Time out...

Life is too busy. I don't seem to be able to slow it down. The last couple of months have brought a whole new set of challenges and, without really making a conscious decision, I bowed out of blogland for a bit. There just hasn't been time even to browse what other people are writing about and the camera has been pretty much out of action. Add to that a few 'IT issues' (my ageing mac will no longer recognise my phone...) and the whole process of blogging has felt like too much effort when I don't have much to say or much energy to do it!

But I have just spent an hour or so having a peek into all the lovely lives out there and feel I've just caught up with 'friends', so thought I'd just drop a few lines in to say I'm still here and doing ok, just not making the blog my biggest priority just now.

The best I can do for photos is email them from my phone! Bit of a chore and the quality suffers a bit I think. I am still enjoying the courtyard view from my kitchen window - the plants out there have grown like crazy and filled the beds. It seems to behave like a little microclimate with everything a bit ahead of what I would expect - there are fuschias in flower and roses not far off. And we have a family of blackbirds nesting in the holly bush. It amazes me that in the middle of a city courtyard there can be such a flurry of bird activity. I put up a bird feeding station and my regular visitors are the blackbirds, a robin and a whole range of tits. They are just a couple of feet from the window and provided I stand still they are happy just to snack away. I just snapped him just before he took off...

I did manage a family day over Easter with my sister and family over from the midlands. Their distance from the seaside contrasts with our proximity and we usually try to make time to go, so Easter sunday we headed up to the North East Norfolk coast. It was a beautiful day and lots of people had the same idea. Not that you'd know it from the beach...

There was a sharp Easterly wind blowing off the sea which practically took your breath away and whipped stinging sand into your face, so most had stayed the land side of the sand dunes. But we had come for a walk on the beach, so we were very British about it and kept walking! Although I have to confess we walked back just the other side of the dunes. I am constantly delighted that these cousins, who range from 14 to 25 and don't see so much of each other these days, still get on so well and really enjoy each other's company. They are all interesting young people now and I hope they will always have that special relationship. I had no aunts/uncles and so no cousins and I think its a great bond to have. I do find myself looking at them and wondering how they got so grown up though!

Seems only five minutes since that young woman on the left in the picture above was this little girl...

Somebody slow the world down, its going way too fast for my liking...

Til then, will pop in when I can...

S x

settling in...

I've been meaning to post a few glimpses of where I'm calling home for the time being; most of these photos were taken a while ago but somehow I just haven't managed to get myself organised to put them on here.

So, having been here 7 weeks now, seems about time! There is a slightly strange feeling of impermanence about renting - I have a minimum tenancy of 6 months and think its very likely that I will stay longer but I am conscious that its probably not a long term arrangement. There are pros and cons to this I've decided; on the one hand I have to live with the ill fitting doors and dodgy light fittings but on the other, I didn't have to pay for the chimney to be rebuilt!!!

Considering the array of places I looked at, I'm pretty happy with where I have ended up. I have a reasonable sized kitchen for an old Victorian city terrace...

...plus an additional utility room area, which is a bonus. And I have space for a table and chairs in one room and living room at the front of the house - believe me, some of the places I looked at were SO small! At 45, I am definitely too old to have to eat every meal on my knees!!! (nothing wrong with the occasional 'sofa' tea, but I definitely prefer to sit at a table - call me old fashioned...)

There are plenty of shelves and wonky cupboards...

...so much so, that I can collect more books, and random bits and pieces (with no one to say 'why have you bought that toot?!'). An Indian friend gave me two lengths of sari fabric, one made a pair of curtains for this room, the other in the front room (no photos of them yet). They are such lovely fabrics and although this pair are unlined and more decorative than anything, I am really pleased with them - they just made the room feel a bit cosier somehow. 

I have just a little piece of garden...

Its a very long way from the garden I have left behind, with its views across open fields - and when I popped back last weekend, there is the biggest patch of snowdrops yet and lots of daffodils springing up - definite pangs there :-(

However, I have space to hang my washing outside when the weather is nice enough and I am quite enjoying seeing what is popping up in this little outside space.

This bed seems to be a favourite with the local moggies - haven't actually seen the offender yet but they seem to have managed to unearth a load of bulbs and left 'presents'! Grr...may have to find a way of putting them off!!

There seemed to be a few gaps this side, so I planted a tray of wallflowers I picked up in the reduced bit of the DIY store. They looked a bit tatty when I bought them, but soon picked up with their roots in the ground and I'm hoping they'll more than pay for themselves with colour and scent later in the year. There seem to be a few bulbs popping up and I've added a few more - snowdrops and crocuses (I may have to stay another year to see the benefit from those!) - and this is the bed, that has a confused rose in it. Don't know if you can see it if you look carefully in the middle - at this point it was in full leaf and had a bud. Now it has an open flower, which is going a bit brown round the edges with the frosty mornings!

I found I was really missing my fresh herbs, so I have put a couple of pots in this space by the back door - rosemary and thyme are the ones I can't do without. Later in the year I will probably add marjoram and/or oregano, parsley, chives and maybe some mint.

I am really enjoying flowers. Nearly every week I have picked up a very cheap bunch of something bright - either late in the day from the market or the supermarket.

This week I have bright yellow tulips in this vase on the table, daffodils in the front room and gerberas in the kitchen and bathroom! Lush! And whilst I wouldn't recommend drafty old windows and doors at this time of year, the flowers seem to last longer!

And I do love being just a short walk from the city centre...

One morning I walked into town early, when there was just such a lovely golden light across the rooftops. It doesn't feel as though there has been much blue sky just lately but that morning it was enough to brighten anyone's day...

The Roman Catholic cathedral was almost glowing...

And although I'd beaten most of the market traders that morning, the colours of the stalls seemed particularly cheerful...

Looking back through these photos has reminded me of some of the positives of this life change - of course, there are things I miss (and people I miss, goes without saying!) but I am able to live independantly for probably the first time really. And, you know what? Most of the time it's ok...

On a completely separate tack, and for those blogspot experts out there - I have a question! I tried to change my header tonight and it says I have exceeded my photo limit. Didn't realise there was one and don't quite know what to do about it (and holding my breath that all these pictures upload...). Has anyone come across this and do you know how to fix it?

Thanks!

Til next time then

Sx

and back in the room...

It seems like an age but finally...I can reconnect!

Such a lot has happened in the last few months, I feel I may take a while to catch up with myself. Much of it is of no interest to anyone else and I'm not sure I want to log for posterity so will probably go unsaid. What is certain, having had a quick glance, is that I will definitely not catch up with the  long list of blogs I haven't read so going to start afresh from today!

I do have a whole lot of photos I want to share - a bit of this...

...a bit of this...

and other things that have helped me keep going...

I want to share something of my new surroundings and some of what life has brought my way...

BUT...and this is quite a big but..! Being cut off from the internet has been something of an education! In lots of ways it has been a complete pain - no access to so many important things (just have a count today of how many times you read, hear or are told "just check on the website...", my phone bill was enormous this month), have felt cut off from things I enjoy or count as social connections - I could go on (believe me, I have really missed the web!!!). But - I have probably done more 'other' stuff by force of having more time - I have read several books, finished the ripple blanket, a pair of socks, a jumper, listened to a lot of radio, been for long walks, read the paper (can't remember when I last did that! still can't finish the crossword...) etc etc

So...I am aiming to be a bit more disciplined with my web time - do the 'have to do' stuff first then allow a bit of browsing time but maybe have a cut off so I go and do something else! Aim for more balance...that seems to be something I should probably apply to life in general!

Overall though, glad to be back, looking forward to seeing what people are up to, very grateful for the messages I have had during my downtime and may have a little rush of posts in the next few days while I bring myself up to date!

Til then

Sx