Of weekends.

I can hardly believe it but we have been living in Exmoor for 4 months next week. Our visitors are starting to make their second and third visits. Despite having to work yesterday morning we made the most of the weekends sunshine and lay on the beach, out of the wind, wrapped up in cardigans and blankets yesterday afternoon followed by barbecuing fish and then butterflied leg of lamb for supper, with local asparagus we bought from a farm, in the garden. Barbecue over, we removed the grill, added some wood and toasted marshmallows and roasted parcels of bananas and chocolate and drank wine until it got so cold we had to retreat inside, smelling of festivals.

This afternoon, after a lazy breakfast and a quick sojourn to the owl and falconry centre for my sister-in-law to take some photos of an owl for a project, our visitors departed and the rain came sweeping in from sea. I made fruit scones and blackberry goo (compote/jam like substance) from last year's cornish blackberries and a pot of tea and we retired to a picnic on our bed, to watch Shameless, and 90210, and Desperate Housewives. The evening sun has now appeared and the birds are all singing again, post rain. Husband is cooking supper and I am starting to feel relaxed again.

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Afternoon Tea, by me (both contents and photo)

Baby, Picture This

The beautiful and talented Baby, Picture This held a giveaway on her blog last week to celebrate the launch of her Etsy shop. Somehow, it was my name that she picked from her glass of names and in doing so made a week of pmt and work stresses including appraisals and not having a moment to do anything, let alone blog, seem just that little bit lovelier.

Seriously, you have to have a look at her etsy shop. It is full of beautiful photos and postcards.

6 May 2010

If you follow my tweets this will sound hypocritical in the extreme but, if you are in two minds about voting, please vote. It is so incredibly important to exercise your right to vote. We are very lucky to live in a democracy (I know it often doesn't feel like it when things aren't going right but it could be so much worse) and in a country where we have the right to vote, the right to choose who we vote for and the right to choose what we write and what we say about our choices.

I still can't actually make up my mind which party I will place my X against because policies on all sides bother me. It is, to a large degree, immaterial here. I live in a Tory safe seat (so safe our local Conservative MP couldn't actually be arsed to turn up to several of the hustings). Hunting is a huge part of the way of life and of people's livelihoods on Exmoor and until such a day that other parties re-embrace the Hunt, this seat will be Tory. That said, I am sure people vote on other issues too, hunting just seems to be the one people talk about.

I know who I won't be voting for; 3 out of my 7 options I never even considered (BNP, UKIP, Independent). I voted Green in the last election and can't bring myself to support David Cameron as he grows increasing smug. I have never considered my self a true Labour supporter and some of the Lib Dem policies make me anxious, although, I'll be honest, I probably don't know a huge amount of depth of any of the policies of any of the parties. But, does the average voter either?

Still, whatever decision I come to between now and tomorrow when I head for the Village Hall to cast my vote, I know I will having my say in our country. Make sure you don't miss out on the same opportunity.

{Someone who does good diagrams should do a poll in how us blogging ladies vote. Do we all vote the same way? I should think the answer is no, but I would be interested to hear (if you don't consider it private information. And, as I am sure I needn't add, be nice if people don't agree with you.)

Vintage in Somerset

I found a vintage shop in Somerset! I thought I was destined to return forever to London but today I found somewhere to while away some happy hours looking for bargains. Shikasuki will forever be my favourite but my discovery of Heartfelt made life a little happier today.

Review at Somerset Bound. Photos of the Ferragamo skirt I found to follow...

Alternative healing

This is certain to be a topic which will be divisive but recently I have begun to research and consider alternative healing. I have had two reflexology sessions and one massage and have investigated crystal healing. Several times I have been into my local crystal shop and been drawn to a specific crystal. On looking up the crystal in the book in the shop I have discovered that it is 'known' to have healing properties to help a specific problem that I have been dealing with.

This morning we went to Dunster for lunch and I popped into the shop. I looked at all the jewellery and was drawn to smoky quartz. Smoky quartz is quite a brown stone and not one that I have particularly considered before. I spoke to the lady in the shop, who is not someone I have met before and she told me that smoky quartz was excellent for removing stress, negativity and negative energy and for being a grounding stone. Given the week that I have just had, that sounded so spot on that I bought the earrings. I wouldn't have done if I hadn't liked them a lot as well, but I thought it was at least worth considering the theory that healing can be achieved through crystals. After all, if it reduces stress levels and removes anger, it's got to be worth it, regardless of how psychosomatic it is, perhaps.

The last time I went in, I was particularly drawn to a stone which lists 'solving legal problems' as one of it's properties. I had gone in the shop looking for a pair of earrings to wear during my new job, where, on a daily basis I solve legal problems.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has had any experience with crystals and their properties. I can't decide if there is something in it, whether I am just a sucker for pretty jewellery or whether it even matters.

Calm?

On Monday afternoon I fainted at work and Husband took me to the doctor. She thinks I am stressed. She might be right.

This is the week that Water Company of the West Who I Shall Not Name but will henceforth be known as WCW decided to start their works. We were given the relevant statutory notice to which there is eff all we can do except wait for them to cause us inconvenience and then try and claim compensation. All very convenient, especially as they then say, whenever an issue is raised, "well, we did warn you it would be inconvenient" as if we could somehow have opted out, if only we'd said something at the time.

To cut a long story short, a bridge is being replaced and so the sewage pipe is running up through some extra large pumps, through what used to be our garden gate, across our garden and up over our dry stone wall boundary and into the road again. The pumps can start at any time of day or night. The pumps are also sitting where six cars used to be parked. These are narrow country roads and there is very little other space in which to park. So, every morning and evening my stomach rages that I have to try and fight for somewhere to park. Next week they close the bridge and start those works too. I think I might cry. Who knows what I might do when the road is closed and the pumps start up at 3am.

Add in a thoughtfully worded letter from the NHS {"your doctor has requested an emergency referral [first I'd heard of it, no mention of the other appointment I had booked]. this does not necessarily mean it is cancer. in fact, over 50% of people seen through emergency referrals don't have cancer"} WOW. way to reassure me NHS. That almost 1 in 2 patients that you do see does have cancer. That you think it might be cancer but it isn't definitely. How f*cking reassuring. *

Stir in two court cases, end of year billing, the person from whom I am taking over from retiring at the end of the week and still having a filing cabinet full of files to hand over to me and it's mothereffing Wednesday already and there you have it. Might the doctor actually be right?

{Edit: Went to the appointment. Doctor apologised for someone referring me to gynae-oncology. I still have a 67mm cyst which is a symptom of my endometrosis but it ISN'T ovarian cancer. I should have just been referred to a normal gynae team and which has now been done. I may have to have another op to have it removed and they are now looking into fertitlity questions but all that is surmountable. As, of course, is cancer. I am just relieved it is not something I have to worry about.}

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Photo by me


*Remember the op I had last year for endometriosis and cysts on my ovary. Looks like it's back.

A weekend in photos

After a morning at work, an afternoon sunbathing in the garden, an evening of drinking around the barbeque and in the pub with London friends, Sunday was spent quietly showing said London friends some of our (new) favourite places.

Blue Anchor beach is not especially remarkable or even pretty. But the parking is free and the light is always beautiful, even when front after front is rolling in off the sea and the clouds pile up, occasionally splitting to allow the sun to stream through.

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Blogging to resume again shortly I hope. We went to London last weekend where I met up with lovely blogging friends Peonies, Marie & C&Z from Hat&Feathers. I also went to a party dressed as a bear, had my hair done and took afternoon tea at the Berkeley with my husband, as my twitter peeps will know all too well as I did nothing but upload photos to twitter the entire way back to Somerset.

Since then work went crazy (in a good but extremely busy way) and London friends came to stay. But I am back now. And more posts and photos to come.

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All photos by me.