Kind of recently

Time. Anyone else struggling with it at the moment? Or maybe it is focus? For me it’s probably a combination of the two. I have so many things I should be doing but I don’t get round to, and then I get all frustrated with myself for not being disciplined enough to JUST DO IT. Actually, I’m only feeling this way this week, and up until now I’ve felt quite relaxed about everything, and so of course there’ll be a period where I’ll feel the opposite. It’s just how life goes… the yin and the yang and all that. And maybe it’s not so weird that my to do list has increased as I’ve been doing a lot of nice things recently… A couple of weeks ago it felt like we were going into another lockdown, so I made sure I stocked up on culture and hung out with friends. I have quite a few posts to put together from the past couple of months, but in the mean time I thought I’d send these pics out into the ether.

October 4th, 1.38pm
While we were eating lunch on Sunday, I saw something large flapping its wings at the back of the garden - turns out it was this heron. He/she sat out there in the rain for a few hours (I kept going back to see if it was still there), and it occurred to me to take a picture of it through our binoculars. Herons have a special place in my heart as the first time I saw one was in Amsterdam (and you know how I love that place). There is usually one hanging around the Ladies Pond in winter, but I’ve yet to spot it this season. Oh yes! I’m back swimming in the pond again, and am so grateful for being able to go and get my fix.

October 4th, 10.27am
Earlier the same day I wondered what it would like if I took a picture of Buddy lying below him on the floor. Turns it looks like this.

September 15th, 8.54am
Sunny mornings are the best (I hope we get many this winter).

September 11th, 5.47pm
And sunny afternoons are also good, especially now that the Mexican Fleabane in the planters have grown and cast great silhouettes against our frosted windows.

August 31st, 6.47pm
The resident hairdresser at work. One of Oomoo’s friends came over for a sleepover, and got a new haircut as well. Mr Famapa has been cutting my hair too since lockdown. That man has some serious skillz. Handy - and cheap!

August 28th, 10.59am
We should really count how many books he reads a year. I’m sure he’s beaten me many times over already (I’m on my 13th so far).

August 24th, 12.23pm
I turned 45 this year - what the?!! I’ll be half a hundred in five years time, but with all my friends touching that milestone already it doesn’t actually feel that weird. Anyway, Mr Famapa was away working (yay - for working and nay for not being here) but he ordered me and Oomoo some surprise cupcakes, which was so nice.

Garden time

Trust September to be the best weather month of the year. It almost always is in this country. The summers can be cold, wet and miserable, but come September it just settles, with comfortably warm temperatures and lots of sun. As a result I seem to be spending all of my afternoons in the garden.

I sit there and read, and yesterday I started a new book, with the ugliest cover ever.

Buddy comes out too, and he just chills out like a dog, staying put.

Not much is flowering in our garden anymore, but these verbena bonarienses are still going strong. Once we feel more flush with money I’d like to change up the planting and have more of an all year garden Piet Oudolf style.

The suns retreats behind the houses earlier and earlier but I don’t mind.

Oomoo sat outside doing his homework when he got back from school.

And Mr Famapa conked out for an afternoon nap.

So many helicopters have been flying over since lockdown; I wonder if it’s the super rich commuting between their country piles and their offices in the City?

Looking ahead on the weather forecast it looks like I’ve jinxed it - it says it’ll rain everyday from Tuesday onwards. I better make the most of it until then. If you need me you know where to find me :0)

Buddy picture of the week VII

It’s been a while since I posted one of these. I was just in the process of texting someone when Buddy came and laid in front of me and started giving himself a clean, so I just had to quickly snap this before the moment was over. Happy new week everyone!

Not a usual Sunday

Still hot the following day. We decided to walk up to the nearby woods and check out some old deserted army barracks.

We thought that this little bunker might have been a coal store, but we’re no experts. We are at taking pictures though. HA HA

I walked into this building on my own only to be told to get the hell out immediately as the floor was covered in broken asbestos. Handy to have a friend who’s an architect who can spot that sort of thing, eh?

What is it about abandoned buildings that’s so alluring? Insert shrug emoji here.

Walking back towards the house we came across this herd of cows. Care to share any tips on herd immunity guys? GUYS??

Knowing that it would be hot during our stay in the Cotswolds I did some research on places to swim nearby. I found some river spots online that looked promising, but my uncle-in-law said that there was also a lake that would be much quieter, and therefor less busy. He was not wrong. When I went in the water I totally forgot about everything else and just kept swimming out in a straight line for about 15 minutes. It didn’t occur to me to check on how Oomoo was doing, it was like I was in a trance. It had been over three months since I’d been in the water, and being back made me very selfish. I finally remembered and turned around to see how he was doing, but fortunately Mr Famapa had gone in with him, even though he hadn’t brought swimming trunks. Bad mamma!

The Ladies Pond opened in July but I had no interest in trying to book one of the allotted time slots, all of which would sell out within seconds of being released. Besides, it’s the cold water I’m after. Anyway, we left the lake just as groups of younger people started arriving with crates of beer. Perfect timing.

Nothing says a field in August as much as this picture.

Finally, two pictures from the following day; L reading, with a compulsory cup of tea in the morning…

… and Oomoo through the window in the evening. So grateful for being able to go to this lovely place. Until the next time!