13

#homealonediaries13

This morning started with the mixed blessing of taking the last three plates out of the hearth ashes - one whole, one with a hairline crack and one like "the mirror cracked from side to side". Big disappointment :-(

Ho hum..onwards! Today is the last day alone and my mind, ever practical, turns to Alistair's homecoming tonight. I open the fridge...whoops, maybe I should shop? Nah, think I'll put everything that's left into the slowcooker, walk the dogs and go to yoga...

Top tip for the day comes from the wonderful Jack Monroe (check it out - Bootstrap Cook) - rinse all the sticky orange sauce from a tin of baked beans and hey presto you have loadsa haricot beans...twice the beans for your bucks!

SO dogs walked, and Kitty's Field is sparkling - it's going to be another beauty...last week's rain and wind is the price we have to pay for weeks like this!

Along the prom to yoga...random choices await a typical Saturday morning in Aberystwyth - yoga, traditional Welsh dancers in the bandstand, foody market in Baker St, demo in the square...all that was missing today were the sea-swimmers... they must be missing Alistair :-)

Yoga was lovely - gonna miss you Liz - then a little trip to the market to chat to friends.
*The Community Fridge* is becoming a reality!

Home along the prom and a disparate sunny afternoon pottering with the dogs, chatting with sundry neighbours  and pulling up the occasional weed...

Two more things!
I never did tell you about the random man on the till in the Oxfam bookshop!
Him: "Oh, you are the lady from the swimming pool!"
Me: "Um, sorry I don't recognise people...(I falter, desperately trying NOT to say "with their clothes on...")
Him (gallantly): "...out of context, you mean..."
Hahaha!

And lastly I am looking for a brave soul to help me remove the stud earring from my (six weeks) cartilige piercing and replace with a sleeper, so that I can...
Nerves of steel, good fine motor skills and great eyesight required...apply here, reward will be chocolate :-)

So here we are...day 13, the end of this year's home-alone diaries... thank you, all of you who have read, liked, commented and otherwise kept me company these past two weeks. You have kept me just about attached to the planet...my 'minder' returns tonight. Did I remember to tell him about the bathroom wall?!

12

#homealonediaries12

Today we are all about connections...

At least 35 years ago I had a bit of a 'thing' about JB Priestley and came across a little orange Penguin paperback copy of 'Bright Day'...the same copy is in front of me now, a little more 'foxed'...
The story revolves around a middle-aged man's memories of his childhood in the North - recollections which are triggered by hearing a particular piece of Schubert. I have always been fascinated by memory, by connections, by 'ghosts' , and loved this book (still do ...). I remember visiting various music shops in Cambridge with my Mum in tow, to track down a tape copy of the piece...it was a lovely connection between her passions and mine, and I still have it, though she is long gone - at that time she was just beginning to show 'Parkinsonian' symptoms...

So there I was today, walking the dogs in the morning sunshine and Schubert came into my ears - via my phone and the wonders of technology, and I mused on how easy it is, by comparison, to track down a piece these days - and how unchanging is the Schubert...

More connections were strengthened and established in town later over chance coffee with friends, and the collection of my chocolate from TreeHouse (thank you Isobel Powys!)

Home to logsawing and listening in to the neighbourhood.

Remember peeps - "the main thing is not to forget the main thing..."

https://youtu.be/hk20HJJ0bhw

11

#homealonediaries11

After midnight, on my way to bed and I realise today has not been documented - will, in fact sink into the mire of forgotten moments if I don't recall it quickly.

So bad is my memory becoming, in fact, that this morning's treat of going back to bed with my tea and having emails from Smallest on his commute seem already like a dream
(although it is somewhat disconcerting to realise one has become the Aged P to his Wemmick)

Ho hum...onwards to dogwalking in lovely sunshine and the making of some elderberry syrup, before running for the bus up the hill and a longish afternoon walk with guest-dog.
Somewhat messed the domesticity ("cockup on the domestic front") by pouring said syrup all over the kitchen instead of into its bottle. Oh well, I had planned to wash the floors this afternoon anyway...

Guest-dog was quite late leaving and then I decided to finish the boxset of Our Friends in the North...

And suddenly, as I said, it was midnight...remind me to tell you tomorrow about the man in the Oxfam bookshop!

10

#homealonediaries10

I can't believe how quickly the time is passing this year!

I was up late last night and then woke early this morning...Last night's firings were rescued from the ashes first thing and scrubbed and waxed - some strong colours.

We had a lovely walk...it was warmer outside than in the house, as is so often the case at certain times of the year. On the way home we stopped to ask local workmen about wood offcuts - and went back for two bagsful later!

A long chat with a neighbour who is becoming a friend followed - she totally 'gets' my pots, which always helps!

Strolled into town at lunchtime to change the handtowels at M&S -I had bought the wrong green last week. A seductively ghastly place...
And then to the petshop to get enough dog and birdfood just to see us through to Monday. But I should have gone there first...it closed at 1pm. Short rations!

This afternoon I did a little desultory log-sawing and made lovely soup...I really will have to buy food one of these days!

I always feed the dogs separately and shut Eve in - and Kitty, who plays with her food, out. Tonight I forgot to shut the door and Kitty stood by and watched Eve eat her way through both bowlsful!

9

#homealonediaries9

Another lovely clear day today to compensate for everything the weather-gods hurled our way late last week!

My purple toe was just that.- spectacular colour, but I can still wiggle it, so I'm guessing I'll survive. Up to Kitty's Field this morning with the dogs, then into town with a disparate list and my trusty shopping trolley. I strolled home along the prom eating oranges and reflecting that there could be worse walks home from your local shops.
And looking forward to a couple of squares of salty chocolate from the bar I had bought to replenish the first-aid box.
Which was NOT THERE (the chocolate I mean) when I unpacked my trolley. Either I left it on the counter at TreeHouse or I am indeed off my trolley, as is suspected by an increasing number of people I fear...
Had soup for lunch :-(

The afternoon was domestic again -  oh, punctuated by SPEAKING to Alistair on the phone...by accident I hasten to add, we never actually speak! He was too busy to talk anyway, just alerting me to which beach he was sailing from... we do keep tabs on each other's loony movements!

And so tonight I am outside, by a fire, drinkng cider, waiting for the full moon to rise and playing a little moony tune on my ocarina...
As always, I can hear the sea.

Life could be worse...

8

#homealonediaries8

A lovely morning again and a quiet walk around the cliff and the woods with the dogs...couldn't work out why my foot was uncomfortable, until I got home, took off my boots and sock - and remembered stubbing my toe while getting dressed earlier. Ouch, ouch...

Domesticity called over lunchtime and then I had a mid-afternoon swim at the pool - fortunately I could pedal my bike, walking was not on the cards...

Was collected for Buddhist meditation this evening and brought home later..thank you Lesley Clare, so kind! And thanks guys at the group - you know who you are! It was a lovely evening with some thought-provoking conversations xxx

7

#homealonediaries7

Woohoo! Sunshine this morning...Kitty and I took the opportunity to take a long walk over the cliff to visit the oldies. She was very well-behaved and exceedingly popular!
We walked back through the golfcourse in the lunchtime sunshine...and the colours of the world had turned to precious metals and jewels after the rain -
the track was a silver-shining stream between the emerald and gold fresh grass, the rose-hips and remaining blackberries were rubies, garnets and black sapphires in the hedges.
And the sea...there aren't words to describe the blues and greens today...aquamarine, turquoise, jade.
Truly this can be a beautiful place!

Off to the prom after a bit of toast, though the wind was freshening, for meditating with a warm and lovely group .

A quiet evening...

6

#homealonediaries6

Ooh I felt better this morning for a decent night's sleep. Back on form today and the sun was almost shining at 7am. By 8 of course it was raining and there were the dogs to be walked...a little haiku wrote itself while we were out:

Seeking recompense
and suddenly in the rain
I hear the silence...

Then it was off for a morning's meditation with friends - I managed lunch too before creeping home to my silence...

There was domestic stuff to be done and a bit of waxing - a table, a bit of floor and the ceramics from last night's hearth-fire.

And then tonight the rain stopped and Kitty and I strolled the prom as the sun set...

5

#homealonediaries5

Somewhat lowkey day today after dark and stormy night.
But I managed to get the dogs walked without getting blown over the cliff. And did some cooking!
And finished the waxing and demolished the rest of the tiles in the bathroom...

4

#homealonediaries4
Phew, what a day!
Was woken by Kitty, wanting to go outside and see to the squirrel who has eaten ALL the peanuts...
I was dressed and drinking tea when the doorbell rang and Kitty was enthusiastically welcoming a familiar-looking stranger.
"You know me" he said (I do?). Turned out he is a garden contractor, from whom I had foraged an old wooden ladder last year...and wanted to "borrow" my outside tap. No problem, I left him to it and walked the dogs ...the rain was just starting.
"Does your husband still go kayaking?" he asked on my return, "only I have a difficult teenage son who would love to go out but doesn't manage groups"...
Caught in the headlights of every kind of health and safety concern, I was able to demur on Alistair's behalf - Seriously?!
But he was very complimentary about what we had done..."beautiful house, beautiful garden, beautiful dogs..."
Woah, I'll stop you there - I am home alone after all!

By this time the rain was coming down in stair-rods and I donned more waterproofs to meet a friend for coffee on the prom.  The proprieter is a neighbour...a waiter brought us sticky, sweet cakes 'on the house' and our coffees were also complimentary. I wonder if I shall ever need sugar again...

With ten minutes to spare before the bus I dip into a local shop where I had previously found good long-sleeved t-shirts. They didn't have any vaguely small and the young woman serving organised to order some for me. I memorise her name-tag (Hannah) while she does the paperwork and she promises to phone. I turn to leave..."I'm not Hannah, by the way, I'm Sam..."

Hahaha...onwards and upwards to the bus stop and to pick up my beautiful extra dog for the afternoon.
By this time my waterproofs are not... He gives me that "are you serious?!" look as I put his lead on, and we squelch home, meeting no-one.

It is still only early afternoon, but I have had it...the sugar-rush cake has dumped me with a headache and I am glad of several hours silence. And my fire...

Tiles? What tiles?

3

#homealonediaries3

Well today started well with some sunshine and a stiff wind.
I had been up in the night, seeing to the cooling fire and hooking out the ceramics - all good!
Headed for town and coffee with my good friend Who Is Leaving (you know who you are!)
The weather didn't improve and the dogs and I got blown around Kitty's Field.
Then it was time to demolish the tiles in the bathroom...
you know those little jobs you just begin - and immediately wish you hadn't?
You know that thing when you say breezily and hyperbolically "and the whole wall came too"?
Well it did...there is no wall - just crumbling lime-mortar and horsehair.
Dear Alistair, you know you said you'd be ok with replastering when you get back from Ireland...?!

2

#homealonediaries2

The wind blue up a hoolie in the night and I was out briefly with Evie who was restless...could NOT find Kitty this morning - toyed with the idea that she had, hearing the call of the wild, slipped out behind me, slid under the gate like some canine Flat Stanley and gone to join the wolves in the wood.
But no, she was IN bed in the attic...

The rain paused long enough for us to get a walk and for me to entertain the idea that a trip to M&S would be a Good Idea...I was given, (I want to say 'gifted' but that is a private joke between us) some vouchers recently and badly need some new, plain t-shirts.
That was a Big Mistake...what fresh hell...etc etc.
Came home with some, equally badly needed to be fair, handtowels.
And is it my imagination or are there rather a lot of yellow raincoats on the streets these days? Not so many 3" stilettos though...

1

#homealonediaries1

Out of the habit-
like a recalcitrant nun,
home-alone again

Haiku

On the wayward path -
somewhere in between the lines
truth is to be found

1 Jan 2018

Several conversations of late have got me thinking about rituals/ceremonies/occasions...
We, (he and I), have have gone so far in our avoidance of the Christmas 'spend-fest' that we have almost made a ceremony of non-ceremony. And yet I feel I have lost something...
Maybe the time has come for me to return to some sort of non-religious observance of the old rhythms of the seasons...the four 'quarters' and the four 'cross-quarters' perhaps? Or the moon-rhythms?
Does anyone out there feel the same stirring? Or know anything about gentle non-religious rituals to explore?