It’s a Girl Thing
Life…and the simplest things!
I think a lot about life, as you’ll know if you read my blogs!
People often ask me how I manage to fit so much in; at the weekend a fellow runner said, ‘You do such a lot and seem to be so consistent, do you ever just crash?’ Thinking about it for a nano-second I replied, ‘Not really…but I know when I’m overdoing it and I do have days when I do very little – just pottering around or reading’.
Yesterday was ‘sort-of’ one of those pottering days; starting with a 4 mile run (which I find fun – hence ‘relaxing’) I then dropped some home-made jam to our friend, N, who looks after Martha for us occasionally. I then went to meet a couple of my best friends for breakfast at 10am (I had managed to pop home for a super quick shower before breakfast). Putting the world to rights, generally chatting about our lives and families whilst eating a delicious breakfast (a treat off L) I found two hours slipped by like the speed of light.
Once home I pottered in the garden; dead-heading, raking up leaves and twigs and sitting down now and then for a coffee and/or a phone call by 3.30pm I decided to take myself off for a blackberry collecting expedition. I say expedition because my initial walk down Dark Lane (Astwood Bank) produced only around a bakers-dozen berries so I detoured across some fields towards Doe Bank. My-oh-my: I found several bushes with zillions (well, maybe hundreds) of berries. I was quite excited at the find!
Not wanting to be greedy I picked just over a pound of blackberries, popped them in my wicker-basket and strolled home feeling like Red-Riding Hood. My sister bought me the basket when we lived on a narrow-boat and I love it; it’s often the simple things that we love the most and, mindful of the old saying, ‘Only keep things that are useful or beautiful’, I will keep it forever. Thank-you P!
At 5.30pm I set off for a second run (I only run twice in a day on a Monday). A few friends ran with me from Webheath to Bentley Pauncefoot: yesterday was the 12th anniversary of my Dad’s death so we stopped at his memorial bench to say ‘Hello’. I don’t ‘mourn’ my dad – I celebrate his life and the fact that I was lucky enough to have him for so many years (51.5 to be precise).
Dropping one of my running buddies, E, home, she offered me some apples from her orchard – how could I refuse? After a quick shower and bite to eat I used the apples and the blackberries to make crumbles…one (the large one) for me and my OH, one for my mum, one for my godmother/aunt and one for a friend, P, who’s been very poorly.
I finished the day by watching TV at 9pm; a shocking programme about a man who alleged he had been abused…he had fabricated the whole story which caused huge stress to many people.
By 10pm I was tucked in bed with a book I’ve been meaning to read for years – ‘Narrowboat’ by L.T.C. Rolt. Besides being so descriptive and well written, it’s a wonderful reminder of my time living aboard and re-inforces how the simplest of lives (not necessarily the easiest) are often the best.
Hugs
Leigh xx
It’s a Girl Thing
It’s a Girl Thing
It’s a while since I’ve blogged – there are several reasons but a couple are:
1. I don’t want to bore you with blogs just about running and pilates (which are my two mainstays during this odd period of time)
2. I am reticent to comment on the state of play nowadays because it appears living with Covid 19 is bringing out both the best and the worst in people generally…and I really don’t want to see the bad side of anyone!
To be honest, I even feel sorry for the government because they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Take two recent decisions; announcing that masks in shops have to be worn they gave us a couple of weeks notice, announcing quarantining on return from Spain they made an immediate action. They were criticised for giving notice re the masks – after all, surely if they are such a life-saver the announcement should have been immediate? They are now being criticised for giving zero notice for the quarantine period.
Moving swiftly on to a less controversial subject, the garden is looking pretty good just now. My cottage garden is not a perfect garden and I am just a novice but some of the colours are absolutely stunning.
I realise I should have taken advice from a lovely man who has just passed away and removed some of the plums as they are now too heavy for the branches (sorry R, next year I’ll do as you told me ❤️).
I recently gave away a fair bit of beautiful yellow Broom and I am in the process of offering clumps of Crocosmia to people . I never used to like this plant but I’ve grown to appreciate it – it fills gaps as it spreads (and appears to self-seed) and the vibrancy of the orange flowers is a real ‘cheerer-upper’.
Finishing on a positive for those of us who really do not want to wear a mask (although I will when I absolutely need to) I have found a couple of local suppliers for fruit and veg and am awaiting my first delivery. Along with online shopping this pretty much negates the need for me to wear a mask other than picking up any ‘voluntary shopping for those shielding in our village’ – this takes just minutes as the orders are placed and paid for and our fabulous village shop will bring the bags to the door. Our local butcher will also take orders from outside. I feel very privileged to live in a village with such friendly and thoughtful shops and people.
Hugs,
Leigh xx
N.B. If I were a key-worker or employee of a business where a mask was necessary of course I would wear one, but I would never CHOOSE to go somewhere like a supermarket or shopping centre and HAVE to wear one…if you do that’s fine, we are all different!
