Happy day 😊 🐝

I cannot lie, I went to bed last night feeling a bit off and woke this morning with a feeling of trepidation, that sense of dread at what might be coming down the line. But a deep breath, an excellent pot of coffee and the metaphorical 'big girl panties' can do wonders.



Happily, a couple of hours later I was back from an appointment which confirmed that a part of my body which might have been malfunctioning is merely displaying signs of being less young than it used to be! Oh good grief, the relief is palpable, the sense of being unburdened (at least for a while) is immense. If I was a big drinker then there may well have been the purchase of a bottle with bubbles but I shall instead just have a small glass of Malbec with some pasta tonight (oh, we know how to live on the edge) 😀.


We are so blessed in this country that despite an overburdened NHS I can still access such wonderful care, such kind people, such marvellous services and I have not had to wait for any of it. When I arrived at my appointment this morning I was immediately told "oh hello, you're our emergency".
"No I am not".
"Yes you are, Mr xxxxx does not want to make any assumptions so come through".

Whatever you might think about our current Government, thanks to Aneurin Bevin we have a healthcare system which is there from cradle to grave, although I intend to avoid the latter for a very long time!


I have spent the rest of the day skipping around in a much relieved and cheerful state, and want to share with you the newest wildlife to decide Bag End is a safe place to make a home: a couple of days ago I looked up and saw a small swarm of bees outside. After quickly shutting all the windows we grabbed binoculars and watched as these incredible creatures moved around the Cottage Garden eventually deciding that a stack of upside down plant pots could be their new hive. (These pots support the seed feeder which holds wheat for our pheasants and keep it at a level that the pigeons cannot reach.)



Not-very-good iPhone pictures; these incredible creatures seem to know that I am not threat and are not at bothered by my presence just one metre away - I was quietly sitting so close that I could to hear the miraculous 'hum' of the hive inside.




It is not the best location they could have selected and will require a bit of a change to grass cutting for the rest of the season, but what a gift. I hope they will be safe here and thrive, and later in the year I have a more secluded part of the garden which they could be safely moved to for the winter, if they have survived our wet and cold summer..

A sad lunch

Over the weekend I had a lovely long lunch with a friend. She 'celebrates' her 50th wedding anniversary this summer and most of our time together was spent listening to her as she talked about how desperately, miserably unhappy she is.

She has, outwardly, had a very successful life. Work she enjoyed, two lovely children who have grown into rather nice adults with families of their own, a comfortable house in a safe area and more than enough money to enjoy both. And a husband who has been retired nearly 20 years.

And therein lies the problem. His idea of retirement (pottering in the garden, messing about in his shed) and hers (travel both in the UK and overseas) are diametrically opposed. And neither will budge.



She refuses to do things on her own. She tells me everytime we meet how much she envies my campervan and the freedom it gives me. She could easily afford her own. But she will not. The husband (who is a lovely, kind and inoffensive chap) spent most of his working life overseas and now wants nothing more than to brush toast crumbs off his paper in the morning and then bimble about 'fixing things'.



I know I do not go far but I am quite happy to travel alone - what is the point in forcing Himself to come away with me if he does not want to? He would not dream of "forcing me" to stay here just because he doesn't want to leave the county!



I could offer no solution for my friend, and I know we will have the same conversation over and over again in future. I cannot tell her that it is way, way too late to expect her husband to change into something he is not, because it is not what she wants to hear and I know she would end up getting annoyed with me. So sad, such a waste, but reminds me to count my blessings multiple times a day.




PS: I have not changed vans, just wanted to dig into some old memories.

Worry is a misuse of your imagination

I have been wanting to get back to blogging for a few while but was unsure how to start. And this morning I saw a new (to me) meme and knew I'd found what would get me back to the keyboard.



Since we last spoke, in fact, since I wrote at the end of March about why I was not blogging (there is a theme here . . .) life at Bag End has been busy.

There has been a small health scare which turned out to be nothing to worry about, but a thoroughly unpleasant couple of weeks during which my brain spiralled into places that are not good for it. All looking OK for now.

Much gardening when the weather allows, much peace to be gained from nurturing plants, creating safe & healthy places for wildlife.













There have been a couple of small van trips which, to be honest, were not brilliant. Combination of ruddy awful weather, very small van, nowhere to hang soaking wet coats.

There has been a General Election during which it was best I did not blog because I can get very engaged with politics and quite rowdy.

But damn, have I missed you all (assuming anyone is still there . . .)

So if you are still reading, how are YOU?