Eleven

I feel like a total fraud, calling myself a blogger when I haven't written anything here in nearly two months. I can only thank you for bearing with me. Unfortunately I've been working seven days a week for some time now (and not over yet), and it doesn't leave the kind of headspace I need for this place.  I do need quite a lot, it's crowded up there.  Secondly, it's made worse by that thing where the longer you leave something the harder it is to get back to. Suddenly a small step turns into a giant leap (I may be muddling up a historic quote from somewhere there).  But anyway, that's how it goes on... how to break the break?

So today - some self discipline is in order. Don't do any work, don't even look at it, don't even think about it! Take the day off. I've been for a long walk in the sunshine with a keen wind whipping my face, oh it felt good. Then I drank some wine with lunch. Oh, that felt good too. And nibbled a piece of rich 70% dark chocolate with my cuppa. Doesn't get much better!

 And now I must write something on here, if for no other reason than that today marks an anniversary, as - and I'm not sure how it happened - this blog is eleven years old today! Shocking.  Eleven years ago I couldn't have imagined the situation the world finds itself in now. I'm not sure off the top of my head what was in the news back then but surely it must have been a lot less alarming and desperately sad?  Now, there's a good reason to try and breathe a little life back into these pages if I can.  

So while I'm here, just a few pics taken on my walk this morning, the first time I've been up to the old mansion grounds at the top of the hill since the recent storms.  

I was saddened, but not surprised, to see some of my beloved trees had succumbed to either Dudley or Eunice.  This long avenue is lined by lime trees originally planted over 400 years ago.  Some have been replaced but many bear their years well, tall and elegant, entwined in mistletoe and ivy.  So this was perhaps the most shocking, much bigger than it looks in the pic

...leaving such a huge hole in the ground that is almost as deep as I am tall:

And 'Lagartija Nick'  has lost his whip!  Doesn't seem so devilish now, but perhaps it will grow back.

But the sheep are out, the dog-walkers, the snowdrops. The birds are in song, eyeing up nesting sites (and each other), happily oblivious to the troubles of the world.  And once I get my current workload out of the way I hope I can add to their voices - preferably some time before this blog turns twelve.