Rest and relaxation.

Well hello! It is so nice to be back with you again after what feels like a very long time. It has been just over a week since my very last Open University exam and only now does my poor head feels like it is getting back to normal or what I perceive to be normality anyway! The exam was a mixed bag all right, I think I did relatively well in the first two questions but on the third part my mind just went blank. It didn't help that I could barely hold the pen straight as I was trembling so much.

Thank goodness, I have one last module to take next year which is all on-going assessment so if I do badly in the History exam my degree classification will not be unduly affected. I was left with the feeling that to assess in three hours; a whole year's worth of  analysis and synthesis of 20th century history AND all the many historiographical debates and controversy's that surround the events of such a tumultuous century is quite unfairly demanding. Ouch. I did manage to have a chuckle in the wonderful Oxfam Books on the vibrant Botanic Avenue, Belfast the afternoon before exam day though. Look who was sharing the top shelf:

However for the very first time in five years of Open University study I was left with a curious feeling of anti-climax and disorientation. My nights punctuated with dreams of redoing the exam with bleeding fingers and my days ran slow with lethargy. So when feeling like this I always turn to the kitchen:

 

Green herby soup.

Food for the comfort of the bruised soul.

Fresh parsley, chives and spring onion.

Garden peas, celery and broccoli,

whizzed up with home made chicken stock, crème fraiche and perhaps some flaked almonds for the top. 

 

Then I finish all the niggley unfinished projects that have been hanging around:

 

 

Two A-line skirts finally finished and while not perfect sewing by any means, I made them and I have been wearing them with pleasure. The flowery one is the deconstructed skirt used as a toile and was the source of much annoyance for the Rookie Sewer. The denim fabric was purchased in the excellent Paragon Fabrics also in Belfast a little treasure trove of fabric to dye for. Paragon fabrics is conveniently next door to this amazingly chaotic junk/antique shop which is just crammed with good treasure hunting possibilities.

 

After I had bought the fabric above, I gingerly stepped in and as I carefully explored I heard someone come down the stairs and go out to stand outside in a haze of cigarette smoke. It was the proprietor, small of stature and dirty of mac, he was coming back in as I was leaving.

'Oh no!' he exclaimed when he noticed me, 'I thought you were the ghost!'

'Really?' sez me, 'I'm not surprised you have a ghost.'

'Yes', said Himself, but it is a Man Ghost. I wouldn't entertain a Lady Ghost.

'No', retorts (a slightly indignant I) 'She would probably make you organise your shop. And get your duster out. I do like those Bristol blue bottles there...'

 

The next critical stage of recuperation is to Go Outside:

 

This is the way in to our walk in the fields. The ground is hard and dry now and the barley (?) makes the most beautiful rustling in the wind.

 

Across the golden meadow.

 

A carpet of bee buzzing clover.

 

 

In some of the fields, the maturing grain is slowly turning to gold and is waist high. There is a beautiful hot-dry fragrance of the grass and the dog picks out choice morsels to eat.

 

We return home and do a little gardening with the children:

 



 

Plan our next sewing journey:

 

 

I can't wait to get started with these fabrics, aren't they cute! (Again from Paragon) The blues are for E's quilt, and the butterflies are going to be Pj's for her. Do you remember Holly Hobbie? The most excellent Star Wars fabric was also going to be pyjamas, this time for O but according to the shop they are nearly on their last metre of this and may not get it again so I might persuade his to have pillow cases. He won't grow out of those.

 

 

The final stage in our restorative journey is to curl up with a good book and a beautiful thrifted collection is sometimes the most satisfying. I'm just mad about vintage children's books and I was so pleased to have found these ostensibly for E. I think the covers are stunning and the stories sound so imaginative. 'Oh dear Mammy!' said E, upon presentation of these books, 'They are very old-fashioned, like something you would read.'

 

 

 

Looks like everything is back to order and balance! :)

 

It really feels like proper summer now. What are you all looking forward too over the next few months? xxx





 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

We interrupt this blogging hiatus

 

'Woman at her toilet' Jan Havicksz  (www.riksmuseum.nl)

 

To bring you unprecedented news, this morning my wonderful children got dressed, independently in their own rooms which meant that I was allowed to get dressed, ALONE in my own room. No inquisitive remarks about the state/size/colour of bits of my body, no stealing my bra and putting on the dog, no long stream-of-consciousness discussion of the latest Sponge Bob plot. It was nice, quiet and almost relaxing, five minutes just for me that I had so often craved when they were toddlers and hanging off me like baby gorillas.

 

 

(image from igcp.org)

(Baby gorillas! So beautiful.)



 

 Maybe if I am really honest a teensy bit too quiet. It is every Mothers dilemma isn't it? It is our life's work to prepare our little ones to become able and independent adults but little by little the wee caring tasks that mark babyhood then childhood, like feeding, holding hands when walking, tying shoelaces and the like slowly diminish. The rhythm of family life adjusts and while we are lucky enough to feel that fierce pride as we seen them growing up, it is a somewhat bittersweet journey, deep underneath we experience the acute loss of their early childhood.

 

In other news I am pleased to report that I went out for a run this morning and did not experience an agonising stitch in my side! I am still running the first week in the couch to 5k plan, as my running has been interrupted regularly, firstly by sore feet, then writing up my last essay for the OU and then a low-level virus that made me feel wiped for a couple of days.  I am feeling more confident though so hopefully, I shall be moving on to the slightly more strenuous Week2 plan next time.

 

As I jogged up the last hill towards home, myself and Rosie bumped into Mr E whose black Labrador Benjy is very fond of our Rosie so we had to stop for a sniff and a weather update.

Almost but not quite managing to supress his astonishment at the unexpected sight of my breathless, puce-faced lycra-clad self;  Mr E -after cheerfully delivering the doom-laded news that the week-end was going to be a wash out, softened the blow by leaving me with this jaunty riposte, 'Sure we are not doing too badly so far, are we?' Thanks, Mr E, we are doing just fine!

Hope all of you are too.xxx



See you on the other side!

 

Hello! I have been away for so long I am feeling guilty for neglecting my poor wee blog. Mind you that is not the only thing that has been neglected around here. Last week I set aside a few hours to have a 'girly day' with my darling E and she was so grateful I felt like the worstest Mama ever! Yes, with the return of some great weather comes the hardest part of the academic year. Trying to summon up the energy to finish my last long essay and start revision for my final Open University exam. I am finding it so hard to be disciplined and concentrate on my work, I am surrounded also by unfinished knitting, crochet and sewing and the garden looks so tempting...I have many half-finished blog posts and little snatches of writing jostling for attention in my mind, it is so distracting! I have managed to acquire these two characters that are writing their story in my imagination, why they did not appear months ago when I have time to concentrate on their narrative, I have no idea! So, I am going to take a little break from blogging and just concentrate on the bare essentials for the next five weeks. I hope you all are well and I hope to 'see' you soon for a cup o' tea and a chat soon. xxxx

Ohh, I also wanted to update you on the Couch to 5k attempt, well the Easter week I did three runs and must have walked around 40k while out and about with the kids and Mr S, so my poor feet and ankles were just wrecked. On the Monday after the holidays I was in such pain I had to turn back from our morning dog walk after only 2k, a very disgruntled dog looked at me as if I just wasn't trying after she worked out that yes, we were going home early! I have got to admit I was quite depressed with the level of my mobility. So, after ignoring the pain in my feet that has been present for at least the last year, (well before I started running) I had a good rest for a week and then got fitted for insoles that will allegedly support my distressingly flat feet and bring all my muscles into alignment. And, you know so far so good -I am quite impressed with both the insoles and the fitting service provided my local sports shop. Hopefully, I will get out tonight for a pain-free run. All the very best!
Love,
Shauna.xxxx

Hand-made Friday.

Yesterday, was a lovely day. One full of holiday spirit, sunshine and Very Excited Children. It was the annual Easter Hat Parade at school so all our children had to make their own creations out of re-cycled materials. I really enjoyed seeing all the creative ways that the kids (and parents!)had managed to put together such brilliant hats and had a lovely lift home on the school bus with all the kids. They were so delighted to be breaking up for the Easter hols, modelling their hats and showing me all the wee things that they had made. The excitement was infectious, it brought me right back to being a kid myself.

 

So myself and E & O had to walk to the shops and buy some holiday sweeties and I spotted these little chicks. They are so sweet and being sold for a local charity so they were immediately popped into my bag. The kids momentarily lost their already sticky grins as I sadly explained that the eggs hidden inside were for Dad and Me...

 

 

I stared to piece together some patchwork at last.

I really love that Tilda fabric and have a few more crafty ideas bubbling away, perhaps some pillowcases to contrast with my existing white bed-linen?

Later, I spotted this wee carving when out walking the dog. It is always a terrible shame when a tree has to be cut but what a nice way of re-using the stump.

Finally just a quick update on the Couch to 5k. So I completed the first three runs and felt completely exhausted yesterday. I think I will have to repeat week 1 as I couldn't possibly increase my running time to 90sec - writing that down is quite a sobering thought!

Have a lovely weekend!

Here are a few links that I happened across this week:
Now, that it is spring I want to get my toes out!
This has happened to me twice and I still smart about it. Grrr.
Despite Mr S proclaiming this programme as dull as dishwater, I love it! The 1960's episode in particular was so interesting for me because while the rest of the family were energised by the exciting social changes occurring all around, poor Mammy was feeling disorientated and uneasy by the twin pulls of freedom and gender restrictions.

xxx

Spring Equinox, Solar Eclipse, Flat Feet.

Hello Everybody!
Sorry I have been completely useless at blogging for the last while, I been so preoccupied with all my reading and essay writing on for my Open University course I have had zero bloggy inspiration for the past few weeks.

Last Friday, was an interesting day however, well in my head anyway! First of all I had a fantastic walk with the doggy while the eclipse was in full flow. At first the skies were completely shrouded in thick grey cloud, I was so gutted as I was so excited about finally getting to see this amazing phenomenon. Then, all of a sudden a small chink of blue appeared and then another and then wonder, there was the sun with the characteristic scoop taken out of her side. For a good twenty minutes or so the clouds would obscure and reveal, obscure and reveal. I missed the totality of the eclipse but it was such a treat just to see a tiny glimpse of these two ancient celestial bodies moving in such beautiful alignment.  It was so strange walking in the fields, in a morning twilight and so eerily quiet until the birds began to sing again.

So energised after all that, off I trotted to have my gait analysed and buy some running shoes in my local sports shop. I am going to attempt the Couch to 5k challenge, do you remember I wrote about it here? I was rather depressed by the uncouth sight of my too large bottom on the treadmill and was dismayed at the diagnosis of flat feet and a duck-like walking style. I firmly resisted the in-the-sale 80 euro trainers despite the "Vertical flex groove [which] decouples the tooling along the line of progression for enhanced gait efficiency". and went for the cheapest support available.

In fairness, the guys in the shop were incredibly helpful and very tactful about my feet and the hole in my sock which had embarrassingly appeared despite careful inspection before visit to said shop! They also gracefully ignored my almost involuntary outbursts of 'How much?! and too loud cynicism about certain aspects of the high tech shoes. I did not buy the recommended insoles but given the regular pain in my feet and back I am very tempted to give them a try.

That evening, with some butterflies in my tummy off I went for my first run -do you know what it wasn't too bad! I nearly gave up after about four of the 6, 60 second jogs but pod-cast Laura was very supportive so I did manage to make it till the end. Rosie the Labrador was very excited about this night-time running malarkey but was a bit annoyed that I wouldn't stop to let her sniff and scavenge. I did have to pause the run to pick up the most enormous dog mess and find a bin and she practically dislocated my shoulder as she tried to make off in the totally opposite direction to murder a cat.

To be perfectly honest, it wasn't that much fun but I was pleased that I did manage the Week 1 plan -but only just! Today, I went out for the second of the three Week 1 runs and found it much much harder barely making it to the end of the jogs but strangely I find myself looking forward to the next run. I think the breakdown of the exercise plan into weeks and the split between walking/jogging make this plan a really realistic expectation for someone like me who has never exercised regularly. Phew, I am tired though perhaps I will spend the rest of the afternoon reading with some banana bread on the sofa, recovering and drinking water. I am going to leave you with some sweet little wild primroses that I found in the fields this morning. How are you all enjoying these first few days of proper Spring? x

 

EDIT-Couch to 5K Details.

Week 1

For the runs in Week 1, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then you will alternate 60 seconds of running, with 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/get-running-with-couch-to-5k.aspx

Reclaiming the Ramparts. (A celebration and a rant!)

Way back in Autumn on a crisp Friday morning I went for a walk in one of my favourite places in Drogheda. The Ramparts walk which follows the banks of the river Boyne from St Dominic's Park to Oldbridge House. one of our most historic sites as it was here that two kings, one Dutch and one English would fight a battle, the memory of which would eventually command an incredible longevity in Irish history. That day was full of calm sunshine, everywhere there was inspiring colour.

 

The grass looks like a Farrow and Ball colour.

 

 I love the stone work on the old mill.

 

 

Hidden pockets of light and shadow.

 

 Turning to look back at the town, almost sepia.

 

 

The river looked beautiful, dressed in shifting alluring reflections and contrasts. In myth and legend, the river was Boyne created by the Goddess Boann who disobeyed her husband Nectain and channelled the power of his magic well so that the waters rose and surged all the way to the sea. But the waters drowned Boann and her faithful dog Dabilla.

This is the fourth river I have lived near and while the sea and the coast are my first loves, I love the slow drama of the riverbank. The Boyne is a tidal river and sometimes her moods are far from subtle. I love(d) the freedom of this walk, safe for the dog to be off-lead for long stretches and the promise of a lovely cup of coffee in the café at Oldbridge House. Sometimes, you may be lucky to be accompanied by a seal, I had no idea these beautiful animals would venture so far into fresh water and was deliciously spooked one day when one raised a sleek grey head to study me. The colour that day has inspired another crochet blanket, about which I have written a little here.

However, I have avoided the Ramparts walk since then and that was due to a shocking incident a couple of weeks later when a female jogger was attacked by a man here at 9.00am. Horrifically, despite falling into the river, the man continued to attempt to assault this poor woman. Profound shock was replaced by anger when the response by the Guardi warning women not to walk or jog alone. The fallacy of this response was eloquently expressed by Una Mullany in the Irish Times here. No one has been arrested following the incident.

I was angry at the attacker, at the police and at myself  - for allowing this mans actions to influence my own behaviour. I love walking with other people but I need to walk alone. It gives me a chance to think or some times not to think.  For me, walking and pushing myself to walk greater distances can become almost a meditative experience. I had planned to eventually continue further and walk part of the Boyne Navigation Canal that ran to the town of Navan. So, I have been waiting for the moment to return and today which began frosty and light was the perfect morning.

By the time I had left the house though it was all grey! Look at the difference in the park,

 

The walk has now been closed thanks to a landslide at the Oldbridge end just where walkers are supposed to join the 800 000 euro boardwalk that is supposed to link these heritage areas. Here are our representatives congratulating themselves yet despite this critical investment for the area, the walkway has been inaccessible from the Drogheda end because the impotent council cannot seem to engineer a solution to the landslide or to bring to account one of the country's biggest developers who built a housing estate on the problematic land. I -on my own responsibility- ignored the closed signs as the majority of the walk is safe and probably the only public land in the locality which is both accessible by foot and where a dog can enjoy essential lead-free time.

 

 

 

Despite this shameful neglect of one of the prizes in our local environment and the fact that I couldn't continue I am glad I walked this route today. I put some demons to rest. Future plans for the area include a walk/cycle way from the Elizabethan Maiden Tower at coastal Mornington through Drogheda to Oldbridge eventually finishing at the UNESCO site of Bru Na Boinne. Wouldn't that be an amazing amenity for the area, so much more valuable to the needs of the local community and our very welcome tourists than yet another empty retail park?

 

If you have stayed to the end of this long post, thank-you so much. Have a fantastic weekend! Can you believe next week it will be March? xxxx

 

Mellow Yellow.

Today, I am having a Spring break, a rest, an interlude.
No study today as my head hurts trying to grapple with the economic history of Europe post-1945.

So I am going to walk and then clean. Bake and wash. Paint some skirting boards. Then sit on the step to admire the blue sky, the scuttling white clouds and my satisfactory line of washing. I am going to plant some little seeds and see if any daffodils have unfurled.

 

 

The light has changed, there is now a yellow warmth that has been absent for a winter's while.
Today my house smells of furniture polish, warm towels, incense, linseed oil, baking and coffee. With some low notes of damp Labrador.

 

I am going to eat scones, drink coffee and read The Girl on the Train. (And wonder why macro will not work on the 'good' camera...)
This weekend I am going to do some long overdue visiting to family and friends.
Then the real hard study-time begins and lasts all the way to June but for today I am just content to take some little moments to be still and soak up some sunlight.

I hope you are having a nice day too.xxx