The Hunt for Spring

As it's officially the first day of Spring I thought I'd see if I could find any signs of it around on the Paradise Peninsular

Wrapped up in my warmest coat and looking at the miserable grey skies today, 

I wasn't expecting much.

A few tiny daffodils have ventured forth. 

We usually have lots of these in our garden .... but not this year.

A few brave snowdrops sheltering behind our caravan.

Some blossom at last.

A hint of green shoots appearing on lots of the trees.

Something is starting to grow in the field behind our house.

I was glad to discover there are little shoots all around us, 

maybe Spring will suddenly burst forth in time for Easter.

Here's someone who doesn't care what season it is.

One happy lab helping me on my quest today ... 

she's just pleased to find lots of sniffs out on our morning walk.

Getting back to normal

The early days of January are calling us to get back to some  kind of normality.
Those lazy, 'lounging around days' of Christmas are over
The decorations are down ...
the house has been tidied
all traces of the Christmas season are hidden away till next year.

Shopping has been done ... normal food has been bought.
No more indulgences! No chocolate, mince pies or fancy cheese.
The washing is done and I've been wading through ironing today ... oh dear!

Gradually, life on the P.P. is getting back to normal ...
Mr B's back is healing slowly and he is able to walk again after a week of agony ...
just in time to return to work!

... and my bag is packed for work too!

My lovely, cosy days at home are finally over.

I'm expecting to be very busy as the job takes its hold again, so I may not get as much time in Blogworld as I would like. I will try to read everyone's news but may not get the chance to comment as much as I did before!

But hey .... it's only six weeks till half term! I can cope with that!

Help ... I need some cheering up!

Well, we can't deny it any longer, Winter is here. As soon as the clocks change ... that's it!

The nights are dark and the days are dreary ... I was driving yesterday with my lights on at 3p.m!!!
What's that all about?
I can't bear the thought of  the six dark months ahead of us.

Today we went to the funeral of our friend who died last week ... so, so sad.

It's the first time we have had to say farewell to someone in our own circle of friends and of our own generation ... that doesn't seem right either.

Funerals have always been occasions for my people of my parents age.

I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars again.

I'm also less than happy that I'm still feeling tired after all my treatment in the summer. Two months on and I don't get through the afternoon without falling asleep. I'm not complaining, I just go with it because I can, but soon I'm going to have to think about returning to work and that depresses me too!

So, I need some serious help in cheering myself up .

There's a lovely blog over at Silverpebble which is encouraging us all to take photographs of any wonderful colourful things that we see around us in the depths of winter and share our splash of colour at the beginning of each month. The theory is it will only take about 4 colourful blogs before spring comes around again! I'm going to join in, but I think I need more help than that.


Suggestions on a postcard please!

A Postcard from Borrowdale ...

We spent the weekend in one of my favourite places ... the Lake District. We took our caravan up to the Caravan Club site at Low Manesty.

We pitched up in Manesty Woods, on the shores of Derwentwater in the Borrowdale valley. The waters were a bit choppy on Friday afternoon.

A fresh wind was blowing across the lake, but we knew our caravan was waiting for us, all warm and cosy.

On Saturday we headed into Keswick for a stroll around the market, before walking down to the lake at Grasmere.

.... where Inca had her usual swim

... one very wet dog.  It's never too cold for swimming!

The signs of the changing season were all around us .... the leaves are turning ...

..berries are weighing branches down ...

the forest floor is crunchy underfoot...

...weird and wondeful fungi ...

and the surest sign that summer has finished?

We are bundled up in our duvet jackets!

Clinging on to summer ...

After moaning about the sad demise of summer in yesterday's post, today, here on the Paradise Peninsula, we had the brightest, warmest, blue sky sort of day you could imagine. It was just perfect.

Summer flowers are clinging on ....

Across our field the apples are just about clinging on to the branches too, after the recent windy weather

We've got more apples than we know what to do with, and I'm hunting out recipes for apple jelly and the like.

Inca spent the whole day in the garden, playing with her favourite pig, and just enjoying the sunshine.

It was so nice, I got my sun lounger out, and joined her for an hour.... finishing off my latest book in the warmth. 

I'm getting used to relaxing and pleasing myself.... so more days like this please! What are the chances?

I'm not ready ....

The new school year has started ..

Other peoples' blogs are welcoming the new season with cheerful autumnal references

the mornings are darker and weather is changing .... my summer flowers are fading ...

as I look out my window now it is sunny, but last night our house was rocked by autumn's first storm

the shops are full of drab coloured outfits.

 I want to shout 'STOP' ...  I'm not ready for Autumn!

There, I've said it ... I can't bear the thought of it being Autumn yet.

I'm not ready to put away my pretty summer clothes and the picnic basket.

I'm not ready to wear cardigans and coats
I'm not ready to wear shoes with socks

I'm not ready for cold weather ...

(now I know summer was wet, but it wasn't cold!)

I actually love Autumn.

I love the colours, and the feeling of a fresh new start (the legacy of years and years of teaching)

I love being warm and cosy in our house while the weather rages outside ...

but not yet!

I feel as though I've had summer stolen from me this year... with days spent at the hospital instead of out and about.

Come back at the end of September ... I might be ready to discuss it then!