respite...

I really try to be a 'glass half full' person and most of the time I manage but boy, is life throwing some challenges at my family at the moment. None of them mine to share - all I can do is try to be there for my sons & believe that things will get better.

Add that to a job that seems to know no boundaries (accept this is probably my fault...) and the time for me to recharge is virtually non-existant. The beach trips are on hold for now and today (my day off!) saw me sitting down with the equivalent of 2 solid days of writing to do, deadlines looming at the end of the month. 

But a combination of some Spring sunshine and an inability to concentrate meant that in the end I indulged in diversional therapy - a yoga class (have just gone back to yoga after a 10 yr+ hiatus & loving it) and a spot of pottering in the garden.

I managed to remove a couple of bags of dead leaves and broken twigs, plus a whole load of weeds already making themselves known and uncovered some finds, including these...

I can't tell you how pleased I was to see them - not just because it definitely means spring is on the way, but also because it feels like a 'good sign' (and we do need one of those) because I spent 20 years in my previous house trying to cultivate reluctant snowdrops and never managed a sweet little clump like these. Simple pleasures.

Late afternoon and the courtyard had a slightly golden glow but it was still pleasant enough to just sit for a bit and think peaceful thoughts. In retrospect, I realise I should have moved the two bags of cleared stuff before I took the photo but hey ho...

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that my rather drastic pruning hasn't proved terminal for some of the ancient roses out here but there are definitely new shoots on most of the plants so I'm optimistic. Whether they will actually flower this year remains to be seen.

My penance for a little avoidance therapy is that I've just spent 6 hours this evening trying to inch towards the deadlines but that little time outside was worth it.

Trying to harness and channel that positive energy...

S x