Saturday 15 January 2022

Saturday

 Sorry I didn't put a post on yesterday.   Please don't tell me there is no need to put a post on every day - there is a need for me.   When you are old , it easy so easy to slip into the mode where you never actually do anything.   I have a carer who takes care of my major needs, I have a cleaner who cleans right through the bungalow once a month and cleans places like the kitchen every day.   My carer changes my bed linen  every other Wednesday and takes home anything which needs ironing to iron with her things and she cooks my lunch every day.   I have a man who does my garden and a man to clean my windows - that doesn't leave me an awful lot to do does it?   My son lives closed by for any emergencies that arise and I belong Lifeline.

So all in all let's keep up things like a daily post to keep my mind sharp for as long as I can so that when I can't think of anything to write I can  put rubbish like this on to keep me going.

Our television mast came down in a gale some months ago and since then - while presumably they are building a new one - some days we can't get BBC television unless we watch it on iplayer.   It is a nuisance to say the least - I can excuse it for a month or so but it has gone on for much longer.  Nobody mentions it on the television as though it is a guarded secret.

The weather here this week has been beautiful - sunny, relatively warm, clear, beautiful dawns and dusks.   Today has been a little exception in that after a good clear start the River Ure in the valley began to fog over and soon the mist crept up the fields and over the town.  But after lunch it cleared again and it has been a sunny afternoon.  Weather Forecaster at teatime said although it will be a bit colder we could with luck expect this weather for another day or two. April in January eh!   Just as long as we don't get January in April - after I have packed my duvet coat away.   See you tomorrow.

Almost a month now since the shortest day and already the nights have pulled out by about an hour and the sun has got higher in the sky so that although it shines into my sitting room window it no longer shines directly into my eyes - it begins to shine down on my face.  I had never before realised how much having a living room facing South teaches one about direction.   In winter the sun rises in  one side of my window and sets in the other - in summer it both rises and sets round the back of the property.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is a day in October that the rising sun shines directly through our front door, right down the long hallway. Last year I wrote the date in my diary. As I pondered this morning with your post, on ancient astronomy, and Neolithic burial barrows where the same is said to happen, I looked to see if that date was written in for this October. My husband has written 'worm the cat.'.- Pam.

Heather said...

I occasionally see a sunrise but never any sunsets as the windows of my flat are all on one side of our building. However, any winter sun warms me up and during the summer it has moved round to the front of the building by lunchtime so I don't get too hot.
We have had some glorious crisp bright frosty days but today was overcast and a bit damp so it felt colder.

Librarian said...

We noticed the slightly longer daylight today, too, as it was already a quarter past five in the afternoon when we returned from our hike in the woods, and even though sunset has been at 5:00 precisely, there was still plenty of daylight left.
You are doing very well in putting on posts almost every day and keeping your mind sharp, also by doing the mindgames in your paper, reading and talking to people etc.

the veg artist said...

It's our kitchen window which faces south. A big window, we can see the sun move from left to right, and in a more pronounced arc as the months roll on. It's the clouds I notice most though. With prevailing westerlies, the clouds usually move from right to left, and to watch them go the other way is quite discombobulating!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Pam - wonderful answer made me roar with laughter.

Yellow Shoes said...

Pat this is a heartfelt post - I feet your frustration at not being able to do those basics any more with ease - those actions that knit a day together - cleaning, washing one's clothes and hanging them out to dry, gardening, nipping to the shops.
So what do you do instead?
You blog about it and articulate so clearly what it means to be old in body before you are old in mind.
I'm learning a lot about the next stage by reading you each day and I learn even more on the days when you are frustrated by the advancing years. Well done! x

Melinda from Ontario said...

I've had cleaning ladies in the past and I absolutely loved it. There was nothing more cheering than returning home to a thoroughly cleaned house after a long day at work. Now that I'm retired, I clean my house myself in a piece meal sort of fashion. One day it's the bathrooms and another, the floors. I miss the days when every room was clean and tidy all at once.

The Furry Gnome said...

I feel the same commitment to posting, even though I don't do it daily. You have to keep your mind active!

Susan said...

Daylight is drawing out and it is lovely to still have light at 5 PM. It is good to keep an active mind and your blogging is always delightful. Are you getting the gardening catalogs like I am? The catalogs provide inspiration for new plantings. You might have a gardener but you still do all the design and plant selection. Adding a new plant or two is always enjoyable. Don't you agree?

sparklingmerlot said...

I am still waiting for an obvious drawing in of days down under. We still have the worst heat and northerly winds of summer to come but a promise of Autumn gives me something to look forward to. I would love to live in cooler climes.

Joanne Noragon said...

I've been busy weaving, a did look out the east window to a lovely moon tonight.

Cro Magnon said...

I find 'routine' very important. I get-up at 4am every morning, work until I take the dog out at 8am, eat breakfast, do a spot of shopping if required, etc, etc. Now that the work has finally finished here, we have started on my other house where we begin all over again. Having tenants is OK, but they don't always leave things in a good state.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

We all live our lives (and publish blogposts) according to our own rhythms and reasons. I didn't realise how much I was aware of the position of the sun in the sky until I went to Australia in the 1980s. I'd looked at a map of Melbourne and knew the position of my friends' house in relation to the airport, but when they picked me up I was convinced that we were going in the wrong direction. Being somewhat jet-lagged I didn't figure out till the next day that it was because the sun was in the NORTH! It happened two or three times while I was there; all very confusing for a simple farm boy.

thelma said...

Never seen the moon since I moved here but would always look out for it in the village. Like the bats flying around at dusk. Things I am missing, bats, barn owls and horses for some strange reason. Your writing keeps us all happy Pat, I have just found 'Wordle' got my first word on three goes, so pleased with myself. Little things makes us happy.

thelma said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bovey Belle said...

Our new home faces South and our living room has big French windows (it used to be the carriage house, so you can imagine they are nearly the width of the room). We get the benefit of the sun when there is any, Good to see the evenings drawing out again, and the mornings lighter too.

You must be frustrated that the physical side of your life cannot function as it used to, but believe me your brain is as sharp as a pin and you have honed the art of taking pleasure in small things to a similar sharpness.

Sue said...

Blogging daily is a good rhythm to get into, and your posts are usually really interesting to so many of us. Now you've told us NOT to tell you that you needn't worry about missing a day we will instead all tell you off when you do :-)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Indeed Thelma - that is all we need to keep us happy.
John - not sure I could cope with that change of position of the sun.
Susan strangely enough only a few minutes ago I looked out and thought I must try to find the snowdrops to buy in the green for the side garden. So yes you are right.


Thanks dear friends - you are always there to give me my much needed enthusiasm.

Tom Stephenson said...

I like the action of writing the post more than I do putting it out. I feel like writing another as soon as one is done, but - mercifully for everyone else - seldom do that.

Lynn Marie said...

Your posts that you discipline yourself to write are my daily indulgence to read. Doesn't quite seem fair, but I thank you!

Maudie said...

I always love to read your posts. There does not need to be much going on to have something to say.

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Mary said...

Just reading anything you write is a joy Pat. You articulate your words so well as you share interesting subjects, be they day to day basics of your life now, history of your younger days, your family, a good book, the beauty of the garden, the neighborhood, and what sound like good neighbors and faithful friends. All this adds up to a great blogging friend whom we miss when you don't post. . . . . however we all need a break now and then. . . . . so understand when you take a day off!!!

A special hug to you today - Mary

P.S. Another All Creatures Great and Small episode last night - always think of you when the beautiful scenery, farms, animals, and Yorkshire accents surround me for an hour or so!