Category: Ageing
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Joys of clearance
Our task today, since it’s damp and dreich outside, probably too wet for hedge trimming, will be to clear out the little porch. This porch has been my own domain, for my DIY tools, my writing space, and my LEGO studio, for the past decade anyway. But now we’re more interested in revealing the glorious…
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Relief from pain is a kind of odd joy, but gratefully received!
I seem to be losing teeth at an increasing rate, these days! Soon I shall be like ageing Plough, denizen of the field in front of Elpha Green above Sparty Lea, a grand old man of the equine tribe, who finds it challenging to pull up grass and hay. But he copes, and so do…
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Tranquility
Twice we heard a splash in the still water; whether a rising fish or a diving frog we couldn’t say. We’d walked through the wood and onward, specifically to find this little loch. Fortunately, though we’d had ample directions earlier, we met, twice, a kind friend who pointed out the correct path. When we arrived…
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Ambivalent joy of a groaning bookshelf
They’re not sorted yet, but three and a half boxes later, the new bookshelf is reaching a groaning capacity now, and there’s still another four or five long shelves in the big house. To say nothing of the boxes I’ve hidden in the loft! It’s hard to downsize the accumulated reading of a lifetime. On…
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Revelations of family history
Creativity is its own reward, I keep reminding myself. You don’t need accolades or praise if you’ve created something that the inner artist loves. Indeed, critical or adulatory feedback can obscure the joy for the creator, as somehow the piece of work moves out of their personal sphere into the realm of the other audience.…
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Family fun and frolics
Families are arriving for a big celebration today here in Sparty. We’ve got the lawns mowed (some rather better than others!), hot tub fired up, food gathered in, and the Elf Hole is stocked and ready for a series of prolonged chats. The bartender has his best convivial manner in play, and expects to listen,…
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The joy of setting up
Today I get to help out with setting up for a regular weekly function. We’re not really settled in the new village yet, but we’re trying to be quiet helpers. Come winter, when the energy bills will really bite, we’ll probably spend most of our time here in New Galloway, but for now we’re still…
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Never too late . . .
A decade ago, though it seems a lifetime hence, we made a return visit to Sicily. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, was to find the final resting place of a daughter of Northumberland, Florence Trevelyan, whose life had intrigued us when we encountered her bust in the public gardens of Taormina. Now…
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The soft twilight . . .
I awakened early this morning with a persistent toothache. And it’s weeks before I can see a dentist. I felt a bit sorry for myself, until I looked up and saw the softness of the early morning light. Outside, it was soft, so soft, in the cool glow of morning twilight. The full moon (or…
Roads to Joy 