First real blog on this site, still learning, taking it slowly....

(Eric Clapton and J J Cale keeping me company through the headphones).

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The world breaks everyone but in the end people are stronger at the broken places.
Ernest Hemingway.

Much like bones really.



It is still only almost the end of April but when I wake before 6 am, the air is warm and as it comes gently through the open window I feel its warmth and smell its freshness. I am so lucky to live here and enjoy our wonderful air quality.

The pair of collared doves are still busy nestbuilding, it's a very slow process or are they just reinforcing an existing nest? Their home is in the fir tree outside my bedroom window, exactly at my eye level and I lay in bed watching them. I can't actually see the nest but I watch the dove as s/he goes in and out of the tree with pieces of twig, some short and some long. M says that doves' nests are constructed very simply of twigs and sticks. (He knows these things having enjoyed a country childhood). He also fears that the doves are making a new nest because they have been driven from another one on next door's land. I fear he may be right, the trees on their land are inhabited by quite a lot of magpies.

The housemartins are making a noise under the eaves but every year their numbers are reduced which is a bit of a worry.

Other birds are busy at their table. There is a big molehill at its foot, I suspect the moles are also attracted by the food supply!

While I am at work this morning M is going to do some strimming, avoiding the primroses and bluebells of course which are popping up all over the place.

I am probably waking early because my mind is troubled at the moment. You will know from the chat room, you purplecoo folk, that I have been attending court this week as a witness. Obviously I cannot go into details as the case is ongoing but it is the result of an attack on my son-in-law so you can imagine the stress our family is under. So I am finding it hard to count blessings even though it is exactly at times like these when one really needs to do so.

So, blessings today?

Support of friends, family and fellow bloggers.

My animals. They are always there for you aren't they? Words aren't necessary, they seem to know when you need comfort.

My bluebells which at last are showing themselves. The old ones which have spread and the new ones planted last autumn.

This glorious weather, the masses of blossom and the greening of the trees, later than most parts but happening here at last.

Welsh poppies too, coming into flower and promising to bloom all summer long.

Sleep which when it comes is a great stress-buster. The Irish swear by sleep, they see it as a cure-all for everything.



Kitty B's blog was so sad that it brought tears to my eyes and certainly put my fears into perspective.


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The dogs have been getting restless in the early hours of the morning; I think they hear a creature outside. Sometimes there is a lot of bleating by the sheep and M is worried that there may be a fox around disturbing them. We have been getting up and letting the dogs out, they are like coiled springs at the door ready to go and chase whatever it is. But it could be just otters in the river or maybe badgers crossing our land.

The sun is starting to creep round the edge of my window. I won't go poetic on you as if you are a regular reader you will know the poem by now.

A warm sunny weekend is forecast with temperatures of 82 degrees.

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Rant time.

I made a complaint in Morrisons supermarket yesterday about the thick plastic price labels which they attach to each bunch of their bananas. They tried to say it was because it makes it easier to zap the barcode at the checkout and easier too for customers to unhook the bunches from the display! I disapprove very strongly about the excessive use of packaging, especially the over-use of plastic. The onus now is being put on the consumer to recycle this unnecessary excess packaging rather than on the manufacturers, (or the retail outlets) who produce it in the first place. There are even proposals being considered to charge us for our rubbish or any 'misplacement' of recycling materials. I am actually alarmed at the amount of recycling I accumulate, especially as most of it is unnecessary packaging. For example I buy Schweppes tonic water in plastic bottles (why can't they be glass?) and every botle has a huge plastic spirit 'measure' stuck on it. Any househeold only needs one! Trouble is I have to buy Schweppes tonic as any other make tastes like white spirit. Don't get me started.... I think the Womens Institute are running a campaign about this very subject, I will look into it.

This is just a shortish, rather ranty (another new word) and oh so boring blog but I am just testing the water. Still hung over from the wine consumed at purplecoo celebrations, oh what fun we have now we have escaped to the other side!

I am going to stop now. I will post a poem later. And maybe some 'beautiful moments', I am collecting those as well as Blessings, Must-Haves and Stop Doings.

And I am going to try and post a pic!

Bye for now.
God Bless,
Caitx