A Long Walk Today.

Come for a long walk with me?  This morning I set off for my walk not really thinking quite where I'd go....the walk ended up a lot longer than I had originally planned.

The rhododendrons were flowering beautifully along the roadside.

Purples and reds, just stunning.

I decided to walk to St Catherine's Lighthouse.  I usually just show it in long distance photographs.

On the way I stopped at Castlehaven Bay. 

The water looked amazing with the light of the sun reflecting on it.

Such a beautiful morning.

This has eroded away since last year.  

I hope it doesn't end up taking the gate and footpath with it!

Looking back at the bay.

The lighthouse in the distance.

The approach.

Looking towards the hills.

Another lovely Glanville Fritillary.

The Lighthouse from the road.

From up the hill.

I discovered a new to me walk...

... I did some of it, but will have to come back another day to explore fully.

It really was so lovely and peaceful.

Looking down on Knowles Farm.

This bird of prey was hovering over the sea...I took a very long distance photo and then zoomed in on the computer hence it not being the best quality.

He/she came ashore to rest on a tree.

Looking down on the lighthouse from another angle.

The lighthouse and the farm.

On the way home I passed some alpacas.  They turned they back on me!

From the Cliff path.

A Small Heath Butterfly.

A buzzard I think.

Crow came along to chase him off!

I got home exhausted but feeling really pleased with having gone on a walk when I did as the weather was just right.

I hung some washing out on my newly installed line across the garden, then sat down with a cuppa and a book...which is pretty much what I did on and off for the rest of the day!

I took some photos of another rose in the garden.

A beautiful red rose with delicate petals.

Not sure what this is, but it is pretty.

I played my clarinet for a little while and enjoyed that, although my arm and hand is now paying for it!

Previous to that I did some sewing, adding to the Mix and Match Wardrobe Challenge.

A pair of cropped trousers and a denim top.

Summertime

For my Mum and Dad

I still keep playing despite the pain! 

Day Thirty One - The Month that Was.

Photo of the Day:

Art Prompt: Own Choice

Raven in Flight

Gosh it is the end of the month already!  It really does seem to have zoomed past ever so quicly.

Looking back at October....

At the end of September I made a goal to clear my sewing studio by the end of October, thinking that having whole month I should be able to achieve such a task.  Well I failed - although I am going to try not to look on it as failure, but rather progress as so many other things have also happened over the last month.  I have made real headway on getting some actual treatment for my existing pain and also the pain that has plagued me since April.  Whether this treatment will work, is yet to be determined, but I am hopeful and that is a step in the right direction. Because of this I have had MANY trips into London which of course take up time.   I HAVE started clearing my studio, but to the outsider it wouldn't be at all obvious as it is still a complete mess in there, and now our dining room is a mess as well with stuff I have sorted to sell!  Perhaps it will be cleared by the end of November?

Over the last 21 days I have made 13 Ebay sales which amounts to 24 items, so that is progress in itself.  I also have a pile of boxes and bags that I need to take to the charity shop which I hope to do this week.  I have more items to list as well and hope to get them done in the next couple of days.


I managed to take part in the 'Photo a Day for the Month of October Challenge' on Flickr.

Here is a mosaic of days 1 - 30, with today's photo being at the top of this post.

I have also completed the 'Every Day in October' Art Challenge, although this has been a bit more difficult to keep up with.  I went back to art, but have to stop while having my acupuncture treatment as unfortunately this is on the same day.  I will try to find out if there is another group I can go to on a different day.

A Mosaic of Days 1 - 30 with today' picture at the top of this post.

I have quite enjoyed this challenge, although some of the prompts were really not my thing.  As someone who doesn't 'do' Halloween, quite a few of them were orientated towards that.  All pictures have now also been added to the appropriate day as I had missed uploading some.  Some of these I am not at all pleased with, others I am.  But the whole idea was just to go with the prompt, not take too long over it and I think I have achieved that.

'We' have started stripping the wallpaper off the walls in our master bedroom, and hopefully that will be fully decorated by the end of November.  We have had to change our plans slightly as we were going to get someone in to do the whole job, but due to my medical expenses, we have had to change that, so now hubby is doing the stripping and prepping of the walls and the painting and we will get someone in to do the wallpapering, IF the price is right.  Otherwise it could be along time before it is ever finished!  Of course doing this has meant that now the lounge is full of stuff that we have moved out of the bedroom!  So I hope we don't have any visitors for a while as the house is quite frankly a mess.  We have also had the floor measured up for carpet, so now just have to go and choose some.

One week into October I decided to start going on the elliptical trainer/exercise machine (as well as the walking the dogs).  I have managed to go on it 13 days out of 23 (56 %) so far which isn't too bad, as some of those days I had to go into London and have various tests etc...  I have also started the physio exercises, and do those daily.  I am now on Day 4 of those. 

Another thing I have started to do is practice my clarinet again as I just miss it too much to not play anymore.  It still hurts a lot, but the pleasure I am getting from playing is almost counteracting that.  So although early days yet, I will see how I go. I have played 17 out of the 23 days, so have achieved 74%  - not bad, especially again considering some days I haven't felt like it, or have had trips into London.  I have tried to play before and I think I managed about three months before I had to give up again.  Hopefully with the treatment I am getting I will be able to continue.  Mind over matter as they say.  I worked too hard for too many years to throw my music away. 

I finally got round to banking some cheques, only to realise when I was paying them in one of them had been written out incorrectly - the words and numbers didn't match up.  Now our bank no longer has a branch locally it is more of a hassle to have to go to the bank as it involves driving, paying parking charges etc...  Such a nuisance our local branch is no longer.  Seems crazy as the population in our town has increased!  I hate to think what the older people do now - perhaps they have changed banks, I do know at least a couple of people who have done this.

Because I had to drive to another town to do the banking and pay for parking I figured I might has well have a look round the charity shops.  They don't tend to interest me as much as they used to, not sure if I just feel I have enough now, or because you can't get the bargains that you used to be able to get.  I did find one thing though for my 'old people' collection that sit on the picture rail that runs down the length of our hallway.

I haven't seen this one before.  Love the donkey!

November tomorrow!  The nights are already drawing in, and it was definitely a lot colder today than it has been.  It is pitch black outside already and it is only 5 pm.  Brrr...I don't like these colder darker days. 

My Life in Six Objects

My Life in Six Objects.   Well, okay,  I have added a couple of extra photos/objects, but titled them under six headings.

Getting the idea from Sadie of 'The Sadie Diaries' who suggested we share six objects that have helped shape our lives in some way I thought I would share six objects as well.  You can read about Sadie's six here.

1.  Books

This book is one of the first books I can remember having.  My Dad bought it home second hand and it is a 'second';  the inside of the book is upside down to the cover, but this never bothered me.  It has been well loved over the years and this poem is the first thing I remember ever learning off by heart.  I have a very strong love of books and reading and hope when we eventually move that I can dedicate a whole room to a 'library' and release many of my very special books from captivity in their cardboard box prisons.    We didn't have a television when I was a young child through until about my teens I think it may have been which I think helped to contribute to my love of books and I have chosen as an adult to not have a television and haven't had one for twenty six years now.

2.  Music

I started playing music when I was seven years old and always wanted to play the clarinet as my grandfather had played it (although I am told he didn't play it for long, or especially well!).  I grew up listening to Benny Goodman, so it was always going to be a clarinet for me.  I had to start on recorder as my hands weren't big enough for a clarinet (long before the days of the wonderful light Lyons C clarinet for young children was invented).  I think I started playing the clarinet when I was about eight or nine years old

This Artley is my very first clarinet and what I first started learning to play.  We hired it initially and I remember going to look at others when my parents decided to buy me one, in the end it was decided to keep this one as I loved it so much.  It still plays as well today as it did when I first got it.  Obviously a Music Degree, and Masters Degree in Performance later I graduated to a professional instrument, my lovely Leblanc Opus which really is a very special instrument indeed.  I can play all the recorders, flute, various different saxophones and of course my main instrument the clarinet in its different guises and sizes.  I have also dabbled, not very successfully in piano playing and string instruments and can play both the violin at a very basic level and the 'cello at around Grade Three level I would guess.    Music really was my life up until December 2008 when I had to have surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which unfortunately left me with chronic neuropathic pain and an inability to play without pain.  I am hoping this will be sorted in the next few months as the loss of teaching and playing has been devastating for me.

3.  Tea

One of my earliest memories is drinking tea with my Dad in the mornings - I have certainly drunk tea for as long as I can remember and I love teapots and tea cups, preferring the taste of tea out of china cups.  For the last few years having cut most dairy from my diet I have drunk my tea either green or black, but still love making it in a teapot.  

4.  Lamp 

Another object that stems from my childhood, and also something that my Dad bought home from me.  This has travelled around the world twice!  It has moved to all the homes I have lived in over my life so far and I can't ever imagine not having it beside my bed.  For me it signifies many things, my love of archaeology, reading at night, memories, familiarity.  

5.  Sewing Machine = Creativity

I learnt to sew on an an old vintage/antique crank handled Singer Sewing machine that unfortunately probably got passed on to some other child many many years ago.  That Singer though inspired a love of Singer Sewing Machines and they are still as wonderful to sew with today as they were when they were first produced.  In this category I consider all creative endeavours to be one.  Sewing, Knitting, Painting, Photography and generally making things.  I have always been creative, whether it be learning something new, making something, writing, knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, woodwork, photography and latterly over the last couple of years drawing and painting.  I was one of two girls at school that chose to take woodwork as an option.  My Mum and Dad still have a very large wooden spoon I made hanging up in their kitchen!  I guess you could say I always like to be creating something.

This is a pencil case I made when I think I was about 12 years old.  I still use it today at my desk.

6.  Roses

My love of roses only really started in earnest over the last few years - probably since the advent of 'A Life of Pain' and they have brought me much joy.  The scent in my front garden in summer is just amazing and I have gradually built up the number of roses I have since turning our front into a 'Rose Garden'.  

I found this really thought provoking and could have added a couple of other things probably, perhaps instead of the roses at the end, which I can't really decide whether they should be included as 'an object' although I do have a lovely rose plaque that was given to me many years ago by my ex-father in law, perhaps it was this that helped nurture my love of roses as it has almost always sat on my dressing table, although it is currently in the lounge to keep it safe while our bedroom gets decorated.