Slow Living - Doing It Old Style!

amber03

Same here with the sleeping. Some nights I can sleep all night and not disturb. Other nights Im awake for most of the time. Decided not to keep clock watching as I start stressing out which doesn’t help. Love lying listening to the rain, which has been quite something today. Tho hoping for a drier day tomorrow, weather forecast says it’s going to start going colder.

Brie

Not sure what I'm doing right but I'm sleeping like a log.  But.  I've reverted to something that was a regular occurrence a few years back where I start to have a really bad dream (often the same where I get lost in a big hotel, why???).  Net result is that I wake up in a panic and have to stand by the window to get some fresh air. 

This is good in a couple of ways - cold air to cool me down, makes it easier to breathe, and I get to watch what the neighbourhood foxes are up to as well as listen to the owls hooting.  My OH thinks I make it up about hearing owls but I don't know how he can't hear them they are so loud.  I assume they are on the peak of our roof immediately above the window.  8 years here and while I hear them fairly regularly I've only seen them a couple of times, the best being when one was on the front bit of the house about 10 feet from where I was standing - it gave me a hard look and flew off.  Our house is at the top of a T junction so there's a good view of mice and other creatures that may be of interest to owls. 

leftatthetrafficlights

@amber03 - I go through stages with not sleeping; I'll normally have a week or so of waking at ridiculous times or not being able to sleep at all then I'm absolutely fine for a period of time before it starts again! 🙄 this morning I was awake at 3.30ish but stayed in bed and just listened to the wind - it was very calming and I managed a little snooze at around 6am so that was a bonus 😁 The weather is definitely colder - I needed a coat today when I walked the dog but it was lovely not to be melting from heat 😉 

@Brie - how strange that you're having a recurring nightmare 😔 it's lovely that you get to hear the owls though 🥰 we have them in the trees at the back of our house and I hear them most nights - I haven't seen them for ages though but the oak trees are still dense with leaves and it's difficult to get a reasonable vantage point. Hopefully they will be more visible later in the season 🤞 

My weekend away with my dd was lovely but London was more busy than I've ever known it so I was incredibly pleased to get home! I really struggle with noise and people so its never an ideal venue for me but this time has definitely put me off returning - I felt utterly exhausted when I got in last night and have spent much of the morning just decompressing 🤦‍♀️I think that avoiding cities in general would be the best idea to be honest so I've told my dh that the trip to Paris we had thought about doing next year is off the cards! 😳😂

However, it has bolstered my love of my home and area - walking the dog through the fields this morning with not another soul in sight was an absolute joy and when I came home, I sat in my garden in front of my big pond watching the sun refect on the waterfall and felt a wave of peace and total gratitude 😍 I am incredibly lucky to have the ability to enjoy such a beautiful environment and solitude 😁 

I'm going to just listen to meditation music and read for the rest of the day - tomorrow I shall clean and cook as dh kept the house tidy and made some ethiopian lentils yesterday so no need to do either until then 🙌😁 

Have a lovely slow day! 😁🐌

Brie

@leftatthetrafficlights
oddly it's been the same nightmare for years.  why am I lost in a hotel?  (sometimes a big house or office block)  I know that there's a sense of panic which eventually I realised is due to being congested so having trouble breathing thus getting into a panic which then goes into my dream.  So fresh air (& blowing my nose) (& going to the loo since I'm up) is the solution.  Brains are weird.

No owls last night.  And a sense of being awake but not and having a very long conscious dream of no consequence.  Brains are really weird.

Now I've got to shuffle off to art class, we're finishing a picture of a valley with a stream, bridge over stream, mountains in the distance.  Hopefully it will look at least a bit like that!!!

Wednesday2000

I had a recurring dream like that too Brie, except I’m at uni in a corridor where I used to have History class. The corridor turns into a tunnel and then I wake up feeling like I can’t breathe. I think it was my old house in London and there was a problem with the ventilation as I haven’t had it since I moved by the sea.👍

I have a busy weekend coming up so I booked a meditation class for this week. It is nice to slow down and meditate.🧘 

leftatthetrafficlights

@Brie - I had a recurring dream when I was a kid but haven't had it now for over 40 years 🤔 you're right, brains are weird!! I hope you enjoyed your art class 😁 

@Wednesday2000 - I'm glad your dream has not occurred since moving! Enjoy your meditation class 😁 

Yesterday I ended up picking my grandbaby up from school and taking him out for dinner as my dd was unwell so it didn't turn out as planned! However, I did get to read most of my book (first reading, it's quite intense and thought provoking so I'll need to re-read it) so that was nice 😁

Today I've done lots of cleaning - I have such an immense sense of peace when its done 😁 I had a lie in this morning as I was just feeling very tired - I managed a couple of power naps while I was there so I'm feeling a bit better for it 🙌 

I cooked some butter beans yesterday so we'll be having those tonight (not sure with what though 🤔) so it shouldn't take too long to put together. I'm really looking forward to having some decent food after three days of processed rubbish 🙌 

Anyway, I'm off to get some chamomile tea and chillax for the rest of the afternoon - have a fab slow day!! 😁🐌

leftatthetrafficlights

Things to do today - I've got someone coming to do a window inspection this morning and then the doctors later this afternoon for an entirely pointless asthma check 🙄 I hate having anything to do with the medical profession and saw my doctor 6 months ago for my 'annual' review so I'm seriously unimpressed by this need to go in again! 😡 You'd think that with the amount of people who actually need medical appointments they'd make better use of their time!! 

Well that's my morning rant over! 😂

I'm looking forward to tomorrow- nowhere to go, no-one to see and nothing to do so I'm going to have a day of reading and writing 😁 I do enjoy my totally free days and after last weekend away, I'm in dire need of some proper downtime - I still feel a bit frazzled! 🤦‍♀️😂 

Not sure what I'm cooking today - last night we had butter beans, ethiopian lentils, mixed grains, rocket, blueberries, strawberries, black grapes and blood orange balsamic - absolutely lush 😋



Have a fab slow day! 😁🐌

Wednesday2000

Now of course I had the dream last night when I'm stuck in a shopping centre/ mall and can't find my way out! Annoying. I had a good sleep apart from that according to my Fitbit.

I am staying in all day as it is rainy. My husband is taking my dog for a checkup this afternoon so I will vacuum while he is out as she doesn't like the noise.

I am going to take a bag (or two) to the charity shop tomorrow so I am going to have a trying on session of clothes today. I'm going to organise my shoes/boots/trainers too as I bought a new shoe rack.

I did go into a health food shop yesterday and I was looking at the teas, but decided I won't buy anymore more new tea until I have used up what I have! I finished off the lemon and ginger tea this week, but I do have some golden milk latte powder so I'm making that in a minute. I had my 34th class of the year yesterday as well.

Brie

Art class doing gelli printing was exactly what I needed as the OH is in a bit of a tizzy about his car and his new camera - all as part of the build up to us driving to Leipzig and Dresden next month.  He was getting snappy (not in the camera sense) so I was pleased to take myself off to do something just for me for a couple of hours.  It's a new group but it was my art teacher who was doing the demo so I went to hers and she drove us over so I could help her unload all the stuff she needed there.  Nice to have a bit of a natter there and back again.  The group was very friendly and I'll look at there schedule for next year to see if I want to join.  It's every Wednesday afternoon 2 - 4 but there's a focus for each week - the next one is a pastel workshop, then there's life drawing (eek!) etc.  

Anyways - here's some of the better results from this afternoon......printing the feathers turned out rather nicely I think.  Not sure what I'll do with any of these - some of the others, geometrics, which were printed on to tissue will be used in collages for some anticipated watercolour paintings.

leftatthetrafficlights

@Wednesday2000 - hope all went well at the vet and you got your clothes sorted 😁 

@Brie - I'm glad your class went well and I like those pictures 😁

The window survey and doctors appointment went well - hopefully I will be able to avoid going back to the doctors for another year now 🤞 

Today I'm just relaxing - I slightly damaged my ankle this morning so had to give walking the dog a miss 🤦‍♀️ thankfully we have leftovers from last night's dinner so I don't need to cook today which means that I can stay on the sofa for the day 😁 

We've got no plans for the weekend so I'll be waiting to see how the weather is (and my ankle! 🙄) - it's nice to have a clear couple of days 😁 

Anyway, last night dinner was avocado and cucumber sushi, inari, bao buns and gyozas with a miso and soy dipping sauce. It was very nice and I'm having sushi, inari and salad for dinner tonight - dh can have the remaining gyozas as I wasn't overly impressed with them 😉 



Have a fab slow day! 😁🐌