Happy almost 2020 all!
It was a very quiet Christmas, because of all the moving expenses we opted for just stockings this year (mainly chocolate) and a nice walk through the fields on a footpath. It was a circle of about a mile and led into town, then out the Stoke Doyle road, then across a farmers’ field to a foot bridge ... to the back of our neighborhood! A perfect walk. But muddy. And we didn’t wear boots. And we need to buy John some.
We are really settling in now. We kind of know what brands of things at the grocery are to our liking, and mostly John doesn’t make wrong turns, even when being guided by GPS. Say you are going into a 2 lane round about, you are watching for those entering and exiting, changing lanes yourself, and looking quickly at the signs for each exit to find the destination you need. I’m “helping” at this point, but soon I will be driving places on my own. Really I’m trying to use memory for future use to guide me. Because sometimes the GPS says “take the exit now”….but it might really mean—the next one! Oh mercy it's complicated. Like I said, I’m not driving much yet, but I’ve driven to the base and back, during which I encountered the expected round-abouts, calming measures with metal poles on either side- so you either go between them slowly, or you hit them, and small windy roads just wide enough for 2 cars to pass each other carefully. I will venture out more after I get my new to me tiny car on Saturday, trading in Jenny’s Jazz, for a newer model of the same car. We are grateful for her Jazz, as John was able to start driving right away to work, after returning the rental, and its so easy to park in the tiny spaces here. Anyway, the new one is blue.
Today I’ll put away our Christmas decor, which shouldn’t take much time at all. I’ll some laundry too, using the dryer in the garage. The clothes are just not drying on the clothes line, so I’m going to pass on that till it gets warmer….maybe May.
Tomorrow I will have 2 friends coming over who want to learn to sew. One got a machine for Christmas, and says she didn’t realize it would be so difficult. I think we will start with either a winter knit beanie hat or a zipper make-up bag. It should be fun time, which will end with tea and cookies.
Guess I need to decide by tomorrow which project to start. Smile!
We went to lunch with some new friends after church yesterday, to an interesting place. It is a garden center which specializes in very old olive trees.
This reminded me of our San Diego home which had a large olive tree in the front yard. My friends and I would climb into it, the throw hard little green olives down on our friends. I was such a tomboy!
This place also sells some hiking clothing, odds and ends, plants and flowers and serves lunch, “tea”(that means with cakes and things) and gelato, which was wonderful. I got something I have always wanted to try, called afogatto, which is a scoop of gelato, served with a tiny hot shot of espresso, which you pour over the gelato. Oh my, it was inexpensive (by UK standards, where all food is expensive) and delish! Can’t wait to go there again. We didn’t take the time to look all around, since I had told someone on marketplace that I would stop by Barnwell and pick up a mirror she was selling for 5 pounds…and we didn’t want to find her home in the dark. Directions were #50, opposite the pub, near the bridge, pale green door, small thatched cottage. We found it, and got the mirror, which is perfect. This hamlet of Barnwell has a creek running through the middle of it, with a small road on either side. Dodging homes, cars and walls was interesting. John does so well! As we left Barnwell, we looked for the preschool “Little Ducklings of Barnwell” where both Rafe and Arlo went to preschool. We saw it, and of course I waved at it. Happy memories of going on drop offs and pickups to get the boys during previous visits.
I hope today finds you happy, or inspired, or snug for winter this time of year. I don’t do resolutions…I’ve been to too many crowded gyms in January, which are empty in February.
John said it best about new year’s resolutions: If it's a good idea to make a change, why wait till a certain time of year!