Blogtober 2024 : Day 17

Can you see that?  That bright, round light through the trees?  That’s the sunshine and yesterday, we thought we were never going to see it again.  I know that’s a bit dramatic but I bet we’ve not been the only ones recently who wondered if the grey clouds were ever going to lift!

Oh my goodness, it felt so good to stand outside the front door with my face turned to the sunshine and to see that blue sky!

It always makes me think of the saying, “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows” (there are a few variations of this credited to different people), and I was glad to remember it.  I felt as gloomy as the weather at one point yesterday; whether it was a delayed reaction to not so small daughter going away again, the miserable weather or caused by the super full moon, I couldn’t tell you, but I was very grateful for the friend who texted to ask how I was doing and for once, I didn’t just say, “I’m fine”.  We chatted by text for a while and I could feel my gloom sliding off me, like a coat falling off my shoulders, and even though the weather stayed gloomy, the rest of the day was so much brighter.  I feel so very lucky to have people in my life who seem to know just when to check in on me, and I hope that they feel I am able to do the same for them.

Anyway, I was not gloomy today and I had a lovely time in the sunshine in the garden, looking for “treasure”.  There’s not much around and even the leaves haven’t started to turn on many of the plants, but there were a couple of flowers left on the oak-leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) …

and the witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis) is one of the first in the garden to get their autumn colours.  This variety is “Arnold Promise” and it never disappoints.  I did have a red-leaved variety and that was always lovely too, but it died unexpectedly last year.  It was here … and then it was gone.  I still have this one to enjoy, though!

I’ve been doing a bit more decluttering today.  Nothing that I can show you – it’s mostly been pulling apart empty boxes (I’ve got too many of them – there comes a time when “I might need that” goes beyond what is practical!), emptying bedroom waste paper bins and walking up and down the stairs putting things away that have needed to go away for a while, but it all goes towards making more space in the house and every little helps 🙂

The dog has been for his hydrotherapy session today as well.  Our vet recommended that we try it before medication as his leg was getting stiff and it seems to be doing the trick.  He’s so cheeky, though – he’s clocked that it’s hard work to walk through the water (he’s on a treadmill in water up to his tummy) so he’s started walking a few steps then sliding gracefully backwards on the treadmill, and one week I was worried that he had done something to his legs until we realised that he was trying to stand on the solid section behind the hydrotherapist so that he didn’t have to walk at all!  Despite his attempts to do as little as possible, it does seem to be helping – and it wears him out too, so if you listen carefully, you may just hear him snoring under the stairs!

In between being out with the dog and getting my steps in up and down the stairs, I’ve been doing a bit more on a course that I started.  Oh, I do love a course!  I’ve realised that they are just something that I enjoy doing, very often for the enjoyment of doing it and not because I intend to do anything with what I’ve learnt, and I am embracing that!  I am Christine and I am addicted to courses 🙂  I even put money aside every month now (as recommended in what has probably been the best course I’ve ever done) so that I don’t feel in the slightest bit guilty about signing up for yet another one.  Our brains need to keep moving, keep learning, keep absorbing new information and I am doing my best to keep my brain busy!

My latest course is about Pinterest.  I knew that it was a search engine rather than social media like Instagram or Facebook, but I don’t think I had realised quite how powerful it was and how clever it is too, in terms of what it can show you when you are looking for something.  I’ve realised that I’ve only ever scratched the surface of what it can do as I’ve created boards and saved or created new pins and it’s been fascinating to learn more about it.  Did you know, for example, that nails (as in fingernails) are the biggest topic on Pinterest?  Or that the demographics aren’t just “young people” as I had assumed, knowing that my girls use Pinterest far more than I did.  I’m always interested in something that provides knowledge and it turns out that Pinterest is a visual encyclopedia in much the same way as Google images – maybe you knew this already but I feel as if I’ve done a lot of this course with my mouth hanging open in amazement! 🤣  Have you ever used it?  I’d love to know what you think!

Right then – Friday tomorrow – bring on the weekend!  I’ll see you then! xx