Sunday 12 April 2015

Hot and cold


















I didn't get the level of clothes right at all this weekend.  At yesterday morning's football I froze in a thin coat, lulled into a false sense of security by last week's summer temperatures.  I had no thick coat, no scarf, no gloves, no flask of hot cocoa - all of my things to keep me warm.  The pitch was incredibly exposed, the wind was fierce, the game was mediocre - nothing to warm me up there.  Sometimes a lively game, with how shall I put it, vocal opposing crowd, can warm a person right through.  I took the smaller brothers too.  They disappeared from sight at one stage which did raise my pulse rate slightly.  I found them up a tree.  Of course.

Today we went for a walk up and down the valley near Nailsworth.  It's a steep sided valley, with houses tucked tightly into its slopes and vertiginous terraced gardens.  The path meandered between the houses.  As you walked past one front door you were simultaneously level with bedroom windows and roofs of the cottages below.  I loved it, but I imagine it can be dark and damp in the winter.  Little flat areas of outside space were cleverly made the most of.  A greenhouse slotted in here, a wrought iron table and a couple of chairs fitted in there.  I wore my thick coat with the fur lining, a scarf, a jumper, I had gloves in my pocket, an umbrella in my bag and a big flask of steaming cocoa.  My, it was hot.

This is the joy of an English spring though isn't it.  You never know exactly what to expect.  Glorious days interspersed with biting winds and driving rain.  Blossom against a deep blue sky, or clinging to a branch as the storm rips at petals.

It's back to school tomorrow for the children.  I have an idea to be more organised about things.  I need to make more hours in my day.  Maybe I should plan meals in advance.  Make a note of the things to be done on each day.  I finally took the plunge and got the writing course I was talking about - in February.  It's sat on the shelf and I've hardly looked at it.  I hate the fact that I haven't made time for it.  I'm not that sort of person really.  But I always seem to have other things to do.  Prevaricating?  I don't know.  The bullet needs to be bitten.  Tomorrow.  Or maybe Tuesday, tomorrow I need to restore order to the post-holiday house.

42 comments:

  1. What lovely photos, it looks a beautiful place to walk. I'm forever trying to be more organised.

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  2. Strange weather here too today - glorious sunshine one minute, then blowing a gale the next. I love the stone owl and the house with the balcony/ covered porch thing - I dream of a house with a covered veranda; somewhere to sip tea outside whilst it's raining. Good luck with the writing course; I have a feeling you're a natural. Have a good week. xx

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  3. That looks a wonderful place to have had a wonder around. Looks like the sort of place I'd love to be nosy around - seeing in to back yards and across roofs. I'm struggling with the what to wear dilemma at the moment too.
    I'm sure you'll tackle the writing course when the time is right for you.
    Have a great week - I hope the return to school goes well. x

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  4. oh my gawd...i'm *dying* of swoon over those little footpaths between the houses....and the houses, the stonework, the clever patches of garden....*dribble*

    English springs aren't that different from Canadian ones then, after all! we entered the "delightful temperatures and sunshine" phase....in which we ought not to get too comfortable because, let's face it, we could have a blizzard next week....

    and i'm very curious about your writing course [having taken more than i care to think of myself]....i think that time must be made for it....says the person with the half-finished manuscript of the last novella in a trilogy that's been gathering dust for months...*cringe*. seriously though -- it's a gift to yourself that you very much deserve. <-- should take own advice. :D xo

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  5. Our weather is so back and forth too, such a tease. These photos are so beautiful, I can't imagine living so close to things so beautiful. Those buildings and roofs are my favorite. Good luck with your writing course... when you get around to it haha

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  6. Your photos are always so beautiful! I would love to walk with you on your little trips. English spring is gorgeous.

    Our spring is mostly over. It's is summer-time temperatures and stormy afternoons from now until October.

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  7. Good luck with that writing course my friend!! You can do it though I do know how hard it is to find time....I'm still trying to arrange my schedule for my course work as well...so I get it!!! Your photos are so whimsical! The scenes with the boat and the unique foliage looks like a fairy land!!! Have a great week CJ! Nicole xoxo

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  8. Deadlines are great encouragers. You'll make it work! I live in a similar place where the weather is serendipitous. And now I'm flying to New Orleans for a week and the weather forecast is for thunder, lightning and rain.. every. single. day. ::groan:: Enjoy your week. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  9. I had a day of being caught out by the cold too. Shivering on the common in a light jacket! I will keep stocks in the car again. I love Ruskin Mill, it was one of the first places I found when I moved here. Good luck with the organizing, it would be nice to do the course! X

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  10. I shall play devils advocate and ask why you need to do a writing course? You already have a fabulous and engaging way with words that make your posts distinct and lovely to read.
    Boys discovered up trees-yes, that is very familiar. As is the raised heart rate beforehand :-).
    One of my bestest friends lived in nailsworth for years. Thought I recognised the pics! Xx

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  11. I absolutely love the bench built into the wall so that you can sit with the owl! We've had deep frost here this morning, just to confirm that unpredictability.

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  12. Hey CJ,
    I've just finished restoring order and and a little cleanliness to my school holiday house. The loos have been bleached into submission for a start. Nailsworth looks like a great place to wander, explore and nosey. Like you I never seem to get the clothes thing right, so now I just layer up and layer down as appropriate. I always carry my cagoule and a cardi. I have started wearing my flip flops again though. They will remain on my feet until at least October. Bravo for beginning your writing course. I shall think of you tomorrow as you begin your course.
    Leanne xx

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  13. What a wonderful place for a walk, it looks delightful. The weather here has been awful over the weekend but we've got sunshine again today, I don't think it knows what to do from one day to the next at the moment. Our schools have got another week off yet, they broke up late, just the day before Good Friday, so we're still in go slow mode.

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  14. That looks to be an idyllic place where I imagine the air full of birdsong. The weekend weather was such a disappointment though - the summer house was all set for outdoor coffee breaks,

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  15. Nailsworth looks like a wonderful place for a wander and your photographs are great as usual! Whenever I've read one of your blog post I have wondered if you ever started the writing course you were talking about in the summer, so I am pleased to hear you've taken the first step.
    Only this Saturday I was with a group of women talking about how easy it is as a woman to be distracted by anything to keep you from doing what you like to do most. I think we (myself included) often allow ourselves to do what we like to (sewing, quilting, creating, writing) only after all other tasks and chores are finished. Only, they never are! Do take time for your writing, I am sure you'd be good at it, and it is important to make time to use and develop your own talents. Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

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  16. It's a mystery, the spring weather. Today it looked warm and I only wore my cardigan to go to various places. I now have frostbites. Nailsworth looks like a lovely place, just like the one in my dreams where I live when I am old. We live on a hill and our roof is lower than the street above, the living room window looks out on the the neighbour's roof below. I do very much hope you get a chance to look at your writing course, it is good for us to do something just for ourselves. Have a good day CJ. x

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  17. What a wonderful place Nailsworth looks! Just gorgeous. The weather is so hard to get right. We had boiling temperatures at the beginning of last week and I thought I would pass out on the hike that we chose to do that day. Last night it was thundering and lightening!

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  18. Wonderful images from your walk, the water wheel is beautiful, so too the photos of the water and the flowers. The houses look so lovely with their stone walls, what a lovely place for a walk.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  19. Lovely pictures. Saturday sure was a grotty day weather-wise, especially after such a nice week.
    Have a good week, whatever you end doing, or not! Flighty xx

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  20. I think spring is like that in a lot of places. Here, it's still so cold in the early mornings and I never know what the afternoon will bring. It could swing forty degrees in a few hours. I have a lot of different cardigans and jackets lying all over the place. I hope everyone has a good return to the school and weekly routines. :)

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  21. I had to smile at the fact that of course it was hot the day you bundled up. Life likes to keep us on our toes, or laugh at us too I think! Sounds like a nice weekend none the less. I have been trying to plan meals more lately. It's a pain at first. You must sit and work on yet another thing that requires time, but I have enjoyed the benefits of having all the ingredients I need (I frequently forget at least one item upon returning from the market) and not having to think each night-"What should I make?" Hope your week is off to a good start CJ!

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  22. What a beautiful place Nailsworth is, never heard of it before - it reminded me a bit of The Shire, Middle-earth. We also had a very chilly football match too - you would have thought after all these years I would have learnt that only on very warm, non windy days can I not wear gloves, scarf, thick jumper etc. Sorry the match was only mediocre - makes the chilly weather feel even chillier doesn't it?
    Caz xx

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  23. The weather likes to keep us on our toes, no wonder it is a constant source of conversation! Summer arrives tomorrow if we are to believe the forecast - temperatures of 23c. But it won't last! Your photos are lovely and such beautiful stone buildings.

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  24. I'm not chancing it, keeping the big coat on for a bit longer. It's still chilly here in the mornings and the wind isn't helping. I do hope you can get down to having a crack at the writing course, it would be a shame if you didn't do it. Give yourself permission to do it! Lovely photos, that house with the blue front door is pretty, like a dolls house with the door in the middle. xx

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  25. Spring certainly keeps you guessing and over the last couple of weeks I've found myself inappropriately dressed on nearly all my dog walks. Some lovely pics of your weekend outing, that water wheel is fabulous. I hope you find time to settle in to your writing course this week CJ. Have a lovely week. Jane xx

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  26. *Googles houses for sale in Nailsworth*

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  27. That is a lovely walk around Nailsworth with so many signs of spring. Sarah x

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  28. I know just what you mean, and am either roasting or chilly. Flip flops or socks and boots?? It's a daily dilemma. But isn't all this sun gorgeous? It makes me feel better. I love those unusual houses in Nailsworth. xx

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  29. oh what a beautiful part of England; you know, you really need to start posting some rubbishy housing estates or we really will think you live in paradise :-) love the blossom tree. we have autumn leaves instead right now!

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  30. Wow, such a beautiful part of the world. I love the buildings and blossoms! makes me a little nostaglic for my time over there x

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  31. I hope your first day back in the school routine has gone well, CJ! Cheers for you for purchasing the writing course and trying to figure out now how you will make it a part of your schedule. My husband printed off an ebook written by a Sci-Fi writer who has had his work published while holding down another full-time job. His strategy is to set aside time to write every day. By scheduling the time he is able to write a book a year. [at least at the time of the writing of the ebook :) ] Cheering you on from across the pond! xx

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  32. Wow what a beautiful looking place.. your photos are wonderful. The weather is very up and down at the moment.. should be gorgeous today and tomorrow and then back to cooler weather again.. *sigh* :o) xx

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  33. What a beautiful place, the mill and little houses by the water are gorgeous. Enjoy restoring order to your house. The holidays are great aren't they, but not so great for keeping a neat house.

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  34. the weather really can't decide can it. looks gorgeous here, but oh my it's bitingly cold......... I need to get some of your order too. I cope much better when I know what's for dinner more than ten minutes before it needs to be on the table..........

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  35. English Spring is the cream of the crop. Beautiful pictures, I am also doing a writing course it can get a little overwhelming at times. xx

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  36. Favorite photo: Third down from the top. Greens and then the color of the water, just something special. Lovely slice of life.

    All that organizing and writing can wait one more day. Post Holiday Home breather is a requirement. Your kids are lovely but so are you. Have a cup of tea and stare out the window before you take on the next batch of life. xoxo

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  37. It looks like a beautiful area to walk in. Love the houses. I think we could all use a bit more time in the day, well maybe if I would get off this computer I would find more time!
    Hugs,
    MEredith

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  38. What a fun quirky place to visit! Thanks for sharing. You write plenty CJ - and we all enjoy it - so don't stress about your course.

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  39. That looks lke an amazing place. I know what you mean about the weather - just the same here in Northern Ireland.

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  40. Gosh, I'm the same... I always end up changing clothes at lunchtime because the temperature changes so dramatically throughout the day!

    I love it around Nailsworth... my mother in law used to live in one of the renovated mills a few years back. Lovely.

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  41. Having returned earlier from a dog walk sweaty, red faced, and with my fleece top tied around my waist I set off to fetch my daughter from the railway station in just a shirt and I would have frozen but for the heating in the car. So the clothes thing ... me too!

    Lovely pics ... your part of the world always looks like home to me :o)

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  42. We are two to three weeks ahead in our spring and it has been really warm already. Sunburns and 24 deg C,and then four days later there is snow halfway down the mountains in our valley. Our magnolias are already finished and the lilacs are going full force, we bought tomato plants already. All a bit strange!

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