Week 94 - Back to work and Symonds Yat

Monday was a bank holiday. It was a pretty quiet day, but one thing we all did (slightly reluctantly) was take down the Christmas decorations.

We also spent a bit of time moving a few things back into the front room and starting to make it look rather more "done". There is still a bit to be done - shelving in the recesses, new curtains, additional chairs. But it is a nice cosy room now.

On Tuesday Mark and I were back at work, but the girls were still off school. We all went over to the cafe for lunch, the girls were rather more absorbed in reading than in talking with us, but it was nice to still be together.

On New Years eve, a pot had got broken. It was one that I think Deirdre had given me from a clear-out she had done. It had been sat on the table under the pergola with a pot of cyclamen in. But while we ate out, I had moved it onto the step. 

As Bunnykins brought out some cushions, she didn't see it in the dark and it got knocked over. 

Bunnykins made a suggestion that we could fix it using the Japanese technique of Kintsugi (golden repair) which relates to a philosophy of embracing imperfection. I had ordered a few bits (epoxy 2 part glue and gold mica powder) which had arrived, so on Tuesday evening, I had a go at the fix...

I was so chuffed with how it turned out. 

It also felt like a good way to see out 2021. A broken thing: broken without intent but causing some (albeit very small) sadness, can be mended and transformed to something more beautiful.

I like to mend things from a sustainability point of view, but I also feel that the effort to preserve something, elevates it. It demonstrates care, and gives a thing greater meaning - I haven't just used and disposed a thing, I have intervened to preserve it - I have given something of myself to the object. 

I also really liked that it was Bunnykins who suggested it, and made sure that she heard far more about my delight in the idea and the mend, than she ever did about the breakage.

So this is my New Year pot.... 😊

On Wednesday our new ceiling light arrived, and there was quite a bit of messing about to fix it up.

And much further messing about then and since trying to get a light bulb. We have now ordered 2 pretty LED lightbulbs (E27, LED, oversized, gold, warm light) supposedly with A ratings as advertised on the websites, but when they arrived we got first an E rated, then G rated bulb as per the side of the box. Unimpressed! Both have gone back and we continue to search! Just a good job that no-one in their right mind uses the big light... 

On Thursday Ben came over. We enjoyed sitting in the front room and catching up. He had brought over a Hot House Flowers song to play. We tried quite a few Hot House Flowers songs and I reminisced about how much I listened to the two albums Home and Songs from the Rain, when I was a teenager. 

My favourite was Sweet Marie...

On Friday I spent much of the day getting organised for a weekend away. Our October half term trip to Cardigan Bay, had been rescheduled (due to Covid) to a December weekend in Symonds Yat, and then rescheduled (due to a birthday party) to this weekend.

What was nice was that it was only an hour away. Mark and I drove to pick up the girls straight from school, so we were there just before 4pm.

It was a lovely cost cottage near the river, with the big bonus of a hot tub over looking the valley. 

We got settled in and then went out to try out the tub...

It was lovely sitting there until the skies got dark and we could see so many stars. We eventually were driven by our stomachs to go in to get food. We put on some pizzas and Mark got the fire going.

It was a lovely peaceful evening of listening to music and chatting.

On Saturday we woke up to some miserable weather, which is fair enough for January.

We had asked the local pub if we could launch our paddle boards from there...if conditions allowed. 

We went down to check it out and conditions did very much NOT allow! The river was flowing very fast. If the river is flowing more than 4 knots then it is not a good idea to go in. We may have been able to battle our way upstream, but if one of us had fallen in we would be heading downstream (towards the rapids around the corner indeed) pretty quickly. We all have life jackets but I couldn't imagine the panic that would set in if it actually happened.

So we had a little walk along the river. 

Not sure if this video gives the idea of how fast it was going...

When we got back, it was a quiet afternoon with reading and drawing. Woo and I went out to sit in the hot tub. We talked for ages, it was really nice and a highlight of my weekend - proper quality time.

Mark came out to join us for a while.

And Bunnykins came out and gave us a small nibble each of a cheese sandwhich! 🥪

We eventually took our pruned selves inside and got showered and dressed. We walked down to the nearby pub and had a lovely meal.

Bunnykins...you may need to remove your mask....

Sunday morning was much more promising.

Mark had made us sweet pizza for breakfast along with poached eggs - an odd combination, but it worked!

We got packed up and Bunnykins drew a family portrait for the visitor book.

We packed up the car then set off for a walk with a bag full of provisions.

We had a climb up into the woods.

It was really beautiful.

Woo loves a bit of scrambling, she is like a rat up a drainpipe with anything she can climb (and some things she can't climb)

I really didn't like this rocky outcrop - I had waking nightmares about it later, but it was quite a view.

Heading firmly away from the cliffs, we had a bit of off-roading to get us to another path.

And then walked to a settlement (historical lump in the ground). A nice surprise was a set of benches where we could eat our lunch.

We walked back down towards the river, and then followed the bank all the way back.

(watching logs go past in the river - we also saw a Kingfisher here)

At the pub we had some hot chocolates before going the last 30m back to the car.