Oh, I needed that

A break in the clouds, the only one we are forecast to get all week. I knew it would be so good for me to make the effort and get outside. Even so, I nearly managed to talk myself out of it and turn the sewing machine on instead.

But I kicked myself hard up the bottom and took Blue Bus out rationalising that I could just park up, make a mug of tea, turn around and go home . . . but I am so glad I did not.

Surprisingly cold, not nearly as sunny as I had hoped (the weather forecast was wrong, quélle surprise) but just lovely to be outside. Not even two miles BUT it was still more than I walked on a forest path yesterday, so that's brilliant.






And any day I get to see and smell gorse is a good one.










Back at Blue Bus I had my lunch with me but postponed it in favour of a cuppa and a few minutes with my book thinking how lucky I am, how lovely it was to be warm, dry, comfortable and surrounded by trees and (near) silence.



I have struggled to return to Whinlatter on my own, but today by making a deliberate decision to go to a different part of the forest I had a lovely time and am actually looking forward to going back again.


Having now seen the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday (40 - 50mph wind) I am rather pleased I extracted the digit.

Go outside. Sit down. Wait.

Morning all, been a bit quiet around here, hasn't it? No reason other than 21st century life getting in the way and seeming to consume nearly all available hours, plus a 10-year-old shoulder injury decided to make a return visit and that has somewhat slowed me down. But in the context of political lunacy, economic uncertainty, climate change and wars in places there really should not be conflict, I am bloody brilliant!

No, seriously, I am brilliant! Yes I am in pain, yes I am having disturbed sleep because of the shoulder pain so I'm tired all the damn time (oh, how I hate feeling tired), yes there are things I cannot do right now because of the shoulder pain. But those restrictions are occuring in the protective bubble of a warm house that does not leak or have rooms filled with black mould. A house we own that is not at risk of a Section 21 eviction order (read this article, it's unbelievable in a supposedly civilised society). The freezer is full and my store cupboards have enough food to keep us going until someone feels like making a visit to the supermarket.

So wherever you are, whatever you are coping with, whatever the Universe is currently chucking at you, I hope you can deal with it with a level of peace. And if not, then leave a ranting comment here and be guaranteed my sympathy and some (hopefully not empty or meaningless) words of support.

With a holiday season approaching at the speed of a Hogwarts locomotive there will be a chance for many of us to get outside a little more than usual. As the weather continues to be cold, windy, wet and sometimes all those things at the same time here's some Required Reading: Every year Tim Budd, a member of a Mountain Rescue Team and extremely experienced fellrunner and outdoor chap, re-publishes this superb article.

Please have a read and take a moment to think: "how long would you be comfortable if you went outside, sat down, and waited . . ."


Tim Budd - Tested to Destruction blog



Love and festive hugs to everyone.