You don’t realise what you’ve got till you haven’t got it. Or, in this case, you don’t know how much you miss what you’ve taken for granted all summer until you realise that you are ridiculously excited about going for a long walk down by the sea and round to Poole Quay without being rained on or blown all across to Brownsea. Nor do you realise exactly how happy you are to see a long line full of washing in your garden first thing in the morning and a lovely empty wash basket.
There again, I have got another good step towards my Victorian House project this week, and you can laugh all you like at my imaginary bed and breakfast that’s just for us, but its spurred me on to really look at everything in the house and ask myself whether it belongs here and whether it’s good enough. That’s not the sort of ‘good enough’ that someone lays down for you, but a ‘good enough’ that comes from accepting that my immunodeficiency means holidays away and busy places are out for the foreseeable future and asking myself who would want to go away when they live in such a beautiful place?
So, rather than feel sorry for myself, I made a conscious decision that the cash we’d once have used for days out to busy places, meals out and holidays would be used to create my dream bed and breakfast. A place where the best local food is lovingly cooked and served. Where everything works and is clean and fresh and not cluttered with things that don’t fit the people we are now. Where, best of all, we’ve always got the right clothes with us and our books and craft projects are close at hand. Where there are regular retreats. There’s a Doctor Who celebration coming up before the sixtieth anniversary and a Samhain celebration where we’ll leave Halloween to the kids and honour the memories of those who’ve gone ahead of us by cooking their favourite food and sharing happy memories. There’s an apple celebration where I serve Dorset apple cake and cream and prepare apples in loads of different ways.
Right now I’m looking forward to the sewing retreat that’s planned for a fortnight’s time where I’ll pre prepare food and do all the jobs I can ahead of schedule and then treat myself to some serious sewing and cutting time after going for as shopping trip in my personal shop. That’s also known as my wardrobe full of sewing things that I’ve collected over the years, which I organised last winter and the two shelves of sewing books that are finally in one place so I can enjoy them. I may well also visit my favourite quilt and needlework shops on line and have the fun of parcels too.
Some of you may say I’m deluding myself, and maybe I am, but what’s the other alternative? To grieve for the life I can’t have, worry about how quickly Covid is spreading and get angry? No thanks to that. I’d rather read cookbooks and craft books and breathe in the smell of freshly made milk bread made to a Women’s Institute recipe and which, although I say it myself, smells and looks as good as anything I’d get in an artisan bakery. I’ll gloat to myself (and friends like you) about my new skills and look forward to seeing my favourite people for long walks in the open air…
Which brings me neatly back round to today’s picture. Look at what I can have? Aren’t I lucky that it’s only twenty minutes walk away and soon I’ll be out there on a crisp autumn morning with all that to look forward to? So let me know what you’re looking forward to. Maybe recommend a favourite cookbook or TV programme to make the Victorian House better still? Take care whatever you do…
Today's picture is of fishing boats down at Fisherman's Quay on a lovely sunny day. There's a bench on a little beach that no one else seems to use where you can sit and watch the boats come and go and listen in to the pleasure boats commentary as they head off. Then I can walk down along the now quiet Quay and maybe mask up and sneak into my favourite shops where I've known the shopkeepers for a quarter of the century and feel welcomed and safe. Some other day I'll tell you about the Pink Sugar Mouse at Truly Scrumptious who offered to open early just for me...
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