A lovely sunny morning out there. I slept better and woke to find Lulu cwtched against my back on one side and Pippi still down between the duvet and the top quilt on the other. It was 8 a.m. and for once, Alfie hadn't come upstairs at 4 a.m. demanding to be Let Out!
Gill - I hope that your move went well and you are finally waking up in your new home albeit with a grumpy cat who is probably NOT impressed with the move or the new home!
I must bake an apple cake for my friend C up the lane as a thank you for the apples they are giving me. I need to put the Mincemeat I made (in a big bowl in the fridge ever since) in jars today too. I will make more. I have a good Mincemeat Cake recipe which uses up the jars which didn't go into seasonal Mince Pies.
I went across to Tam's on Friday and helped in the garden again. Rosie has slept for 5 hours the previous night and was a much happier soul. I still think she may be waking up cold but the current belief is that you don't put covers over babies, but they sleep in a baby sleeping bag which leaves their hands and arms exposed, as you want to protect them from cot death that way. Well, that might be the current thinking, but common sense sometimes has to prevail. Back in my day, the "fashion" to protect against choking on sick was to lay the baby face down which I thought was a sure fire way of them suffocating so never did it AND I covered mine with a blanket or baby duvet, and with padded bumpers around the cot. Mine all survived and slept quite well - just waking up when hungry (which was often enough!)
Today I need to get out for my sanity. The meeting over the text content has worsened as my gut feeling about the apology sought has been proven and it has caused much upset to all concerned. I will not air my dirty washing here but suffice it to say that I have been set back on the grieving path and the guilt button heavily pressed. In fact, it's one of those situations you couldn't make up.
I am conscious of the amount of diesel used this month (trips to Malvern, Carmarthen, Brecon and Aberystwyth - none of them the least bit local) so won't go far, but perhaps I will go to the garden centre and buy bulbs or else go out to the Elan Valley and have a walk now the trees are changing colour. I'll wait for it to warm up a bit first though as it's been just 2 deg. here overnight.
Thinking of all my blog friends and just Thank You for being there to listen . . .
Nocturnal cat company is good.I am staying with friends for a week and their cat snuggles up behind me on the covers overnight and purrs us to sleep every time I wake during the night
ReplyDeleteIt's better when Alfie stays downstairs, I have to admit. My girls purr me to sleep too.
DeleteFriends with new grandchildren tell me they have to bite their tongues! It’s good to share your woes and believe me you are not alone. Now you can laugh at me when I tell you I swaddled T from birth. A midwife showed me how and I immediately asked my my mum to make me four swaddling sheets which she did from the softest oldest cotton sheet - I still have the sheets in my drawer of precious baby things. The thing is T was brilliant at sleeping and remains so to this day (he can build a camp and sleep anywhere) whereas K was a nightmare and remains so to this day - so she tells me. When we were in Florence eight years ago and sharing a room she was awake half the night texting her boyfriend which drove me batty. My children are so not two peas from the same pod. Anyway I am feeling almost cured from my post-holiday cold and this morning I’ve made a big pan of ribollita soup and had an hour in the sunshine raking up leaves from the Indian Horse Chestnut tree which because of lack of wind and lots of rain are not blowing themselves into tidy piles but just sitting on the driveway stones. I do love this job .though because the leaves smell of the finest cognac. And now we’ve had lunch we are going out for a local walk from home in lovely sunshine. We have windfall apple and quince cake for afternoon tea (my recipe is Monty Don’s and is from Sarah Raven’s garden cookbook) and the log burner is ready to light and we have hogget loin chops from the farmer for dinner tonight so all is good. I am determined not to let myself get down this November. Onwards and upwards my friend! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteGosh yes, much biting of tongues here! The midwife showed Tam how to swaddle Rosie too and it helped with sleep in the early days. How lovely you still have the soft cotton sheets in your drawer of precious baby things. Children are all individuals, depending on which bit of the genetic genepool they inherited. Gabby seems to have the genes from Keith's Manx family which were also passed on to the Pankhurst women! Not bad genes to have :) (All the people with their name spelt in this special Manx way have the same haplo group. Without the i or the e in the name, nope - not related.) Sorry that you have had a post holiday cold. That ribollita soup should help. As for leaves, here we are smothered with the ones from the massive Sycamoree tree on the edge of the orchard. Ah well, they make good mulch. I miss having Hogget to eat. We used to buy a whole carcass from a neighbour and would butcher it ourselves. . .
DeleteI think I've missed a bit because I don't understand the reference to the text bit but whatever it is I hope it resolves itself. Walking in the fresh air will help, look up at the sky and the colours around you.
ReplyDeleteI went to Avebury this morning. There's definitely a magic about living so near to those stones. I'm still clearing out the shed but I've also started on the attic which is extremely full of goodness knows what!
I can't say much about it as it's edge-of-family so very personal. I was asked to say sorry for something I will absolutely NEVER comply with.
DeleteOh, Avebury. I miss it so much. We used to visit every year when we visited friends in Hampshire and Dorset. Well done with the clearing , and having now reached the attic too. It's on my list here . . .
I'm so sorry to hear that you've been having negativity thrust at you just when you really don't need it.
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling at the moment, just had to have my loved elderly yorkie put to sleep. I keep telling myself it was for the best but I feel dreadful about it and miss her so much.
Anyhoo, this comment isn't supposed to be about me. Thinking of you and hope all your activities and the sweet little grand girl are helping through your grieving for Keith.
Alison in Wales x
Yes, that sums it up completely. I have tried to make allowances but it is now beyond that. I am so sorry about losing your little Yorkie. When you have to make that choice you always feel like a murderer.
DeleteRosie is indeed helping me move forward - she brings SUCH joy.
Let me have a moan ;) My family, all seven of them do not like mince pies or Xmas cake. In other words traditional English Xmas goodies. Also there is not one car amongst them, none of them can even drive. I suppose it is evolution to the next level.
ReplyDeleteBut I would definitely say do not drag your guilt after you. Whatever has happened can't be undone but life is the present moment, so enjoy your walks and do not brood.
Mine too. I used to make Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, Mince Pies (still do the latter) but my kids "don't like currants". Lord knows why, as I've always cooked with them!
DeleteWith the non-car situation - by choice or not whether they drive or not? I would be totally lost without mine. Trying to shed my guilt and today's walk in the Elan Valley helped greatly.
When I had my Annie in 1983, the news was filled with reports of Sudden Infant Death syndrome, so I put her to sleep on her belly. I was terrified to be honest. My Steve had moved us to Florida for his job and I didn’t have my mother nearby to advise me. We had the cot bumpers as well. She ended up well. As a child, I unfortunately turned my nose up at my grandmother’s mince pies because I didn’t like the strong taste of what I believe was the brandy she put in them but as an adult started making mince pies of my own, but replaced the alcohol with orange juice and zest.
ReplyDelete