smile (please smile back) and some of that light from yesterday's syrupy golden sunset - it will warm your heart, there is such beauty about, we just need to see it ❤🐾 

So, what did I do on Saturday?

Thank you again dear fellow photo hunters, last week's photos and stories were amazing. I loved♥ the variety and the stories accompanying the photos. Please never feel that your stories are not worth reading or that your photos are not good enough - this space is a safe space, we are all experiencing a strange new normal and by supporting each other and keeping in touch by blogging and commenting - it is our strength, our super-power and our bond. Don't ever feel that you are not good enough - we are all good enough, we are who we are and we will work through these strange times. Blogging is one way of holding onto something we did before and it will be something that we will do through this pandemic and come out the other side a whole lot stronger.

 ♥:::::♥:::::♥:::::♥ ♥ ♥:::::♥:::::♥:::::♥

Saturday was a go-to-work day. 

Both Thursday and Friday had been rather unpleasant commutes.

A 'heady' mix  of more cars on the motorway than you would expect seeing we are under another lockdown (and yes I am aware I am one of those cars) as well as multiple roadworks creating chaos and backlog. 

Then there were the blizzards... 

 

Thursday was a complete white out - the snow was sticking to the road and visibility was atrocious.

Friday was rinse and repeat of Thursday's commute, 

so by Saturday,  I decided to go a little earlier. 

Erhm. I was practically the only car on the road! 

But I did still have to drive through driving sleet and snow...... 

However, by the time I landed at the walled kitchen garden, 

the snow had become a light flurry of gentle feathery flakes. 

I was handed a mug of steaming tea and breathing deeply, 

I stepped into Narnia.

As beautiful as it was, I was there to work, and work I do

  I am averaging 4 miles a day whilst I am there .... 

I shall have biceps and triceps to die for!  *chuckle*.  

The morning was filled with barrowing compost and woodchip,

there is a lot of groundwork to do before anything can be planted out. 

In the afternoon I coached new volunteers - a mum and daughter bubble.  

We all wore masks and worked with windows and doors open, 

which made the chilly temperatures even more frisky brrrrrrr!

But it was worth it, when the daughter who was so very reluctant to attend, 

agreed to come back - I call that a win.

The days fly by, Moss and I come home knackered and starving - 😊 

funnily enough, the next day we are keen to get back,

think we might just both like what we are doing !

 ♥:::::♥:::::♥:::::♥ ♥ ♥:::::♥:::::♥:::::♥

Link up party - Moon

 

photo from pixabay

Welcome to week 3's Link Up Party for January 2021

This week's theme is 

MOON

If you are joining in,

just follow the easy link up instructions ☺️

and don't forget to link back to my blog xx

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Moon

Once upon a time, 

in the days when we were allowed to walk a little further than just from home, remember them?🙄

No, I'm not so sure I do either.... any hoo - it was one of those days when Himself, Youngest and Moss took ourselves out on a crisp wintery late afternoon walk along one of our favourite (and least muddy) paths.

It was lovely and dry with the palest of pale blue skies. We walked along the canal towpath admiring the reflections and stillness of the evening air. There were very few folk about, possibly a combination of the lateness of the day and brittle chilly air, we didn't mind - it meant a brisk walk without the usual 'covid-two-step' when meeting someone oncoming along a narrow foot path.

Our walk had us walking away from our starting point towards the setting sun giving us beautiful clear views. Then at the furthest point, the sun now gone and any hint of warmth rapidly vanishing, we turned off the canal path and into the fields to return.

As we crossed the canal bridge, there in the distance far far behind us, was the softest pink moon emerging from the quietly gathering clouds.

We stopped and admired it for the merest of times, our breath hanging around us in wreathes of steam and our faces were feeling pinched with the cold air. We continued our walk, keeping it brisk to keep ourselves warm. Only briefly stopping to take photos.

As we arrived back at the village, the moon had brightened and escaped the cloud cover - we agreed that tonight was going to be a cold and frosty one. We'd had a good 4 mile walk and despite the bracing air, we felt rather euphoric (and ready for a mug of tea!)

When it rains - reminisce and bake!

It is, I have to say, lashing it down outside.  Storm Christoph has landed and drenching every last inch of ground and filling all the rivers to bursting point. If there is a let up some point today, I'll take my camera and see what I can see. But until then, baking (recipe to follow), blogging and housework are the order of the day.

The morning I took these photos could not have been further from today's monsoon-like behaviour. It was such a crisp and icy day. The air was so cold I could feel it's cutting presence on my face as I walked through the garden.

One of the first tasks of my morning (after grabbing the mug of tea made for me) is to walk around the garden with my camera. This particular morning in stark contrast to the soft and billowing snow of last week, was filled with sharp and glittery ice crystals. Everything twinkled and shimmered. 

The cold frames had the most beautiful 'William Morris-esque' swirls and feathering which, I am sure, if you sat and stared closely you would spy flowers, fairies and magical creatures hidden in the patterning.

There is an old Victorian lamp in the centre of the garden which has been given modern LED lighting but retains it's charm and when the snow was still about, I called it the 'Narnia Lamp-post'. The ice highlighted the beautiful fleur-de-lys inspired decoration. So much more aesthetically pleasing than modern street lighting.

There are still a few overwintering vegetables waiting to be harvested. The red cabbage was so frozen I could have snapped a leaf in half - apart from the fact the ice crystals were so dense and hard, I found it difficult to grasp.

The wonderful slightly earthy warmth in the heated half of the glasshouse was almost too much of a contrast to the crystal clear air.  I soon removed a layer or two of clothing, before starting work in the green scented space  - delicious.

Once I'd got some early sowing done, I returned back out to barrow about one tonne of wood chip (I jest not - once again I did not need all my warm clothing on!) 

One of my final jobs for the day was to pick produce for the cafe (the building in the photo) so soup could be made for the weekend's covid secure takeaways. 

It could be said it was a good day. 

And the recipe to follow?

Well, this is a bonus 52 New Recipe Challenge (coz I had the 'I need to bake' itch and fancied trying something new).

image from website

Sticky Gingerbread

Easy to make, filled the house with the most delicious scent of cake and ginger BUT unless you like your gingerbread mild with hardly a hint of spice - follow the recipe.

However, if you like your cake to have a bit of flavour - really amp up the spice quantities. The cake is succulent and tasty but hardly worth mentioning the 'ginger' word in the title.

So...

Was it well received?  It is cake - need I actually ask that? Most of it was eaten before it had fully cooled down.... sigh.

Would I make it again?  yes, however I will certainly give it a decent amount of flavour - gingerbread cake needs to taste, well, gingery!

52 new recipe challenge

3 - 52 Sunday evening

Sunday evening, we have just eaten and there is a satisfied lull about the place. Moss is fast asleep on my feet (which, whilst they are lovely and warm, they do seem to feel to have been completely flattened by the weight of a dozing collie dog).

We'd been for a rather 'fresh' and muddy walk in the afternoon and came back starving! Youngest had mentioned that he'd really fancied something  ...and spaghetti so I decided I'd try another new to me recipe that I had bookmarked earlier in the week.

So - one lentil bolognase coming up!

image from website

As usual I did my own variation - instead of using dried lentils, I replaced with two tins of green lentils which meant a reduction in the liquid. I reduced the quantity of the stock and left out both the red wine (urgh) and marmite (why add another strong flavour to an already richly flavoured meal?)

Was it well received?  It was scoffed double quick time

Will I make it again? Most definitely :)

Thank you everyone who joined in with last week's Scavenger Photo Hunt, I love that we all get together and share stories - shall we do it again next week? 

Yes? 

Good - gentle reminder that the word is MOON. 

Have a good start to your week, stay safe and keep well xxxx

52 new recipe challenge

Link up Party - New .•:¨♡¨:•.

photo from pixabay

Welcome to week 2's Link Up Party for January 2021!

This week's theme is 

NEW

If you are joining in,

just follow the easy link up instructions ☺️

and don't forget to link back to my blog xx

.•:¨♡¨:•. .•:¨♡¨:•.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

New

The second in the January Scavenger Photo Hunt series - New.

My offering for 'New' was not what I had in mind when the list for January's words were selected.  During a walk I'd asked for ideas and Himself suggested it. I'd mulled over it and wondered what I could use, may be by the time it came round there would be snowdrops or the hyacinth flowers were blossoming and I could use them..... then this happened.

I was approached by a small and forward thinking charity and offered a job. As the gardener in their beautiful walled kitchen garden.... erm yes please!

I had the invite to look around with part of the criteria being .... Bring Moss. I am not joking. An important part of the charity's ethos is being dog and family friendly. So, she and I (I was glad of her company) went and had a 'sniff around' - well she did more sniffing that I, and we liked what we saw.

It is early days, but do I like how the universe has created this safe space for Moss and I?  Yes, truly yes.

A new year, a new place to grow - in more ways than one.