Saturday this and that . . .

 

When we lived down in Kent, surrounded by Orchards . . . the seasons played out their individuality just over  the hedge in the back garden.  I could look out the window in our upstairs library any day of the week, any week of the year and know what month it was.  The Orchards played the tunes so beautifully.  Mother Nature is a little bit more subtle here in the city, or suburbs as it were . . . you really need to get out and about to hear her song more clearly.

We didn't need a fence around our garden there, which at first spooked me.  I used to worry about our Jess getting lost, but she never did and after a time I didn't worry about it anymore.She had complete freedom there and I used to think it a wonderful thing for her.  She never did wander very far at all . . . occasionally she would get onto the main grounds of the Estate and sniff at a few toadstools etc., but she was very good at staying close to home.  She was a bit of a nervous dog really, and very much a homebody.  

  

It was a bit like living in a parkland really, and yes . . . I would be lying if I said I did not miss all the beauty that surrounded us.  That part was really lovely.

I was able to learn an observe a lot about nature living in that environment that I would never have learned otherwise.  We moved there in late October of 2002 and for the next  seven years I was surrounded in that beauty and I learned something new about the seasons and nature every single day.   I hardly ever left the Estate, except to go to the shops and to church, so it really was for the most part my whole world.

 

Most people think that the woodlands begin to die in the autumn, and yes . . . there is a lot of decay and dying, falling leaves and animals hiding away for the long Winter hibernation ahead, but . . . in reality, summer was much more dead than autumn ever was.

In the summer the air hung heavy in the woods and orchards.  Not much stirred . . . all was close and still.   You barely heard a peep from the birds.  There wasn't much of interest there.   It was in early October that they began to come alive again with a stirring and a sense of excitement.  Not only was the air punctuated with the sound of falling leaves and acorns . . . but every little breeze stirred up the rustle of leaves drying on the branches, and the birds began to sing again.  Many had left on their annual migration to warmer climes, but . . . those that stayed sang once more and that, I believe . . . was the key to the woods and orchards seemingly coming back to life. It was the bird song that lifted the heart and made it sing too . . .

 

 There were parts on the long walks we would take through the surrounding orchards where you could look out and see for miles and miles across the South Downs.  My camera was our constant companion on these little jaunts and I often snapped away at whatever happened to catch my eye and heart.  It was all very beautiful to me.  I have long been a lover of anything to do with nature.  I probably should have been some kind of a park ranger or some such . . . or at least married to one . . . 

 

Jess always accompanied us on our walks.   You could see her white ruff dancing through the grass, and that white tail tip, waving like a flag, assuring us of her nearby presence.  She was such a great companion . . . and I still miss her very much.    We love Mitzie to bits too, and enjoy her being with us, but I suppose it is a bit like losing a child.   You never forget them and they are always with you, even if only in spirit, and not a day goes by you don't miss them and your heart doesn't tweak at the memory of their being there . . .  I hope that I don't offend anyone by saying so.  To a couple such as us, who have no children of our own together, our dogs and pets are our babies, and we love them every bit as much as we would a real baby.  The differentiation makes very little difference to our hearts . . . 

   

There is truly a special place in the human heart that only a dog can fill I suppose.  Jess was a rescue dog and I remember always saying to Todd how much I wished that we could have raised her from a puppy.  That's why when we decided to get another dog, we got a puppy, and look  . . . .  

 

Our hearts and lives were never the same . . .  she has us twisted around her little paws. Oh how we love her so  . . . every bit as much as Jess, but in a different way, if that makes sense.  

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"Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life."

~Brian Andreas  

 

Was she not a most beautiful Bride?  Aren't they just the sweetest couple.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Royal wedding yesterday of Princess Eugenie and Jack  Brooksbank.  

 

I thought she looked simply stunning and her gown was perfect and beautiful, just like her.  Two royal weddings in one year.  Aren't we so lucky!

 

 

We watched an excellent film last night.  The Post.  

Katharine Graham is the first female publisher of a major American newspaper -- The Washington Post. With help from editor Ben Bradlee, Graham races to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spans three decades and four U.S. presidents. Together, they must overcome their differences as they risk their careers -- and very freedom -- to help bring long-buried truths to light.

It was excellent.  I highly recommend!

And with that I will leave you with a thought for today  . . . 

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˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *"There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!"
- Percy Bysshe Shelley    •。★★ 。* 。 

 

Baking in The English Kitchen today  . . . . Cherry Crumble Tray Bake.  Lovely.  

Have a beautiful Saturday!   Don't forget along the way of your day! 

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And I do too!