Blogtober 2020 :: Day 18

Thanks to the fact that we were the first delivery on the list for the humungous white Ikea lorry this morning, I was up and dressed by 7.15am and that doesn't usually happen on a Sunday. Seven Fifteen!! It was a bit of a shock to the system  as I was still completely and utterly sound asleep at 7am, so good job they phoned to a) wake me up and b) announce they were only twenty minutes away. I quite impressed my self at the speed in which I managed to make myself presentable.

It was all good though, because it meant we could get on with our day a little earlier than usual, heading out into the cool grey morning while everything was still sleepy and quiet.

We had Little B with us on our daily walk this morning, which basically meant that I did much of the walk in solitude (he is very much a Daddy's boy at the moment). I didn't mind, really. No really-really I didn't mind at all. It's so sweet to see him and J get along so well, and I was left to trail behind at my own slow pace taking photos as I went.

I notice different things when I am on my own as I generally walk a lot more slowly. I take time to notice the small details as well as the bigger picture around me - nature delights me constantly and I can't imagine living a life where these things go unseen. 

I have to tell you I am really, really, really, really missing the sea at the moment. October is usually a time when I feel an incredibly strong pull to be at the coast and most years I strive to make it happen. We've still got thirteen days of October left, so there is an uber-slim chance that I might be able to see the sea before the month is out, but I'm doubtful.

I stood next to this small waterfall today and appreciated the sound of it filling my ears. I thought to myself - this isn't the sound of the sea, but I mustn't start to be ungrateful wishing for things that I can't have right now.

I ambled along this pathway wondering if J and Little B would think to stop and wait for me to catch up at any point. You can see I was so far behind that they are nowhere to be seen up ahead....

....but I was too busy climbing up muddy banks and photographing my own feet to really mind too much. 

Eventually we caught up with each other and meandered out of the lower gate and along the little access road with it's cute view over to the castle. 

Paused at the top of this hill to take in the town like I always do, saying my silent thanks of gratitude for my home place. There is something very special about this little town, the history, the lively community and the rural down-to-earthness of it. It suits me very well indeed, even if there aren't any waves crashing on the shore here. 

We turned left at the bottom of the hill to head into town instead of going straight home. We had promised Little B a trip to a brand new café in town which specialises in all things chocolatey. The excitement was understandably high. Unfortunately, the exciting new café was unexpectedly closed, oh dear, the disappointment was tangible and Little B was very, very downcast and droopy. He's still at an age where his emotions play out across his little face in vivid openness, and it can be heart breaking to witness.

So we did the only thing we could think of to ease the upset and detoured to our favourite friendly coffee shop where the girls know our order and have it on the go for us before we have chance to even take our coats off. I guess we are "regulars" now then, how lovely is that? Cappuccinos for J and I.....

....and a hot chocolate for Little B. Not a bad second best, and it certainly put a small smile back on his face.

To put it into context, yesterday morning Little B sat the 11+ entrance exam for the grammar school, so it was a Very Big Day for all of us. Quite stressful really to be perfectly honest, even though he was quietly confident and unrattled by the whole procedure. When it was all over we took him to the new chocolate café afterwards for a very well deserved treat, but it was incredibly busy and we couldn't get a seat. So we promised to come back first thing this morning as soon as it opened, hence the ensuing anticipation and huge disappointment when it didn't happen for a second time. Shame eh....but we can look forward to it another day, maybe on Friday after school when we finish for half term.

Today was a slow cooker day, oh the joy of comforting foodie smells filling the house all afternoon! I bought some stewing steak from the butcher yesterday with this recipe in mind, and it was absolutely wonderful. I cheated a little and used a packet dumpling mix where you just add water to the dry flour mix - there is something about using "hard animal fat" for making dumplings which I just can't get excited over. I hate buying that white lardy stuff, let alone getting my hands into it. I made a big tray of roasted potatoes and parsnips to have with the casserole, and we also had sprouts and tenderstem broccoli. It was such a lovely meal, really comforting and tasty and perfectly suited to Autumn.

Part of my Ikea delivery this morning included four boxes of Jubla candles, the plain white unscented ones that are just right for my candelabra. I've missed not having these as they give off quite a lot of light alongside the glow from the fire, so we don't usually have any lights on downstairs in the evenings. It makes for a very cosy atmosphere.

The rest of the Ikea delivery was for Little Lady to finish off her bedroom that she spent weeks tidying and decorating at the start of lockdown. She did such a good job as her walls, ceiling and all the woodwork were painted pale blue, so it took a lot of work to make the whole lot bright white. She did it all by herself, and I was so proud of how hard she worked to transform her space. We bought her a new dressing table, two new mirrors and a bedside table, plus a desk lamp and a planter so that we could re-pot her very healthy and rapidly growing plant which she takes great care of.  J took on the flat pack business, and I got stuck in with the re-potting business, and she is absolutely delighted with it all. The only thing we need to do now is order some new carpet (replacing the dark blue one with a mid grey/neutral). Yeah - her colour scheme is white and pale grey, that's how sophisticated Teenagers are these days, it's all very tasteful and photogenic. I certainly wasn't like that at age 16, I was still all about the rainbows at that age, no real surprises there I guess.

And that about brings us to the end of Sunday, it's been a lovely gentle day full of nothing much, but I have felt contented and grateful for the low key nature of the day after the intensity of yesterday. 

I hope your Sunday has been perfectly weekendish, do tell me a little about your day, I'd love to hear x

 

 

 

Comments

[Ingrid Rendell]

Beautiful day here I spent the morning drooling over patterns for redwork and detouring to your crochet patterns, deciding I'm no good at straight lines I always end up with wonky sides and extra stitches! from there wandered into the garden and sat by the pond, fishing out the leaves from the tree, making sure I didn't scoop up a fish as well, then decided to prune back shrubs and things that snuck in when I wasn't looking. then sat by the pond again just emptying my head. Oh made that beef stew last week as you had recommended oh my I am making that again but going to use a vegetable suet.

[Natasha Goldberg]

I love your Blogtober posts, Lucy! I look forward to them every day, especially since I’m spending my days in a very different way at the moment, working very hard rehearsing difficult contemporary music in preparation for concerts end of next week. I’ll be away from home until the concerts are over, but your posts always give me such a good feeling - vibes of cosines, home, nature and colour...balm for the weary soul! 😊

[julie king]

i'm 57 and still all about rainbows, one of many reasons why i love your blog x

[Christine]

I've been sleeping and chilling
Now crochetting Aria on my 5th row Its lovely to do doing 24 centres will join in dayligh tomorrow Thank you for the pattern Stay Safe Stay Sane xxxx