Hello, world, I am back......

Once you have stopped rubbing your eyes, and have picked yourselves up off the floor, and adjusted your specs, yes, it is me. Hello! (Waving from my study in Middle England). I have not been abducted by aliens, nor have I wandered off on an epic plod around the world (yet), but life has been a bit complicated. Time, as my mother always says, flies so much faster when you are older. Heaven knows I am older.

 However, here I am, and I have stories of Scotland and Switzerland to relate. And of village life. And of dreams, family, conversations, plans and who knows what else.

I confess that I have not been visiting much at all. Stuff happens, challenges arise, and day to day events expand to absorb each 24 hour period until you gather your wits and make a stand and screech to a halt.

So, how are you all? I think about you so often and seriously miss being here and a part of this world. Even if no-one reads, it is still being a part of a world we all helped to create a decade ago or so. Can you believe how long ago that was? I know. It staggers me too.

On the medical front, my GP left, locums were hard to deal with and we have now got new doctors - no lady docs, unfortunately, and life is a little challenging, trying to get anyone to actually manage CRPS. They say they know. Hmmm. No they don't. This complicates things. In fact, I am way past complications. Simplicity would be lovely.

Anyway, Diana is now well settled in her little house in New Zealand, and is busy at work, and has been doing a fair amount of travel as well. Her photos are simply stunning, and hopefully I will be there early next year to visit her. Missy is 6, has just finished her second year at school, and is a total delight. Tall, and so much fun! My sons and daughter-in-law are all well and happy, and working hard.

Creatively, I have started finishing off WsIP (works in progress) and finally finished David's memory quilt, which I started the year after Geoff died. That, my friends, was 9 years ago a couple of weeks ago. Nine. It boggles the mind. 

So, as you can see, it took a while. 

I managed Andrew's one straight away, but the others..... groan. We will get there. I also finished a couple of blankets, and have made shawls and the latest was a mouse costume for holiday club at church. Oh, there were also some quilts for friends, and for the summer decor around here, because, as you will remember, I like things to change. Out with the bright summer colours this year and we are all cream, mocha and pale blue. It looks lovely and peaceful and cool.

So many things to tell you. To catch up. my brain is shooting all over the place.

You know, this is hard. I write and delete. Write and delete. It is as if I don't know what I am doing here. I think it is going to take some time.

For the first year in a very long time, I decided to not spend all my spring preparing my garden, because this year, I wanted to be free to go away, to do things, and not to feel tied to it and the watering and tending, and it has been so difficult to actually let go and enjoy it! I came back from Switzerland in June, and the flowers were not the usual riot of colours together, rather one plant, one colour per basket, and it all looked so wrong. I had not grown flowers from seed at all. I can't remember when last I had a quiet spring, and it goes so much against the grain, let me tell you. The garden is growing, and looks fine, but it is not me. You know? I also scaled down the number of vegetables both here and at the allotment. Hmmm. The jury remains out on this new plan.

However, I acknowledge that the garden had become and obsession. And I do so want to move around - go to different places. Visit friends. Explore the new, and also the old.

So I went to Scotland - first to the west and then to the east and I had a wonderful time. But that is for tomorrow.........