Chased By Sharks, And Other Adventures
26/3/22 Saturday
First adventure: Black belt training, Newton Abbott. Added on to yesterday’s logging this really hit my glutes.
Second adventure: packed up for a night on the land. We decided to test the sofa bed in the stable, and light the big fire pit in the lower field. Made up the bed with blankets, air mattresses, and duvet, made up the fire with ash twigs. Made Dog a nice bed on a pile of cardboard, a blanket, and her memory foam mattress. Too achy-tired to cook on the fire so we purchased fish and chips which we ate in the van watching the day’s colours blaze out. Caught a view of the sun as we drove in, it looked close enough to grab, vivid red, a whacking great star stuck on the tops of tree silhouettes. I’m getting the order of things muddled here because I am tired, but the views were worth it. The fire kept us toasty as long as we stayed close, the night was cold. Dog curled up in the grass, also tired after trotting around following scents and even bringing sticks to chase. I had to bribe her with a treat to persuade her to walk up to the stable, after the fire had ebbed to undulations of orange under the dark sky. It was cold in the stable, so we went to bed fully dressed. My glutes ached and only movement would appease the ache, but movement also lost pockets of body heat. Sleep happened sporadically. Woken once by shivering, once by Dog. We both heard her, and both thought she was rolling, like us, to get warm or comfy- perhaps her arthritis was hurting and we were terrible for bringing her here- but a quick flick of the torch showed that she was happily dragging out the chip boxes to lick up the tasty fat.
First adventure: Black belt training, Newton Abbott. Added on to yesterday’s logging this really hit my glutes.
Second adventure: packed up for a night on the land. We decided to test the sofa bed in the stable, and light the big fire pit in the lower field. Made up the bed with blankets, air mattresses, and duvet, made up the fire with ash twigs. Made Dog a nice bed on a pile of cardboard, a blanket, and her memory foam mattress. Too achy-tired to cook on the fire so we purchased fish and chips which we ate in the van watching the day’s colours blaze out. Caught a view of the sun as we drove in, it looked close enough to grab, vivid red, a whacking great star stuck on the tops of tree silhouettes. I’m getting the order of things muddled here because I am tired, but the views were worth it. The fire kept us toasty as long as we stayed close, the night was cold. Dog curled up in the grass, also tired after trotting around following scents and even bringing sticks to chase. I had to bribe her with a treat to persuade her to walk up to the stable, after the fire had ebbed to undulations of orange under the dark sky. It was cold in the stable, so we went to bed fully dressed. My glutes ached and only movement would appease the ache, but movement also lost pockets of body heat. Sleep happened sporadically. Woken once by shivering, once by Dog. We both heard her, and both thought she was rolling, like us, to get warm or comfy- perhaps her arthritis was hurting and we were terrible for bringing her here- but a quick flick of the torch showed that she was happily dragging out the chip boxes to lick up the tasty fat.
27/3/22 Sunday (Mother’s Day, UK)
Woke weary, yet happy, because adventures are like that. Wandered out to see a crescent moon in a pale blue-pink sky, a sweep of frost across the low fields. Mr made coffee and we sat wrapped in blankets watching the sunrise.
29/3/22 Tuesday
Family gathering on the land- the gravel was lava, we had to get safe! We all climbed the felled ash- it’s a bridge! A unicorn! A horse, but look out! There are sharks underneath! We agreed that sharks do predate from below, so kept our feet pulled up just in case.
Family gathering on the land- the gravel was lava, we had to get safe! We all climbed the felled ash- it’s a bridge! A unicorn! A horse, but look out! There are sharks underneath! We agreed that sharks do predate from below, so kept our feet pulled up just in case.
30/3/22 Wednesday
A rare-for-me solo excursion to Exmouth to catch up with kids big and small. We sat around Eldest Daughter's dining table amazed by the vigorous chickpea-sized hail bouncing off the yard, eating bowls of bolognaise, talking- a table full of babble, all delicious, priceless. I have written more about it, made notes of grandchildren in particular, which is not shared here because it seems unfair to put them under public scrutiny as they grow into little adults. (Doesn't mean I will be above compiling Most Embarrassing lists for comedy or bribery though. All the best grandparents are edgy like that.)
A rare-for-me solo excursion to Exmouth to catch up with kids big and small. We sat around Eldest Daughter's dining table amazed by the vigorous chickpea-sized hail bouncing off the yard, eating bowls of bolognaise, talking- a table full of babble, all delicious, priceless. I have written more about it, made notes of grandchildren in particular, which is not shared here because it seems unfair to put them under public scrutiny as they grow into little adults. (Doesn't mean I will be above compiling Most Embarrassing lists for comedy or bribery though. All the best grandparents are edgy like that.)
31/3/22 Thursday
Me (pyjamas under faux fur coat) and Youngest Daughter (attired for the day in her homemade dungarees) drove down to the beach to just miss the sunrise. Watched the waves roll in, tidy and compact, felt the wind bite our fingers, sipped hot coffee from flasks, loving life, admiring the swimmers but keeping our feet dry and warm on this occasion. Very mild peril.
Me (pyjamas under faux fur coat) and Youngest Daughter (attired for the day in her homemade dungarees) drove down to the beach to just miss the sunrise. Watched the waves roll in, tidy and compact, felt the wind bite our fingers, sipped hot coffee from flasks, loving life, admiring the swimmers but keeping our feet dry and warm on this occasion. Very mild peril.
1/4/22 Friday
Grandchildren 6 & 7 have both lost their wellies so we started today's babysitting session with indoor play before going to cause some havoc at Homeleigh Garden Centre- careering around sheds, bumping trolleys, oogling tropical fish. Me and Mr sat with a hot drink while they attacked the outdoor play area. Can you believe they were chased by sharks, again? And escaped on horseback, again? Later, when the house was quiet, again, and almost tidy, we sat in bed to keep warm while we watched agroforestry tutorials, accumulating knowledge for further adventures.
Grandchildren 6 & 7 have both lost their wellies so we started today's babysitting session with indoor play before going to cause some havoc at Homeleigh Garden Centre- careering around sheds, bumping trolleys, oogling tropical fish. Me and Mr sat with a hot drink while they attacked the outdoor play area. Can you believe they were chased by sharks, again? And escaped on horseback, again? Later, when the house was quiet, again, and almost tidy, we sat in bed to keep warm while we watched agroforestry tutorials, accumulating knowledge for further adventures.
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