Yomping

The air was cold and damp, my fringe slapping my face - annoying me. The hat and hood combo was not doing it's designated job.  Blinking against the rain in the air, my eyes were watering enough to make it difficult to see - however, I knew where I was and where I was going.

Pushing past the school collecting gaggle of mothers in furry boots and matching bobble hats clutching various small folk in some state of post school exhaustion or excitement, the dog and I managed to yomp down to our local nature reserve in fairly quick time.

As I strode down the pavement I did feel a little over dressed despite the weather. The slash slash noise of the waterproof trousers felt a little excessive as did the thick coat, gloves and scarf wrapped several times around my neck.

However, as soon as we arrived, I was grateful for all the extra layers. Moss ran on ahead, targeting puddles and mud with a 99% accuracy satisfying her inner-labrador as she turned from a crisp black and white to a generally sludgy muddy colour.
We carried on the pace past the dog-plodders and short-walk-takers, past the tarn, past the Spring Garden Flashes, through the trees and on to the meadow - here we, well I, had to slow down. The mud was such I thought I would slip if I tried anything less than 'take it carefully'.

At the end of the meadow when we reached the fish-leap. we turned up into the birch woodland, returning by a higher path. Equally if not more slippery and certainly less populated. Fine by us.

A more sedate pace along the path until we rejoined the track and we could set off again. A quick diversion around the tarn to spot the bird life (the regulars - mallards, black headed gulls [in winter plumage] coots and moorhens and the not so regulars - lavender muscovies, Mandarin pair, small white male call duck). Down past the empty playground, the swings and slides too wet to play and back on to the pavement.

Lead back on and scarf tightened we began our homeward stride. The sky darkening and street lights flickering on. Moss's blue flashing collar and her reflective lead catching the car lights as they drive by as we march back home.

Ready for a mug of tea, ready to pull the curtains closed, ready to shut the now darkened day out and hunker down for the evening.

Did I feel better for that walk? I know Moss thought it was great and was hugely hungry and ready for a bowl full of food as soon as she got home.  I know it would have done me good - but I was rather glad to flump down on the settee with my hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea.

Ok Moss? Same time tomorrow? good.



 This Friday I will be doing a 'Five on Friday - Gratitude' if you fancy joining in xx

lapghan

During the festive break, once all the jollities were over, I found I had twitchy fingers. I know I have a blanket still on the hook (so to speak) and still have about 30cm more width to add before I can finish it off but I wanted something quick and gratifying.

So I made this -  a small lapghan in Nordic Spirit 'Oslo' a super chunky wool in cream. It took three evenings when I was NOT watching the latest Dracula series. (Ok, I occasionally peeped over the top of the hook and inevitably regretted it!)

It seems that the cats have taken to it somewhat.......

It is, I have to agree with them, very warm and snuggly and perfect to use when on the settee (or when the cats allow it!)

Journey

This year I have chosen not to have resolutions - that implies that things need to be resolved and if you can't attain them there is a sense of failure attached.

So this year I will be using a word I can focus on - it has taken a while to choose one. Not that I was spoilt for choice - far from it. I had a few words quietly rolling around my head, all very similar ... just not the right one.

Then this morning, through the day a word kept appearing.

Journey.

Not just including travel, although I want that to be present, but to encompass progress, self growth, self belief and development - of me. I need to move forward, move on and evolve.

An overarching focus word will certainly help me through 2020 - I am actually rather excited by it!

Have you chosen resolutions?
Do you have a focus word?
Or do you happily carry on from the previous year - impervious to that 'fresh new page' feel that the start of a new year gives?

I read somewhere recently that ..... the new year is like a blank book and the pen is in your hand, it is your chance to write a beautiful story for yourself.


Happy new year beginnings xxxxxx

Musings

So, that is 2019 done and dusted - not a year that will stand out as being brilliant or dreadful, just a year that happened. Quite a damning moniker that - 'just a year that happened'.

I am looking forward to 2020 and hope that she is a year of sparks and joy, a year of uplift and laughter, a year of positivity (the natural variety rather than the forced kind). On the whole, 2020 - you have a lot to live up to and I shall be holding you to account!

The house, at the moment, is quiet despite it being full of folk. So I thought I'd take a moment for myself with a mug of tea and a freshly washed dog (in recovery mode as she is not keen on a 'shampoo and set').

The air is full of the scent of just opened hyacinths and tiny yellow tete a tete daffodils and despite the dankness and dullness of outside, the fire and the salt lamp are both glowing a most warming and heartening colour.

The festive decorations were away by lunch time on the 1st January - feels good to remove the fripperies and clutter.

We walked out on new year's day - it was a particularly pretty one, the sun shone, the air was crisp and clear. Just a family pootle along the canal and back with the reward of tea and cake before returning. It felt like a good start.

Hello January

Good morning all,

a quick post to say that the words for January are up

(Already spotted by quite a few of you - you eagle-eyed bunch!)

I will be popping back later with a separate post

but til then ....

Welcome January,

Hope 2020 is kind to us all xxxx

♥گ♥گ♥گ♥♥گ♥گ♥گ♥

Words and photos to be shared on Friday 31st January

Lost/Found

Print/s

Lunch

Starts with M .....

ENDS with T....

My own choice.

Quick explanation for those who would like to join or a reminder for those who already play -

Our scavenger hunt goes like this ...

A word to inspire a photo

the photo inspires words

it can be a new image

or one from the archives

Try to think 'outside the box'

It is only a game

and we do it for fun,

see you at the end of the month 

with all your photos and stories xxxx

My 12 in 12

I started (almost furtively) in January a walking challenge - #walk1000miles, I thought I was setting myself up to fail and my challenge would be viewed with some cynicism as I have a dodgy knee and err towards being a couch potato.

I needed this challenge to help me move on from work related stress and depression which I was/am struggling to shrug off - it has been hard (both mentally and physically) thanks to self doubt and a dislike of walking in anything but balmy weather! And to make things harder for me, I decided to only count boots on miles! So, it didn't matter how much I pottered about the house, walked about in the garden or the shops - these steps did not count.

Here are my 12 for 12 in 2019. January had snow and rain and the flu, February I badly sprained my ankle, March - a bit of rain!, April the weather finally started to be kinder, May - sprained my dodgy knee (argh!), June was warmer and drier, July was positively beautiful, as was August, September was a bit hit and miss but we still walked as best we could on a daily basis, October - a bad month for walking  a combination of commitments and rain (so so much rain), November - back to mud again and now in December I have reached my target - much to my surprise and even more surprising .... I have signed up again for 2020 ...

Oh, plenty other stuff has happened but most of that has been either blogged here already or it is not for general consumption!

Here is to a better year - for you, for me, 

for this country, for your country, 

for everyone - 

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Happy NEW YEAR to you all❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Pepper

Greeting hoomins - 

I seeez that the lowest member of the pack put paw to paper and blogged - so I thought I would put the balance of pawer back to those more superior.  Me.

Fur I iz Pepper the Great, Pepper the keeper of the kitchen, the watcher of the fridge, the pawtroller of the back street. I iz Pepper and I iz number one, top of the heap, leader of the pack.

I wearz many hats in my cat-pacity of being in charge of the hoomins.

I iz the putting up of the tree supervisor, 

I iz the contents of the fridge inspector, 

I takez my purrr-sition very seriously, 

I even checkz the condition of the scraps for the dog,

coz the dog haz no taste, 

especially when it comez to the chick-chicks or hamziz

wrapped in the shiny silver stuff... 

Iz DEFURNITELY haz to checkz that....

erhem, 

taste test anyone?

Yez purr-lease!

Moss

Hello hoomins - Moss here, 

Finally, time to Moss-self to get a boxing day walks-out.

Time to catch up with the Daily Pooz and

all the Pee-mails I have missed while my hoomins have been 

sitting around the fire with the extended pack.

And 'oh my woof' why do they have a tree in the house

covered in balls and bells?

(I keep wagging them off with my tail - very annoying!)

But now, excuse me - I have a sniff I need to follow...

Wishes

Thank you to all my friends and family here, there and everywhere -

A blessed yuletide, a quiet and peaceful celebration,

and a fresh and positive start to 2020.

Hopes and wishes from me to you

with love xxx

(source)

Solstice Blessings

We usually celebrate summer solstice - the longest day - by being outside 

for as much of it as possible. Enjoying the light and the air.

The warmth.

Winter Solstice is usually a more inward marking of the turning of the seasons.

Lights, fire, food, candles and chat.

Not this year.

We spent it outside - for the most part,

walking. 

Enjoying the gentle light,

the freshness of the air. 

We still ate warming foods - Yule cake and mince pies,

mugs of tea - sitting alongside our favourite canal.

Not that we could linger long - there was definitely a nip in the air! 

As we walked, we watched the wintery sun slip behind

the dark clouds and leaf-free trees. 

The paths we followed were muddy and wet,

as was the dog .... 

Then, when we returned to the village where we'd parked,

their lights across the bridge were wonderful.

Simple and elegant. 

 A lovely end to a gentle day 

Solstice blessings to you all - here is to the turning of the circle, 

the changing of the seasons 

and the return of the light xxxxxxxxx

Five on Friday

Morning fellow 'Fivers', a cool and dark morning out there today - a good day to think on things that have made me smile this last week.

Cracker jokes - not something I would normally think of as being particularly amusing or satisfying. At most they are groan-makers. But this one ... this one made me smile and has continued to do so on and off all week. So much so, I have actually kept the slip of paper in my cellphone cover to remind me of a lovely evening with Himself's extended family last weekend.

Sharing a love of street art - Eldest and I spent a lovely few hours in Hebden Bridge this week, fettling in the bookshops, the charity (op) shops and hunting down the street art. We found new pieces of wall adorned work - both modern and previously unnoticed older creativity. I will do a post on them some time.

The reaction of a recipient to a hand made gift - positively priceless xx

Fudge - the sweet sinful moment when eating a small block of home made fudge - bliss.

Walking - I have mentioned before that walking is both pleasure and torment, my saviour and my nemesis. A delight as well as a chore - but I am truly grateful for the simple act of being able to walk regularly as well as the positive affect it has had on my life. Try it - it works xx

This is the last Five on Friday - Gratitude for 2019. If you have enjoyed reading them or joining in and want them to continue next year - just give a shout out :)

Have a lovely weekend and if you are posting your Five - just follow the link and add your post.
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