April 19th – Wildlife

We had an uninvited guest in our back garden. This little chap decided he wanted some of the nuts we put out for the birds. He was quite chilled hanging upside down for an eternity.

It’s a good job our 4 legged children were inside, but whenever we see squirrels we immediately think of our old Welsh Springer Spaniel named Fidget. He was absolutely obsessed with Squidgels (what we used to call them for him).

Just the mention of the word Squidgel and he would have his two front paws (which were massive) up the trunk of the nearest tree, whining, barking and looking for any sign of the furry little friend. Alfie is showing the same obsession but hasn’t had the same exposure yet.

Anyway, look after your nuts, stay safe and smile. x

April 18th – Anxiety

Today’s post is inspired by the dog walk and photo below. We went through some woods filled with wild garlic, just coming out in white flowers.

So what does this have to do with anxiety I hear you ask?

Well, there is a technique called the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise.

There are a few variations of this but essentially if you are with someone having an anxiety attack (or yourself), you get them to:

  • Describe 5 things you see in front of you.
  • Name 4 things that you can hear ( eg. traffic, birds etc)
  • Name 3 things you feel (eg. feet on the floor, breeze on your face)
  • Name 2 things you can smell now (or like to smell)
  • Name 1 good thing about yourself.

The exercise can be repeated until calmness is restored.

On my walk, the sights, sounds, and smells were incredible, and very calming which is another great reason to get exercise whilst we live through these weird times.

Please feel free to share this technique with anyone you know that might be struggling with mental health. Stay well and safe x

Wild Garlic

April 17th – Dinner

It was my turn to muster something up for dinner this evening, yikes, fire brigade on standby….

We’ve been watching Jamie Oliver’s Keep Cooking and Carry on, which is easy watching. We also have a few of his books so along with inspiration from the program and a few reminders from the book.

Anyway, I opted for the sausage and apple bake. We didn’t have any parsnips so I used carrots. We didn’t have any red onions so I used normal white and leaks.

Another ingredient I cooked with was beer, but didn’t put any in the dish, just down my throat 🤣

The end result was nice. I had a bit of me time in the kitchen listening to some music, with a good sense of achievement.

April 16th – Small

Today’s picture of tiny cactus flowers got me thinking about the way we live our lives. We are all bombarded with marketing material on social media, TV, emails etc, especially at Christmas. The pressure on people to ‘spoil’ loved ones with lavish gifts is immense.

But over the past few weeks we have seen that sometimes small acts of kindness are worth much more than expensive gifts.

Helping vulnerable people who are self isolating with a little shopping, or giving someone who maybe lonely a quick call is immensely valuable to those that receive, but also for those that donate their time. I know I feel a great sense of achievement after helping people whilst volunteering in the mental health charity I support.

So raise a glass to the little things in life – They are equally beautiful, just like this little flower.

April 15th – The Lockdown Garden

So the little garden stream project is nearly complete, with just a few finishing touches required. We’ve been talking about a water feature for a while, but last year we thought we’d be selling the house and so didn’t want to do much apart from basic maintenance.

It has been named as ‘The Lockdown Garden’ to remind us of the weird time we are living through. It is kind of appropriate as the sound of running water is very calming.

I’m sure a professional gardener could find fault, but we are happy with it and that’s all that matters. I have experienced opinions / criticism in the past and it used to really bother me, but now it doesn’t. I hope you’re lockdown projects are going to plan. Stay safe x

April 14th – Lazy Munsterlander

Today’s picture was taken this afternoon. Denise decided to take some time out to read her kindle after working hard in the garden, however Alfie decided to join her on the swing seat.

Nothing is sacred with a Large Munsterlander in the home. If he isn’t talking asking for your breakfast, lunch, dinner or coffee, he is in your face, sat on your lap. I’m sure he thinks he is human….

You’re not sitting here dad!

April 13th – NEVER leave your phone on the table….

Which is what I done, whilst out in the garden doing a bit of building, and my lovely wife snapped me in action.

Well, at least I now have evidence that I’m not consistently on the phone 🤣

Lockdown has given us all more time on our hands, and the weather has been kind, so I decided to try a few things outside of my comfort zone.

We are installing a little waterfall feature which flows into the pond, and putting an area for some plants around it. It will take a few more days to complete, but as they say ‘the first step is the hardest’.

April 12th – Camera v Phone

The 2 images in today’s post were taken last night in the pub’s garden. Our lovely neighbours set out some lights to see what could be created as the sun went down (whilst being cautious about social distancing rules)

One image was taken by my camera which captured what we see and then took some post processing to even everything out lighting wise to make a reasonable picture.

The other was straight from the phone, no messing about. I sometimes wonder why I bother with cameras, but although I prefer the image captured by the phone, I still enjoy the technical challenge of shooting in manual and post processing as a hobby. Clearly, I still have some learning to do.

You can get some great shots with phones these days.

April 11th – Blossom

Today’s photo hasn’t got any deep meaningful message behind it. I just think it’s a nice picture, which happens to be directly across from the front of our house.

The Blossom is blooming stunning (sorry – couldn’t resist that), and I wanted to take a quick snap as winds are forecast in the coming days which will obviously spoil the spectacle.

Sometimes you don’t have to travel very far to appreciate what mother nature has to offer. Enjoy your weekend and stay safe x

April 10th – The local….

Today’s post and picture features the local village pub. It is well documented that the pub industry was in trouble pre Covid-19, but the current lockdown may well be the final nail in the coffin for the great British local.

I feel desperately sorry for all landlords, and ladies but especially Nick & Karen at our local, who have had to close their doors, lose all of their income, and still have obligations to breweries.

Let’s hope that the Government can support smaller pubs and not just the mega chains, and protect this very traditional way of life in the UK.