We finally made it away on holiday, to a lovely house in the Lake District. Now I have a packing list and I kept a day free to sort everything out but even going away for a short time can get a little complex. We’d got some plants on order and of course they were late, so some have been redirected to a friend, others are going to be transplanted by our very kind neighbour when they do finally arrive, and a third lot are being looked after by someone else. The day before we left, the surgery phoned and said I could finally book my second jab, only the two days available were while we were away. I rang and asked what I should do and they said I’d have to keep phoning and hope they’d get some more days allocated for my particular vaccine. I shall feel a whole lot better when I’ve got something in the diary. So I packed and cleaned and worried about 12 weeks intervals. Wouldn’t normally worry too much about leaving the house clean but Millie and John are actually moving in with us the day after we get back, so thought I might have to hit the ground running. Then its thinking about what you might need if it’s cold, or wet or sunny! So I packed walking gear, round the house gear, warm jumpers and I even packed a load of logs to burn, for sitting outside with the family who are also staying up here, only there isn’t a barbecue so I will need to get super creative. Empty bags for shopping at Booths, such a fab shop, and all those other things you think you are going to need.
It’s a beautiful place, the house is lovely, there are full cupboards and in a minute I’m going to set out on a short walk, cos the sun is shining, but I wish I’d got that jab booked in and I wish I’d got some way of burning those logs… Isn’t it silly, I remembered a thousand things, organised loads of stuff, even cleaned the bathroom and mowed the lawn but its the two things I didn’t manage to do that are bugging me. The negative stuff in our lives seems to far out weight the beautiful, peaceful fun stuff. Usually. But not today. Today I am going to concentrate on the view from the house, the taste of my first coffee in the morning, the smile of our granddaughter, even when I was inexpertly trying to dress her. The joy in our grandson’s voice when I went in to get him up. Every moment with him is just such an adventure. We spent five minutes this morning running up and down a gravel path, such joy. The noise of birds and lambs. The click of the kettle, a hot shower. Mike sending wonderful pictures from the top of Blencathra. Book sales are definitely flat but today I am going to concentrate on the joy of late daffodils, and chocolate cake and gin to come, and simply sitting in the sun with a coffee before I go and find a map. And seeing an old friend on the way up here, and knowing they are settled and happy. And and and…
Oh, bugger, I’m counting my blessings again!
