Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: Hedgehog

Showing posts with label Hedgehog. Show all posts

Sunday, November 3, 2019

MM #52: A Few of My Favorite Things

(to be sung to the tune of My Favorite Things, made famous by Julie Andrews)

Sheep on the hillside and grouse on the moor
Pretty carved pumpkins light up the front door
Time with the family, it's always a fling
These are a few of my favorite things

Ponies at the seashore, ice cream to boot
Hiking the footpaths, do we know the route?
Parsnips and leeks, the garden it brings
These are a few of my favorite things

Mushrooms are popping all over the place
Old country barns that fall down with grace
Wine at the pub, a drink fit for kings
These are a few of my favorite things

Yes, we have been in the UK for nearly two weeks, and most of the activities I hoped for have come to pass. Spousal Unit and I walked the footpaths near Reeth, and although we technically lost our way, it did not diminish our enjoyment one iota. The River Swale punctuated our walk, as we followed a loop that began and ended near the river.

The Reeth Swing Bridge. The original bridge, which stood for 80 years,

was destroyed in a flood in September 2000. The current bridge was

completed in 2002 and perfectly replicated the original.

As we climbed higher on the moor, the classic view of farm fields in a patchwork formed by dry stone walls lay before us.

Red grouse rose regularly from the heather, winging away with their characteristic call.

Look closely - a grouse is standing in the water

I will never tire of these moments; I stand above the valley, attempting to soak the vista into my very bones.

Top: a grouse butt is typically a stone structure used to conceal hunters

Time with family has included days out and relaxation at home. Our customary trip to the seaside town of Whitby offered an extra bonus since it was also Goth Weekend, which drew scads of visitors in costumes ranging from Steampunk to Victorian. The town was heaving (read: crammed with people), and it was almost impossible to take quality pictures, but perhaps you get the idea with the mosaics below. We were fortunate to find a restaurant without a long queue; you can't leave Whitby without sampling the fresh fish and chips!

Upper right: Pony rides Lower right: A section of ruined Whitby Abbey

Lower left: How I feel some days - just kidding! People used parts

of the ruined Abbey for other structures

Upper left: Jewelry I purchased at the craft fair

Upper right: More Abbey ruins

Lower left: Never too cold for someone in England to be in the sea

At home, it's been running, playing Mexican Train, afternoon walks, a bit of stitching and my mother-in-law's tasty home cooking (hence the running and afternoon walks).

Upper left: English bacon, fried egg and mushrooms. English bacon is akin to eating thin slices of ham!

Middle left: A leek and carrots from my father-in-law's garden

Bottom left: Pan Haggerty made with the leek and carrots from the garden, plus potatoes and corned beef

Center top: Parsnip still in the garden Center bottom: Spotted Dick with custard

Far right: Shepherd's Pie with Carrots, Leeks, Green Beans and Corn

A feeling of deep contentment comes over me when I sit in the front room, working the felt applique on my ornaments, and chatting with my mother-in-law.

To celebrate Halloween, we carved pumpkins using patterns that you can buy in many shops. The weather was brisk but sunny, so we worked outside. An ideal autumn day in my sentimental world of traditions.

I will tell you more about our stay in the UK in future posts - you can expect more countryside, and historic buildings. But as the metaphorical sun begins to set on our getaway, I have saved the best for last to close this entry. If you read my October 13 post, you'll know that I was hoping to see a hedgehog (as I always do). Can you believe it? While we were in Hamburg, my in-laws found two (two!) hedgehogs in their garden, the first time in 40 years! Check out the videos below. It may not have been the in-person encounter I wanted, but it was good enough for me.

Due to our return travel, I may be delayed in commenting. See you then!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Mosaic Monday #49: And perhaps a hedgehog

We're going on vacation! I must admit, I am amused by the concept of "vacation" for folks who are retired. "Vacation: An extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling." We are already enjoying leisure and recreation, and we sure are extending it. Our destinations are Northeast England and Hamburg, Germany, which ticks the box for time away from home/traveling. That settles it, then. As of today, we are officially on vacation!

Faithful readers know my in-laws live near Durham, England. While I may have lost count of the number of times we have returned to the village of my husband's youth, I maintain my enthusiasm for our visit and all it has to offer. These last few days, as the clock wound down to our departure, I found myself daydreaming about the trip, and all the things I am anticipating.

Such as the chicken. No, not chicken you eat, but the hen that is cared for by my father-in-law. I probably won't be up early enough to release her from the hen house, but I like to pair up with Dad to check for eggs and tuck her away safely for the night.

Re-uniting with family and friends is always a highlight of our visits. I am blessed with terrific in-laws, and I am looking forward to spending time with them, whether it's looking after the hen, watching soap operas (East Enders and Coronation Street) with my mother-in-law, or experiencing a new pub for a bar meal. In recent years, my in-laws have become quite adept at carving pumpkins, which is catching on in the UK. Since we can't be home for the Halloween costume contest in Whitefish, at least we can get in some pumpkin action.

My husband's one and only cousin began singing publicly as part of a duo about four years ago, and recently she made the transition to a solo act. I know it is easy to be biased when it is family, but let me tell you, this woman can sing, and plays guitar and piano to boot. We are delighted that she will have a gig during our visit - my dancing shoes are packed and ready to light up the dance floor.

The first time I lived in the UK, I worked with a woman who has become a life-long friend, even though we might only see each other once a year. It has become our tradition to savor afternoon tea while catching up on 12 months' worth of news. Our last "outing" was in July 2018, and she put on quite a spread at her house, which we enjoyed in the summer sunshine of her back garden. We haven't firmed up arrangements for this trip, but I am already salivating for the finger sandwiches and pastries that I know will be part of our get-together.

After a couple days getting acclimated to our new time zone, we'll jet over to Hamburg to visit one of our former au pairs. We hope to participate in Oktoberfest, complete with dirndl dress and lederhosen, but in any event we'll be content to tour this magnificent city in the capable hands of our au-pair-who-became-a-medical-doctor.

This week, I mentioned my daydreaming to a friend in Whitefish, and she quipped, "Surely you're not looking forward to England's cuisine." Truth be told, foodstuffs were top of mind. A full English breakfast. Toasted tea cakes. Pie, peas and chips (meat pie, mushy peas and French fries). Bourbon biscuits (cookies). Sunday dinner (usually roast beef, roasted potatoes, parsnips, carrots, peas, Yorkshire puddings - popovers, gravy). Fish and chips, at the seaside. A cheese board for dessert, preferably with Tawny Port.

With all those calories on offer, I am committed to my running regime, and also thankful that walking the public footpaths will be high on our agenda, regardless of the weather. There may be sheep, and there will certainly be a pub somewhere along the way. Possibly a random castle, and assuredly an ancient churchyard.

And if I am REALLY blessed, a hedgehog!

Note: given our travel on Sunday into Monday, I may be delayed in commenting, but I will be on line. I also plan to post Mosaic Monday per the normal schedule. Hope you join us!

Mosaic Monday

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Mosaic Monday #9 - December Delights

Josie cat-napping by the Christmas pillow

Welcome to Mosaic Monday 2019! As I begin this post, I am typing from a concourse at the Cincinnati Airport. I look around at my fellow passengers, and wonder about their stories. I imagine that most of them are returning home after a holiday trip, as we are. College kids heading back to school. Or business people wrapping up a short week. Yes, Christmas and New Year's are once more in the rear view mirror. But I can extend my holiday spirit by scanning my photo gallery from December. Will you join me?

FESTIVE FARE

Preparing fruitcake at the beginning of the month is one of our Christmas customs (see last year's post on this topic). Every year, we exercise the ultimate patience until Christmas morning to enjoy the rich, brandy-infused flavor of the cake, accompanied by a slice of cheddar cheese.

In the meantime, neighbors and friends spoiled us with delicious foodstuffs and food-oriented gifts.

Breakfast made with deer sausage from our neighbors

"Hedgehog" Chocolates from former neighbors in Cleveland

Handmade cupcakes from one of our neighbors

Santa platter from one of our neighbors

FAMILY TIME

The family that plays together, stays together! I got my fill of board games after #1 Son arrived home, and I won't even hold it against him that he had the winning record.

On Christmas morning, the stockings were full and the tree surrounded by gifts; what a relief to know that Santa could find our new house! Josie hid among the bags and boxes when she wasn't nibbling on ribbons …

As we lounged in front of the fire throughout the day, the aroma of turkey, ham and other mouth-watering vittles wafted through the house. As always, Spousal Unit fed us well, and a clean kitchen with all the dishes and pots washed was our payback - a win-win for everyone! (Christmas crackers are customary at our Christmas table - this party favor consists of a decorated cardboard cylinder that typically contains a paper crown, a joke/riddle, a snap that opens with a BANG and a gift or novelty item.)

And a winter in Montana is not complete without skiing and snowboarding - although #1 Daughter was only home for four days, we managed to squeeze in a family outing at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

FOREST SPLENDOR

A glittering winter wonderland is only as far as our back forty at this time of year. The barren aspen branches reveal the summer nests that were previously hidden from view. How cute they are with their elfin caps of snow!

Animal tracks are prolific; you could spend many a happy hour following them. Despite my best efforts, I have yet to locate the burrows of the snowshoe hares that hop in a seemingly willy-nilly way throughout the woods. I've been a little luckier with the trail cam, capturing squirrels, a healthy buck and one of my favorites, the coyote.

On one of our walks to check the trail cam, #1 Daughter and I spotted a pygmy owl high atop a pine - I couldn't believe it was out in the middle of the day in such a conspicuous spot! Both shots are poor, but you get the idea!

FAST-FORWARD TO 2019

In my next post, I'll write about our trip to Ohio, which was centered on the celebration of my Mother's 90th birthday. For now, I am eager for home. To see fresh-fallen snow around the log house. To be greeted by our cats at the mud room door. To sleep in my own bed. To have time to re-connect with all my blogging buddies. I pray that Christmas and New Year's brought you joy and peace, and I merrily anticipate all that 2019 will bring as we share our journeys.

Mosaic Monday

An InLinkz Link-up

Thursday, August 2, 2018

We've Only Just Begun

Durham, UK

It started with an innocent question.
"Mom, do you know an artist named Jim Croce?"

It was our 20-year-old son, bringing up a musician I have not listened to for decades, as we strolled the cobbled streets of Durham, England. What?

"Sure, but how do YOU know about Jim Croce?"
"One of his songs was in a YouTube video I watched."

Ah.

"I like his music and I am looking for other artists like him."

So, Spousal Unit and I dug deep in the collective memory banks. John Denver, America and Gordon Lightfoot came pretty easily. When we returned to the house, I went to the source of all knowledge (Google - LOL) and was immediately entranced by the music of another era. Cat Stevens. Dan Fogelberg. Jackson Browne. James Taylor. The Carpenters. Spurred by the song "Everything I Own" by Bread, I grabbed Spousal Unit for an impromptu dance around the front room at my in-laws' house.

I don't often listen to music on my phone, but I couldn't stop myself; every song Google delivered had lyrics that resonated profoundly. Was it just the era, or might I be a touch sentimental? After all, August 3 would be our 27th wedding anniversary … so, when "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters popped up, it sparked the idea to build a dedication blog post around the song. Although it was not our wedding song (we didn't have one), the lyrics fit our journey, then and now. To Spousal Unit: "We've Only Just Begun"!