Oh, My Days!

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Free dog, anyone…?

In the last eight days, Nell the Poo has received three baths. This is three baths too many for my liking. The first bath was because she evaded me on a long walk and succeeded in rolling in a massive pile of fox poo. All over her chest it was, and up either side of her neck. She looked positively triumphant as she emerged from the hedge, and thought I’d like to share in her joy by trying to jump up me. Bleaurgh…no way, José. We returned to the car with me stretching the lead as far as it would go and drove home with all the car windows open. I donned some sturdy rubber gloves before bathing her and gave the bath a good bleach scrub down afterwards. Absolutely revolting.🤢 🤮 On Thursday, she got bowled into the canal by an over-enthusiastic springer spaniel. The spaniel’s owner said, ‘Do you want me to get her out for you?’ but it was too late - I was already on my hands and knees in the mud and wet grass, dangling over the side of the canal to haul a struggling Nell up the steep sid

Volunteering

Yesterday, I spent a lovely day on a training course run by the Oral History Society who are part of the British Library. This came about as a result of me responding to a ‘Volunteers Wanted’ request from our village heritage group who have received funding in order to create an oral history project about the village which will be an extension of the work the group have already done. Adderley Heritage, for that is the name of the group, has spent a lot of time creating an archive of historical documents, developing a website and installing a heritage trail around the village, with information boards placed at strategic sites of historical importance. The village can trace its history back to 1065. That’s a LOT of history! Anyway, off I went to the training day, not knowing quite what to expect other than the usual bribery of tea, cake and lunch. And I have to say it was a thoroughly fascinating experience. The only hiccup occurred because the training location couldn’t be our own vi

The Gnome of Gritty Determination

A few days ago, Nell and I saw these cows on the far side of the canal. It’s a vertiginous bank, and how they got down there, let alone how they get back up is quite beyond me. Can cows channel their inner goat when they need to? Who knows? It’s a wonder of the Universe. Anyway, Nell barked at the cows, I did not because I was taught that shouting in a public space was the habit of a common fish-wife, and the cows regarded us with mild interest and much serenity and probably thought, ‘Stupid dog.’ Yesterday, the sun was out, the skies were blue, the wind was non-existent and as all gardeners know at this time of year, it was the best of days to get outside and do a pre-Winter tidy up. What I REALLY wanted to do was stay inside, read, knit and watch The Repair Shop on catch-up TV BUT the Gnome of Gritty Determination was immediately in my ear (not literally - that would be very uncomfortable. I can’t even cope with ear plugs let alone a whole gnome) telling me to ‘Go out NOW and CRAC

Relaxing Into the Darker Days

I have an urge to do some knitting. I think I mentioned this not so long ago when I thought I wanted to knit a baggy jumper. However, it turns out that what I REALLY want to do is just sit and knit and not have to think about following a pattern. It is the ACT of knitting rather than a finished product I am hankering after. Therefore, then, I shall buy some lovely thick wool and knit a lovely thick woolly blanket because who doesn’t love a new blanket as Winter approaches? I might knit it in squares to sew together, or in long stripes to sew together or as a whole piece on a circular needle although it might grow a tad heavy for my poor old lady arms to deal with… …who am I kidding?? I have STRONG arms because I am a gardener and cockapoo wrangler! But it might become unwieldy - yes, that’s a better word. Unwieldy. Anyway, the important thing is to find some delicious wool to work with, so when I am snuggled under the blanket I’ll look at it and sigh, and say, ‘What a lovely thing is

Back To School

When my little sister arrived home from her first day at school she declared it was ‘all right, but I don’t think I’ll go back tomorrow.’ Oh dear. I was ‘back to school’ on Wednesday, with the start of my year long diploma course. As usual, (and I know this because I was a teacher) the first session was taken up with admin, rules and responsibilities, and getting to know you’ exercises in various groups with other students and the tutors. I was slightly disappointed not to receive the instructions to cover all my exercise books with decorative paper but I might do it anyway, for old times’ sake. This was a ‘thing’ when I was at secondary school. Often, the only decorative paper available to me was wallpaper of the anaglypta variety, which made for some very chunky and unwieldy results. But anaglypta wallpaper is very absorbent, should you happen to drop your Maths exercise book in a puddle, for example. The weekly tutorials are two and a half hours long, and I’ve already got homework

Mabon

Mabon, apparently, was a Welsh god, son of the Earth Mother Goddess. Why he was selected to be the titular representative of the Autumn Equinox I do not know. Maybe he baked a particularly good apple pie. Or had excellent organisational skills that were called upon by his community when they wanted someone to lead the committee for their annual harvest festival: ‘Get Mabon on board. He’s good with a jam and marrow display.’ There is some evidence that the name wasn’t used as part of the whole Celtic Pagan vibe until the 1970s, but who knows for sure? Indeed, who cares? Except Mabon, if his ego tended towards narcissism. Anyhoo - for folk like me who enjoy following The Wheel of the Year to keep in touch with what really matters i.e Mother Earth and Mother Nature and the Grand Scheme of the Universe, rather than any organised religious nonsense, the four days from 21st to 24th September is Mabon or the Autumn Equinox. Here’s a nice little poster about ways to celebrate: It’s a good s