Sunday morning


I woke this morning to a quiet house, Ian away, the only sound the steady murmur of rain on the roof. I love this. I miss Ian as well and I am already looking forward to seeing him again tonight but sometimes the deep peace of the place to myself calms me to the soles of my feet.


I have plenty of friends who don't get it, who say "I wouldn't want to be here by myself at night, so isolated (Stephen King type visions presumably in their heads), so many creaks and noises. Uurgh no."


And it is true that the old house, particularly in wind, creaks and sighs and moans like a ship at sea. But I know its noises now and to ride the night with it, waking, turning in the warm bed, safe in its arms, dropping back down into sleep, is one of the best things. When I wake at night I often go the window, the curtains are never drawn, to look out at the utter dark of a cloudy night or the high stars or the moon washing the valley silver. Last night was cloudy, true dark like burrowing under the blankets as a child.


This morning is grey and soft with gentle rain. We have had no rain for nearly three weeks and I have been watering the vegetable garden so though I feel sorry for the visitors in the cottage it is welcome to me. Already the green of the grass and the new leaves is more intense. The carrots and the mangetout and the new sowing of broad beans all need more rain to germinate and the new magnolia and the osmanthus and rhododendron I brought back from Bodnant Garden will drinking it in.


Today I am going to do some of the many things I ignored yesterday in trying to set up my new blog, indeed I have already shaved my legs. Let's get our priorities right. I have a work dinner to go tomorrow night, a skirt to wear and teddy bear winter legs just will not cut it.


I hope I am able to attach a photo of the kitchen garden from June last year. It doesn't quite look like this yet as the apple trees have yet to flower and to come into full leaf but you get the idea. The rain is clearing now. Time to have a look in the greenhouse.


Hoping there will be more blogs to read later in the day.

Comments

  1. I have found you at last - I have never seen so many people.
    Like you I adore being alone at times - I have the same reaction - the house here creaks and groans being timber frame- some of it goes back to 1500. We stand high on a hill - well high for Suffolk!
    What a garden - looks wonderful - straight out of a garden mag.
    I have to say I also did my legs this morning and had a bit of a sort out - eyebrows etc. I am out for dinner on Tuesday evening with a lovely couple, but the lady in question is very high maintenance -twice weekly hair blow dries etc! so I thought I better spruce myself up. Have a good day. Scorching here - perhaps rain on Tuesday.

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  2. Well hello there! You made me giggle - shaved mine too this morning in the shower! The kitchen garden looks wonderful and you are SO right about the rain. None here yet and we do need it.xx

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  3. Wish we'd had some rain -the garden is looking dusty in April, for goodness sake. Your kitchen garden looks wonderful and I have greenhouse envy. I used to be a complete baby about being alone in a house, very nervous of noises etc - I'm now totally cured of all that, love listening to the house talking to itself.

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  4. What a lovely photo, get better space for photos here that is great.
    Enjoyed your blog enormously, know what you mean about enjoying the peace and calm of old house at night, people said same about us and our old house (350yrs old) I get left alone at night as hubby , Stan is away in his lorry alot , but I'm never worried , though we do have strange happenings, according to daughter sophie and friends there are several ghosts!! Great to all be together again

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  5. Yes, it's nice to have the house to yourself, I agree. Aside from the bedrooms there aren't curtains at the windows, and when I'm alone I really mind that. One of these days I'll have to get busy with the sewing machine so that I can turn out all the high powered outdoor lights (Is that a prowler?, no... the dog would bark, what was that noise? Is someone looking in? I'd better turn on the lights.)

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  6. Ah Elizabeth - so lovely to read your blogs again. I feel calmed after a bit of an odd start to the day.
    I love being alone and know exactly what you mean about the peace it brings. As much as I love my big family nad friends popping round, there is something about the regenerative power of quiet. You wrote it so much better than that but you know what I mean!
    The kitchen garden looks beautiful. I so love this time of year - everything forging ahead and brightly shining after the recent rain. Wonderful. Look forward to reading more x

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  7. I am one of those that is not good at being alone, I hear every creak! Loved the photo from last year, really impressive.

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  8. I hadnt seen you about today - Monday - so I am doing a final sweep of my favs to see if you are OK and are coming out to play today.

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  9. what a lovely blog - did enjoy it. Sorry, trying to type with dog's nose on thekeyboard, not easy. Yes, it's leg shaving time again. How dull. But don't try an epilator, you have to be drunk to try it, it hurts so much!

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  11. what gorgeous pictures and isn't it lovely that we can all make our blogs look different. Am rather stuck with a worthy beige at the moment which I must see about changing, and the concept of photos is still too ambitious, but lovely to see yours

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  12. ah, it looks like I deleted something at 2.15ish - I didn't, because I wasn't signed in (though thought I was) I ended up sending the same rambling nonsense twice. Deleted one, so as not to look mad (although the evidence remains in the form of "Milla has deleted a comment") then saw the time difference and thought I'd better explain myself!

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  13. and, finally, last time I looked, it named and shamed me as inept comment remover, now that I have explained it, I am nicely anonymous anyway and needn't have bothered. Glass of wine time soon, thank goodness!

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  14. what gorgeous pictures and isn't it lovely that we can all make our blogs look different. Am rather stuck with a worthy beige at the moment which I must see about changing, and the concept of photos is still too ambitious, but lovely to see yours

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  15. i have serious kitchen garden envy. you make me feel a child after my raised bed pic I posted!

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