Day 186 - 5:20pm, 6 July 2019
Back home! As good as it was to be on holiday, I so love that just home feeling, returning to a silent house waiting to be filled . . .
Reliving the Past
Day 234 - 7:58am, 23 August 2019 I used lunchtime as an excuse to wander around the West End craft fair. I leave it without purchasing...
Sunday, 28 July 2019
It's All Too Much
Day 185 - 8:04pm, 5 July 2019
Last night of the holidays and packing for home. It is so much quicker to pack at this end than it was to come here. Even though I didn't think we had overpacked, I am still here re-packing books, writing pads and craft kits that I never touched. The time has finally come to get serious about clearing out the house so that next time the packing bit will be as just as easy as the repacking phase.
The Perfect Life
Day 184 - 6:54pm, 4 July 2019
A very brief walk on Seahouses beach this evening followed by fish and chips from the takeaway. If I was to have a dream house it would be in sight of a beach that I would walk on every day. Until then, once we're home, I'll make do with my mini nature walks along my tiny patch of the Water of Leith and the Union Canal every day.
Tuesday, 23 July 2019
Saying my Peace
Day 183 - 12:30pm, 3 Juy 2019
It's the turn of the tidal island of Lindisfarne - or "Indiscipline" as my spellcheck would have it - otherwise known as Holy Island, another family favourite.
Lindisfarne never fails to disappoint. No matter how busy the island gets, and it does, the visitors never seem to compromise its peacefulness, nor detract from the sense that the place is devoid of time. Of course, it most definitely isn't, as anyone who has ever witnessed the mass exodus of bodies and cars that occurs when the causeway is about to flood will know.
We have only ever been on Lindesfarne when it can be reached from the mainland, but staying on the island when it is fully adrift from the mainland is definitely on the bucket list for another year.
Lindisfarne never fails to disappoint. No matter how busy the island gets, and it does, the visitors never seem to compromise its peacefulness, nor detract from the sense that the place is devoid of time. Of course, it most definitely isn't, as anyone who has ever witnessed the mass exodus of bodies and cars that occurs when the causeway is about to flood will know.
We have only ever been on Lindesfarne when it can be reached from the mainland, but staying on the island when it is fully adrift from the mainland is definitely on the bucket list for another year.
Monday, 22 July 2019
Reflections
Day 182 - 1:02pm, 2 July 2019
Today we take a trip into Berwick-Upon-Tweed. On the list of things to do: walk around the wall, time at the play park, lunch at The Leaping Salmon, a visit to the toy shop and WH Smiths, rounded off with an ice cream. It's a well-established routine, one we have done many times before and will no doubt do many times again.
The view in the photo is looking over toward Spittal, with the clouds reflected in the water. It's amazing how different things look when you see them in reflection. That's why taking time out to stop and consider things from a different perspective is always helpful. It helps you see things you wouldn't otherwise see.
The view in the photo is looking over toward Spittal, with the clouds reflected in the water. It's amazing how different things look when you see them in reflection. That's why taking time out to stop and consider things from a different perspective is always helpful. It helps you see things you wouldn't otherwise see.
A Warm Heart, A Cold Sea
Day 181 - 7:58pm, 1 July 2019
Today's picture is taken on Beadnell beach where we go wandering along after dinner. It's the simple things in life. The chance to walk along a beautiful beach with the people that you love. It doesn't get much better than that (though warmer sea water would be much appreciated).
In Search of Tommy Noddy
Day 180 - 6:01pm, 30 June 2019
As we are on holiday for this week, the pictures will all have to be guest spots. Today's picture is taken at the side of Bamburgh Castle, looking out to the Farne Islands. You may just about be able to determine the rainbow to the left of the image, it's faint but it was definitely there.
The wildlife of choice for this area of Northumberland are the seals and puffins, known locally as Tommy Noddy due to their head action when they walk. We see neither, but we do see a rabbit and its young playing in the grass near to the play park. I take a photo of them as our young play behind me in the play park. I like to think that Mummy (or maybe it's Daddy!) Rabbit, when she clocks me, is giving me a knowing nod, before they all move on.
The wildlife of choice for this area of Northumberland are the seals and puffins, known locally as Tommy Noddy due to their head action when they walk. We see neither, but we do see a rabbit and its young playing in the grass near to the play park. I take a photo of them as our young play behind me in the play park. I like to think that Mummy (or maybe it's Daddy!) Rabbit, when she clocks me, is giving me a knowing nod, before they all move on.
A Cover Up
Day 179 - 08:42am, 29 June 2019
Taking the photo early, before going off on holidays later today. Of course, not wanting to make things easy for myself, I have chosen to put myself under needless pressure by having signed up the two youngest to a slime-making workshop at Hobbycraft.
It takes over an hour to get there because the bus runs only once every half hour and we have a bit of a walk to get to the bus stop. Worried that we might miss the bus, we take the safe option and hop on a passing bus, which takes us to our bus stop. This means that we arrive there a lot earlier than I anticipated meaning we have nearly the full half hour to wait for our bus.
The workshop runs for half an hour and we are the only ones who attend. The assistant is lovely and tries hard to make the slime. Unfortunately, although it looks like it has set, it quickly develops a sweating problem, and despite repeated draining, by the time we get them home an hour later, we bin them. A morning gone.
This leaves a couple of hours to get the rest of the holiday clobber together and get the house tidied up. Yes, I may be in my forties, but the thought of mum and dad checking on the house when I am on holiday is still enough to send me in a cleaning up frenzy. It is down to the wire and so I opt in the end to shove the remainder of untouched piles in wardrobes and storage bags. That will be a nice treat for me to clear once we get home!
It takes over an hour to get there because the bus runs only once every half hour and we have a bit of a walk to get to the bus stop. Worried that we might miss the bus, we take the safe option and hop on a passing bus, which takes us to our bus stop. This means that we arrive there a lot earlier than I anticipated meaning we have nearly the full half hour to wait for our bus.
The workshop runs for half an hour and we are the only ones who attend. The assistant is lovely and tries hard to make the slime. Unfortunately, although it looks like it has set, it quickly develops a sweating problem, and despite repeated draining, by the time we get them home an hour later, we bin them. A morning gone.
This leaves a couple of hours to get the rest of the holiday clobber together and get the house tidied up. Yes, I may be in my forties, but the thought of mum and dad checking on the house when I am on holiday is still enough to send me in a cleaning up frenzy. It is down to the wire and so I opt in the end to shove the remainder of untouched piles in wardrobes and storage bags. That will be a nice treat for me to clear once we get home!
Full of Sunshine
Day 178 - 4:06pm, 28 June 2019
An historical day for our family in that it was eldest's last day of primary school, which meant we got to go into school to see them presented with their year books in assembly, followed by watching a piper pipe them out of school for the last time. There was an emotional moment or two, and it seems strangely auspicious that the sun is shining full volume.
The short term doesn't look so rosy (but it will be worth once we are away!) With the kids off to a summer party, I spend an hour or so supposedly packing my holiday stuff, but in reality get sidetracked into searching for a missing poem, which I don't find. Then I go to get my hair cut, followed by picking up the nippers, dinner and then getting them off to bed, which means foregoing the chance to pack their holiday clothes. I decide to get an early night and to tackle packing full tilt tomorrow.
The short term doesn't look so rosy (but it will be worth once we are away!) With the kids off to a summer party, I spend an hour or so supposedly packing my holiday stuff, but in reality get sidetracked into searching for a missing poem, which I don't find. Then I go to get my hair cut, followed by picking up the nippers, dinner and then getting them off to bed, which means foregoing the chance to pack their holiday clothes. I decide to get an early night and to tackle packing full tilt tomorrow.
Drawing a Line Under It
Day 177 - 07:21am, 27 June 2019
Last day of work before the holidays! Lots to be done, not a lot of time to do it. Still, I am determined not to take any away with me, not to check my work emails while away and so to switch off completely. It may be a late night . . .
Sunday, 21 July 2019
Sneezing Through It
Day 176 - 09:51am, 26 June 2019
We are approaching the end of the 100-day step challenge. With holidays cutting off the end of it, I am keen to hit my step count ahead of going away. Today ends up being my best step count yet - over 40,000 thanks to school pick ups, picking up shopping and then walking there and back to a meeting in town.
And, it's all with having a cold. Not just any old cold, mind you, this is on the scale of man flu. Every bit of me aches, I have sneezed more in the last 24 hours than I have in the past year, and I am nowhere near where I want to be in terms of finishing work off or getting packed. But we push on, because giving up now is not on my list of options.
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