Home Sweet Home

I am back both to my little cottage and to the blog.  I have been away for awhile, as soon as shielding finished we decided to take the ferry over to the mainland and drive down to see the family.  It was just the tonic we needed, seeing everyone was a joy.  There were many tears of happiness as we saw each little family and were reassured  that they were safe and well.  My parents too are as well as can be expected in these difficult times.  We were sensible and took turns to drive and enjoyed the stunning views, the fauna and flora spectacular.  The stunning Cairngorms  area ablaze with colour.  An eclectic mix of greens of every shade and vibrant purple of the heather against the stark grey of the mountain rocks made for some amazing views.

I must admit after shielding for so long I was a little apprehensive about going out.  My anxiety was not about Covid19 but about the procedures in shops, distancing and such.  A fear of the unknown as we had not been out and about.  We decided to take a trip to town prior to our trip but I must admit that it didn't really help.  We were both a little uncertain as we boarded the ferry but soon relaxed as the day went on and we overcame each obstacle, a stop at the services and a picnic area.  We were a little worried about getting things wrong but were reassured by signs everywhere which were a comfort and boosted our confidence about been out and about.

How those Grandchildren of ours have grown.  Both Hector and Honey start school next month, they haven't had the usual introductions and haven't been to Nursery since March so I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't an easy transition.  It is the same for all children starting school so they are not alone.  They were very excited to show me their school uniforms so hopefully the excitement will last.  We are certainly living in strange times.

We spent most of our time away sitting in the garden enjoying the amazing weather.  We certainly got lucky with some amazing temperatures.  Dare I say too hot some days.  Thank goodness for the paddling pools each family had.  What fun we had with the children splashing around in the cooling water.  We were certainly spoilt with food too.  I have yet to weigh myself but feel sure that more weight has been added.  Some serious exercise and a sensible diet is certainly on the agenda.

I know that this trip will be considered unnecessary by some but for us and our mental health it felt like a trip of a lifetime.  With local lockdowns and talk of a 2nd wave we felt that this was the perfect time.  We are back and reassured that our family is safe and well.  We have stocked up on supplies that we need for some of our planned projects over the Winter months and are happy to be back home in our little cottage.  We have some wonderful treasured memories that will keep us glowing for quite some time.  We intend to isolate for 10 days just in case out of respect for our friends and neighbours.  In truth this is no hardship as we have plenty to do catching up with garden jobs which also includes the chickens.

As you can imagine, there is a lot to do here not least a stack of washing and ironing.  I do thank you for your emails and your concern about my absence but as you can see I am well and indeed jubilant about a very memorable trip away.  I will catch up with you all as soon as I can but in the meantime take care.

See you soon.