Slow Living - Doing It Old Style!

Elisheba

Some slow parts to my day today. Had a lovely long bubble bath this morning, and this evening lit the fire and have been reading a book by it for most of the night. Feeling very relaxed, but don't know where the evening went to - how can it be 11pm already 😆

Cherryfudge

@Florafauna, congratulations on having your offer accepted! A very exciting time!

@leftatthetrafficlights and @sunshineli, I hope you both feel better soon.

@Brie, I have the opposite problem - I need to get close enough to a tucked away tree to put up a nest box. We once had a robin nest in the shed, though, and it does mean you have to be careful in what should really be your territory! But at least they have shelter and it must have been popular for them to come back!

I've had a productive day without being stressed, which is wonderful. Having looked through some financial stuff this morning, we went for a walk after lunch: lovely sunshine and clear for miles. From the top of the hill we could see over to the Dales, though the distance was a bit misty. Nearby was very muddy: a big flock of white seagulls was investigating a pond that appeared since our last walk up there, and the road was a mess from tractors but there were daffodils on the verges (muddy ones) and generally a feeling of spring. I had to carry my coat as I really warmed up while walking. It was lovely, too that I'm finally fit enough to take it in my stride. Poor DH was breathless as he's still getting over Covid.

Later I spent most of a garden centre voucher: my pepper seedlings are doing nicely and some coriander has just sprouted so I needed compost and ended up buying begonias for the hanging baskets too. Then I treated myself to a loyalty card for the garden centre which cost £12 but was paid for by the gift card and will hopefully get me some free coffees and vouchers for seeds.

Brie

@Cherryfudge
I checked and no sign of new nest building.  Maybe they were simply surveying.  Will try to tuck the old nest into a very nice thick bush not too far away just in case it can attract a young couple to settle in.  Need to ensure it's high enough and thick enough so that it's safe from cats and foxes.

leftatthetrafficlights

@Katiehound - thank you for your kind words 😁 I've definitely kept up with the fluids, I should look like a chamomile flower with the amount I've drunk!@ 😳😂 

@sunshineli - your coffee shop coffee sounds lovely! I do enjoy a bit of people watching 😉 good luck with the house buying - I've only done it once and really wouldn't want to go through it again! Make sure you take care of yourself and don't overdo it...

@Brie - I know it wasn't ideal but it must have been lovely having the birds nest in the garage- I would have felt very attached to the babies!! 😍 I hope you find a good place for the nest soon before they come back for a second viewing!! 😉😂

@Florafauna - well done on finishing the tidying and decorating - I hope you had a relaxing day after all the work you've done! 

@Elisheba - your Saturday sounds like it was lovely 😁 it's so easy to lose hours when reading - I absolutely love it but get so absorbed I completely blank out the world! Thankfully dh is used to it now 😂 

@Cherryfudge - thank you for your kind wishes 😁 your walk sounds lovely! I hope dh recovers soon - it's horrible feeling so wiped out after the main illness has passed 😔 I'm glad your garden centre visit went well - my coriander has put in an appearance now so I'll start some more soon ..


I'm finally starting to feel better thankfully- I did absolutely nothing at the weekend other than watch/listen to the TV, sleep and drink herbal teas and water. Today I have eaten real food for the first time in days - I had steamed veg and some freezer surprise which I still can't identify but it tasted nice! I'm going to have an early night tonight and listen to some relaxation music with the hope that I'll have a bit more energy tomorrow 🤞

I'm planning on doing next weeks menu plan at some point tomorrow - I'm just going with the flow this week as I'm not sure how I'll be feeling. I've got my grandbaby on Wednesday so I'll make a bolognese for him but other than that it could be anything!! 

Happy slow evening!! 

Brie

I loved the discovery and finding the broken shells that meant that they had hatched.  The rest was a bit nail biting as I knew we had a family of foxes with 6 kits and wondered it they would find them....(they didn't)

Florafauna

Hey slowies, hope you are all ok. @Brie I was very pleased to hear of the safe hatching and survival of the baby birds.
Gruelling hour at the dentist today which I followed by a short jaunt to my sewing class. Left early as my mouth was achy. So off to bed soon. Have started telling people about leaving work which is strange, I've had some really nice comments about being missed but I am increasingly looking forward to this new adventure. I'll be there till July as I work in education 
Sleep well everyone 

Smudgeismydog

Hi @Florafauna I’m also telling colleagues and client handovers about my retirement as I will be leaving at the end of June. 

It has felt a little emotional at times, but I too am looking forward to my slower lifestyle 

Good luck x

leftatthetrafficlights

@Brie - I totally understand your concern but how fabulous that you had a fox family!! 😍 

@Florafauna - I hope your mouth feels better today and that you got a decent night's sleep. How exciting being able to tell people you're leaving - for me that was a great feeling but it also made me desperate to get out! 😂 Did you work out how to take a piccie of your scarf? I'm very invested in the result!! 😉😂 

I'm feeling a tad better today but still can't shift the 'gank' for want of a better word! 🤦‍♀️ TMI I know but I know it's not just me having this issue with the lingering aspects of this particular type of cold...hopefully it will sort itself out in a day or two...

I made the 'shepherd's pie' and the bolognese yesterday so I don't need to cook today - I also did a quick mooch in the freezer to check out what remaining UPF'S are there - I have two bags of vegan quorn pieces, a vegan pizza, a pack of 2 vegan burgers, a pack of 2 vegan 'salmon' fillets and 3 packets of vegan bacon. I've decided that I will use them up during March then not buy any more. I'll share the pizza with my grandbaby at the weekend, the quorn pieces will be used in 2 separate stir frys, the salmon fillets will be served with potatoes and veg and the burgers will be served in buns. We'll have them all as the second meal on our soup Saturdays and I'll use the bacon in sarnies and as a topping for white bean and cavolo nero soup. In all honesty, I could clear the whole lot in a week but I'm not sure that I can cope with that amount of processed rubbish in such a short space of time - particularly after having this cold 🤔 

Dh is off on Friday so I'm planning on getting some garden stuff done if the weather and energy permits - our seeds have germinated well and I'm ready to sow more now so need some space! We have some room in the greenhouse to move the current seedlings into, it just needs a bit of organising. I want to get the main veggie beds weeded and compost spread too so that it has a few weeks to settle and grow any dormant weed seeds before it's time to start direct sowings.

This is an exciting time of year for me - the growing of my own food, watching the explosion of life and being able to spend plenty of time in the garden with the birds, squirrels and insects really grounds me and makes me feel connected - I absolutely love it and savour every moment of it. I was watching 'Live to 100' on Netflix again this week and he mentions that one of the common factors is having a sense of purpose - growing my own stuff and participating in the natural cycles of life is definitely one of mine and I feel immensely privileged to be able to indulge in it. The sense of calm and well-being it gives me is incredible and I am truly grateful for having the opportunity. 

Hope you all have a fabulous slow day 😁

leftatthetrafficlights

@Smudgeismydog - sorry, cross posted so didn't see your comment! 🤦‍♀️ I think telling clients for me was so much harder than telling colleagues - I don't know what type of work you do but my clients were always either vulnerable adults or adults looking after vulnerable children and they came to rely quite heavily upon me after a while so I felt an immense amount of guilt for walking away 😔 however, I always did the best I could to manage their concerns, did incredibly thorough handovers which included a number of joint visits before my departure and made sure that they had someone else in their networks who they trusted to go to if things didn't work out with their new worker. Over the years I have seen a number of my previous clients in a variety of settings and all of them have been okay - they may still lament my departure but they have found different ways of working and built strong relationships which has always put my mind at rest 😉 

Florafauna

The Fancy Scarf