A Different Day

 Hello lovelies, 

 there was no repeat of yesterday's pretty start, so I spent the morning doing housework.  It's not something I can do Monday to Friday as I go to help my mum in law every weekday morning.  

Today the house was empty and it gave me chance to get on. I find it so difficult when there are people cluttering up the place 😀

It reminded me of when we bought our first house in the late 80's.  If I was lucky enough to get the weekend off I could clean the whole place on Saturday morning (it was a tiny new build and there were only 2 of us) and I loved having it all tidy , knowing the rest of the weekend was free to enjoy. 

A morning of housework won't get this whole house sorted, but it does look better and still helps me to relax. 

As you can see from the pictures I did get a walk this afternoon. It was very windy and showery on and off, but I'm trying to be disciplined and do 2.5 miles everyday (at least) so that I can hopefully reach my new (lowered) 800 mile target by the end of December. 

It was pretty gloomy by the time I returned home but my cosmos in the front garden brought a welcome pop of colour. Amazingly they seem almost untouched by yesterday's frost.

Time for a cup of tea and some of my homemade tea loaf. 

I'm still using THIS recipe. It's an old favourite,  as is my mug. 

For me it really is "home sweet home" even if it's a constant battle to keep it tidy,  with 5 adults at home.

 Thankfully it still makes me happy to have a full house 🏡🧍‍♀️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️😊

I hope you lovelies are having a good weekend.

Jacquie x

The First Frost

 Having to take youngest to work for 8am is frustrating when you wake up to see a glistening frost and just want to get outside to enjoy the beauty of it. 

As soon as I got home I pulled on my walking boots and headed off. 

Frosts I have missed you.

The ice crystals and rising sun are all so magical. 

I just love being out in the cold when the air is still and the sky is this colour.

Looking up  I noticed a skein of geese...no hang on they are all white. Swans. Just wonderful.

  I ponder what type they will be. Probably our resident Mute swans. But I did hear them honk. 

I've checked up and Mute swans are so called because they don't call in flight. It seems they were most likely migrating Bewick's swans! Just on a short trip from Siberia!! 

Sorry about the rubbish photo. I don't even try and zoom with my phone camera as it's not good at that.

This sighting made me so happy, what a treat. 

The frost was rapidly disappearing by this time and the sheep looked content, grazing in the sunshine.

I loved how the sunlight made this beautiful yellow leaf really glow too.

By this time it was about 9am. Sometimes I pinch myself that I can get outdoors and enjoy all this any day of the week. Usually it just makes me smile. Today it actually made me sob. Gosh that was a surprise. 

I think it was just gratitude for the quiet days I'm blessed with at the moment. To be retired from  a job I was increasingly struggling with over the past few years is amazing. 

I know how fortunate I am to be in this position. Homemaking and caring for family is generally very rewarding.  I have a good balance of time for myself and commitments every day. I'm certainly never bored. Life is good. 

Who knows what's around the corner. Circumstances can change but I'm not going to worry about that at the moment . I'm just trying to remember to count my blessings and look for the joy in every day, one day at a time. 

Jacquie x

A Pretty Painting

Hello lovelies, 

pretty pictures seem to have been a bit thin on the ground over the last couple of days. I've been out walking locally  every day. I'm sure you have seen these views many times, but they do still make me smile.

I'm always happy that I have countryside on my doorstep

It means so much to me to easily be able to feel in touch with the seasons and appreciate nature. 

Today I've been defrosting the freezer, I'm sure you are thrilled to see this process 😂.

It's a pain of a job but it's done now. I suppose most people have frost-free freezers these days? 

This one was my Nanna's . She had it to preserve all the produce my grandad grew on his two allotments. That generation had such great eco credentials without even having heard of such a thing, hadn't they . It's pretty old now but holds loads. These days it's not homegrown foods sadly, but I still feel it helps us avoid waste and saves us loads of money. 

The temperatures have really dropped this week and I fear the end maybe nigh for my cosmos. We haven't had a frost yet but I think tonight must be the night. It's currently 3 degrees Celsius outside  (9pm)

 

I do like cold nights and I've put our winter duvet on the bed this week. It's been so snugly and lovely.

Thankfully the garden has some things in it which look their best in  winter, like this crab apple. There's a full sized tree of the same variety ( Red Sentinel)  on my regular walking route and it's a magnet for the birds in the cold months.

I just love to see the Redwings, fieldfares and blackbirds feasting.

 Last winter I did quite a few digital paintings using an app on my phone. You may have seen them on Instagram.

 I don't think I shared this one though. Looking at it again now I'm pretty pleased with it. It could make a nice Christmas card, don't you think? 

I'm so  happy that I managed to finish this post with a pretty picture for you lovelies.

Stay cosy if you are in a chilly part of this beautiful world.

Jacquie x

The Dahlias of Calke

Hello Lovelies, 

my new walking target saw me making the effort to do a half hour (1.5 mile) walk first thing this morning. This was just after 7am and I was so happy to be out, admiring the sunrise.

 The freezer is so iced up it's pretty urgent that I get around to defrosting it. I'm trying to use up the contents at the moment and a bag of frozen butternut squash has emerged now it's half empty. 

Time to make some easy soup.

Not a big batch as I don't want to have to freeze any 😁 Just enough for a couple of lunches. Yummy.

After lunch I headed out with mum, to one of my favourite local National Trust properties. Calke Abbey

I don't think the house was open today, but I hadn't come to see inside. 

I made a bee-line for the garden.

It was cold and sunny today, but warm and sunny in the greenhouses.

With gorgeous flowers.

But I was here  to see the Dahlia beds. Frost was forecast last night, but thankfully it didn't get that cold. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of frost but the first hard one will surely be the end of this stunning display.  

Only the long shadows and chilly shade gave away that we are in November. Just look at this floral beauty.

I love Dahlias in all their different forms and was so happy I see these before they are spoiled.

These single ones with frilly centres were my favourite today.

 

The kitchen garden was still looking splendid too.

And this handsome chap caught my eye as I headed back to meet up with mum, sketching in the car.

This is the view she had through the car window.

And this is the fab sketch she was inspired to draw. All the colour was such a nice surprise to me 😍💛💚💗

To finish our trip we made a quick stop off at the Ferrers Centre 

So much seasonal prettiness here too.

With frost forecast again tonight I feel blessed to have squeezed in my Dahlia visit and I'm very happy mum said she really enjoyed the trip too.

Jacquie x 

Welcome November

Hello lovelies, 

a new month means new calendar pictures to enjoy. This year I have three.

 I love this  Carolyn Carter   one so much I recycled it to use and enjoy for a second year. It was a faff printing out a new dates sheet to fit, but it means I can use it as my "walking calendar" and record all my outdoor miles.

This is my main calendar for birthdays and appointments etc. If you've read my blog for any length of time you will know  of my love of Edith Holden's illustrations.

My third calendar is a photographic one, featuring Devon landscapes.

It lives in my potting shed these days.

 How I love this recently constructed growing and pottering space. It's light yet cosy, small yet practical. I've got a radio in there and it's a total joy to pot up plants out of the wind with everything to hand.

My addiction to the garden this summer and helping with this project is probably the reason my walking calendar has this sad looking miles total recorded for the year so far.

Oh dear, I should be at over 800 miles if I want to walk 1000 miles this year. Obviously that isn't going to happen now.

 I'm a little disappointed as I've managed to walk 1000 miles a year for several years in a row now. But rather than get disheartened I've set myself a new, manageable goal of 800 miles by the end of December.

 That's 75 miles a month or 2.5 miles a day if my maths is correct. In October I only did 67 miles so I need to up my game a little but it's not too daunting.

This afternoon it was tempting to stay indoors as it was raining, but with my new target in mind I headed out anyway. As eldest ( who's always liked going out in the rain)  says "I'm not made of sugar."😊

Muddy puddles are no problem when you have wellies.

And there's always something interesting to spot.

I was still happy when the rain stopped though.

Autumn colour is only just building at the moment.

So I'll keep my fingers crossed  that November will bring 75 miles of  beautiful russet tones.

I'll finish this post by saying thank you again for all your thoughtful comments. I'm enjoying being back in Blogland very much. You are such a lovely group of readers.

Jacquie x