Thinking Too Much

The first week of the summer holidays is over.  Gosh that went quick.  September will be here in the blink of an eye and the children will be back to school wearing new uniform, carrying new bags and wishing they hadn't spent quite so much time lolling about in front of the television.    But that is a whole five weeks away yet, plenty of time left to enjoy being free.

Yesterday morning, H1 and I drove Pea to the RSPB reserve off the island where she spent the day doing volunteer work, then the two of us (H2 being at his friend's house) went off to Tyddyn Mon for an hour or so.  It is a farm run by and for adults with special needs.  They keep pigs, sheep, donkeys, hens and ducks, grow vegetables and run a cafe.  I have never been before and didn't really know what to expect.  It is a lovely place to go and walk round.  The animals are well cared for and the woodland and garden  were all very enticing indeed.

From the age of 11 and into early adulthood, I volunteered and eventually worked full-time for Riding for the Disabled.  I loved horses with a passion and found that I greatly enjoyed the company of the adults and children with disabilities.  As a mother with a young family I kept hens and grew my own vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers.  I cooked and baked, made jam and chutney and worked hard to feed my growing children on good quality, home-produced food.  In more recent years I have worked with children and adults with special needs and children who have found themselves the victims of cruelty at home and school.  A life of self-sufficiency and food-for-free appeals to me greatly.  A life where I can be of use and hopefully lend my slightly rusty skills to the occasion appeals to me even more.  So Tyddyn Mon is calling to me and I am willing to respond in any way I can, if they will have me.  I shall wait and see.

The temperature has, sadly, dropped a little over the last week.  We are still getting plenty of sunshine, but for a sun worshipper like me, the heat just isn't there thanks to the wind, as usual!  The evenings are usually quite calm and we use this time to go for walks along shingle beaches or down unknown lanes.  The dogs stay at home, so we are unfettered and don't have the delight of Puppy hurling his tea in the back of the car.  Bless him.

The delights of our close surroundings never fail to hold me spell-bound, no matter how many times I visit.  Each moment is different.  The light is always changing as is the time of day and the seasons themselves.

Natural light has a profound effect on me.  Late summer is the time I really begin to feel connected to the earth again, after a brief absence to navel-gaze, and early autumn is when it really takes off!  I know it is only July, and I really shouldn't be getting excited about autumn, and honestly up until I went for a walk this afternoon, I wasn't.  But there was something different in the air and it has touched a thread deep inside that has begun to stir and take notice.  It is still sleepy at the moment, but I know from experience that with each passing day and as July progresses into August, it will wake a little more, lift it's head and look around.

And there is plenty for it to look at.  Life is, for a part, what you make it.  I cannot bear to be unhappy or to see those I love suffer in any way, so I strive to create a world of love, fun and comfort.  Outside influences will always raise their ugly heads and cause problems and these we have to deal with as best we can, but for the rest, it is up to us to live the life we love.  We have to change what causes us pain, (I know, I've done it) and do more of the things that make us happy and fulfilled.  I am on the cusp of a new life and it will be entirely up to me in which direction it goes, for now at least.  I am a little apprehensive to jump with both feet into the dark, but the thoughts of not doing anything scares me even more.  It is time to move on.

 Enough of that for now though!  There is still August; a time for holidays, fun, long walks and good food, spending time with friends and family and lying on the grass reading a gripping book.  Excuse me, I have a cup of tea to make and a book to find.

Have a lovely day and thank you for reading. xxx