When life changes around you then it can be difficult to know what day it is. What had been regular becomes irregular. It takes time to regain a sense of stability or indeed, to learn how to live with instability. So when I found myself writing my daily card last night it came as a shock to me to realise that it was Wednesday and not Tuesday, as I had thought. There were many signs that I missed during the day that would have told me the day, but for whatever reason that didn’t happen. Rather than be hard on myself, I have learned to accept these moments within me and consider that there has been another reason for it happening, meanwhile allowing the post to naturally appear in its own time.
Now that it is Thursday I can announce that my second of two pcr tests has also been confirmed as negative. Hurrah! Freedom! Time to go out and enjoy some scenery. Instead of writing this morning I took up the offer to head into town and visit the delights of the neighbourhood. Back to understanding the conversations that are happening around me. Back to the delights of Toasties and the delicious mix of ham, brie and cranberry washed down with a peppermint tea mmm no matter that it was while sitting outside as the rain fell – thankfully under shelter!
The lovely arcade/canopy is part of a terrace of shops and houses of Edwardian architecture. Across the road are the ornamental gardens which I hope to have a better walk around if I find a dry day. The town is actually blessed with ‘one of the mildest climates in the north of England, is the perfect place to relax and unwind. Take in panoramic views across Morecambe Bay or walk in the Ornamental Gardens, where semi-tropical trees and shrubs surround the centre piece pond with its colourful array of ducks and geese from all over the world.’ www.exploresouthlakeland.co.uk
The flowers and shrubs are bursting forth with their blossoms. We took a run round the town and some of the shops before heading home, when, Amanda decided to drive on and take me to see Cartmel and then on we went further. The flowers and the hedgerows are luscious after the rain. Currently the beautiful blue bluebells are dotted in patches both on the roadsides and in the woods that line the roads. Woodruff, buttercups, lady's smock (also known as the Cuckoo flower) one of my favourites. We passed wild garlic, white campion, dog tooth violet, daisies and beautiful swathes of cowslips.
The colours a pretty patchwork to please the eye of a UK starved returnee.
It is safe to say I love the countryside. Blessed with growing up in a bountiful land and accepting of the rain that makes it so. As children, my siblings and me would play a game while out walking naming flowers, birds, fish, trees etc. as an A-Z string of learning and sharing. When I used to walk in the Parc de Collserola around Barcelona I would share the names of the flowers growing there that I recognised. A joy to be able to remember a few so many years after learning them.
We drove on to Ulverston and took the coast road ending up at a delightful village where the road ended at the Lifeboat station and looking over onto Peel Island. There just happened to be an ice-cream shop nearby and as it was dry again we took advantage
of the benches over-looking the sea and watched some boats sail past while listening to the waves lapping on the shore; very relaxing. We headed back home from there and it turned out we had been gone from the house for five hours. Maybe it was the sea air but definitely felt like a siesta after that.
I have been revisiting my ability to crochet and have managed to make a cushion for my friends camper van. That has been very relaxing too and we have chatted for hours about so many different subjects as the days progress.
Life can be joyous and for me it is. We have been making meals and enjoying the local produce and treated ourselves to a Greek take out on Friday night. There have been interesting programs to watch on TV like The Repair Shop and Treasure Hunters. Not that I watch a lot of TV but it has been a change for me to have a wider choice than the odd English language programme on Spanish TV.
The name of this song came to me yesterday possibly due to my feelings of release: ‘Freedom Come All Ye (Scottish Gaelic: Thig Saorsa Uile) is a Scots language socialist and anti-imperialist song written by Hamish Henderson in 1960.One of Henderson's most important songs, it presents a non-romantic view of the role of the Scots in the world at the time it was written.’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Come-All-Ye One of the things I am noticing being back in the UK is the apparent dictatorship of Government in what I thought was a democracy. There is a saying that things get worse before they get better. I hope that something shifts this soon into a more fair and just society to live in. It is a worrying trend that is not doing the poor people of this land any favours while the rich get richer and Governments appear to toady to the writers of the cheques! Not much has changed since that song was written. How long can it go on I wonder?
Meanwhile I will carry on with my crochet, sharing recipes and enjoy the views.
Much love. Namaste, Patricia xx
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