19 Thursday Mar 2020
Just a quick post before I go back off-grid.
In the light of the Covid19 virus putting us all on lockdown, I just saw this on Facebook and it made me smile.
Man thinks he has it all under control, but he doesn’t. Never underestimate the power of nature. Like I always say: someone else is doing the driving.
In my absence I recommend the following:
The Book of Awakening. Mark Nepo
The Alchemist. Paulo Coelho
Stay safe, be kind, don’t be selfish.
Rosie
15 Sunday Mar 2020
Tags
adventures, being grateful, Birds, Blessings, Change, Changes, Contentment, Dogs, Feeling blessed, home, Inspiration, LIfe, life shows the way, Moving on, Nature, new adventures, Reflections, Rural France, silence, Simple things, Small things, spring, sunshine, thoughts, tranquility, understanding, Welsh Terriers, Welshies, Wind
I am sitting in my bedroom and the spring sunshine is streaming in, something to warm the soul.
Since arriving home from work the thing that has been the most soothing for me is the silence. Calming, thought provoking, thought soothing silence.
I can hear the wind blowing on this blustery day, I can hear the birds tweeting, I can hear my Welshies snoring, as they snuggle up beside me in bed, I can hear the clock ticking, and they all add to the sense of calm the silence brings. but I can hear nothing else: no traffic, no sirens, no motorbikes, no cars revving, no buses…..
The first thing that hit me on my return to the little part of the UK that it turns out is actually it’s own little country, being only five miles by nine, was the traffic. The permanent constant hum twenty-four hours a day; punctuated only by louder revs, the hiss of brakes, and sirens. It shocked me, I have been away from that for five years.
On arriving home the first thing that embraced me was the silence, and I welcomed it.
When we search for our new home the level of noise will have to be considered, that’s now on the list.
Rosie
28 Tuesday Jan 2020
Tags
being grateful, Blessings, blue winter skies, cats, Contentment, Dogs, French Countryside, Inspiration, LIfe, Logs, Love of dogs, Nature, Rural France, Simple things, Small things, sunshine on windy days, The seasons, Trees, Welsh Terriers, Welshie, Welshies, Windy days, Winter, Winter in France, winter sunshine, writing
I am currently sitting in my spot that, it appears, so many people covet: my blue chair in the picture window of my house. I am driving Daisy the cat nuts because she chases light, and, with the brilliant winter sunshine reflecting off my iPad all around the room Daisy cannot resist the the urge to chase it; which then makes the Welshies chase her and chaos ensues. (They know their place with her though she’s also known as Daisy Pussy Upsy because she looks like a Bond Villain at times!)
Today is an incredibly windy day, with gusts of up to sixty kilometres and hour forecast. But where there is bad there is good and there is brilliant sunshine and phenomenally blue skies, one of those days that just blow the cobwebs in the mind away.
I have made the effort this winter to get out into our garden whenever possible, if only for fifteen minutes.
Since Molly died and we have started to consider moving on to pastures new, it has inspired me to treasure what I have in the here and now, with the countryside around me, and the two teddies that I am blessed to have running around my garden.
So today,after bringing in the wood I walked over to the field behind our barn on the other side of our chemin (lane in French), with two excited Welshies and Daisy the cat (she is also known as cat/dog) running around me.
I found myself just standing there looking across the garden, with the dogs snuffling, and Daisy, precariously balanced on a tree, and smiling.
There is nothing like hearing the wind rushing through the trees in bright winter sunshine, and I stood and I looked out and I took it all in.
Then I came back into the warm and shared it with you.
Let’s treasure the here and now.
Rosie
You can read our other other story about the things we went through that got us to today on my other blog.
23 Thursday Jan 2020
Tags
at one with nature, being grateful, Blessings, Change, Changes, Contentment, counting your blessings, Dogs, French Countryside, Happiness, LIfe, memories, Nature, Reflections, Rural France, Simple things, Small things, Welsh Terrier, Welsh Terriers, Welshies, Winter Gardens, Winter in France, winter sunshine
As I have said before I am trying to take the opportunity to spend time outside with nature, and my two beloved dogs.
It has been bitterly cold this past week in our rural area of France, and the thing with old stone houses is: they may look pretty but they are bloody cold if left without any heating in these kind of temperatures.
I have been working with RD this month, assisting and bossing him about. (I do the snagging in our business because I am a picky bitch!) So we have been freezing cold as we have not been lighting the fire until later, with the house eventually becoming warm and toasty just as we are going to bed!
But the job is coming to an end, so today I am at home, literally keeping the home fires burning. So the fire was lit this morning, and the house is warm, I have filled the log cabinet and RD can relax when he gets home.
Although cold it has been beautifully sunny and I have taken the opportunity to sit in my garden, at one with nature. Well as one as you can get it when accompanied by two Welsh Terriers!
But seriously the time I have with my dogs is never going to be enough; and being someone who always gets caught up in ‘the doing’, I need to remind myself daily to take a moment and enjoy the simple things in my life. Like sitting in the winter sunshine, with my dogs. 
We pretty much know that our time here will be limited, and that we are likely to move to pastures new. So I need to enjoy this beautiful place whilst I can, so that I have memories to take with me, and no regret.
Enjoy it all, no matter the weather, breathe it in….
Rosie
You can read my other blog by clicking on the link abive. It may surprise you.
Making This Better my book is also available in all good bookstores including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books and so many more.
30 Monday Dec 2019
Tags
beginnings, being grateful, Blessings, cats, Change, Changes, Contentment, count your blessings, counting your blessings, endings, France, French Countryside, French Sunrises, Happiness, Inspiration, LIfe, Nature, Poignant, Reflections, Rural France, Simple things, Small things, Sunrises, sunsets, The seasons, understanding
One of things I adore about living here are the sunrises and sunsets. They often inspire me for the day, or remind me why I am grateful for my life. So I thought I would share some from this year.
For me each sunrise is the start of not only a new day, but a new adventure, a new life, new opportunity……
As I sit here tonight,with my old cat on my lap, I know she will be leaving very soon, and it reminds me that each sunset means endings, the end of the day, and the promise of something new, but only for some. Each beautiful sunset that I see reminds me to count my blessings for each day. I do.
Rosie
29 Sunday Dec 2019
Tags
crisp winter days, French Countryside, French sunsets, L'hiver, Nature, our French garden, quiet, Simple things, solitude, tge sound of silence, Welsh Terriers, Winter, wintry afternoons
I get to a point around this time if year, it’s like ‘no-mans land’, a ‘waiting time’, for this year to end and the new one to start. I start to feel lethargic because my sleep patterns have been disrupted, and more often than not it takes a while for them to settle back down. Well not this year, from tomorrow we are setting our alarm and slowly it will get earlier and earlier. For some reason I feel an urge to do things, I just don’t know what they will be yet.
So I am writing this in the garden, on a crisp, sunny December afternoon. The birds are chattering, the puppies are running around, and RD and I are enjoying an early glass of red wine.
I persuaded RD out here, I feel acutely aware of how it us so easy to just hibernate indoors at this time of year, when every season has something to offer, and we should always embrace it.
I also realised how much I like solitude now, just surrounded by nature.
Rosie
01 Sunday Dec 2019
Tags
Change, climate change, Dogs, evolving, Happiness, Keeping Warm, LIfe, Logs, Nature, not taking things for granted, Reflections, respect, Simple things, understanding, Warmth, Welsh Terriers, windy weather
As I wheeled the wheelbarrow across the garden, full of logs to keep us warm this week, in howling winds and driving rain with two mad Welshies running at my feet, I remembered last year and how different I felt then. I can remember RD and I being in the garden, cutting wood to use that winter and begrudging, in some ways, that we had to do it.
When we came here we were both ready to embrace the rustic lifestyle, we both knew we would be cold, with only a log burner and some expensive electric heaters to heat our house. We both knew that living in a stone house would be chilly. But I think we were both looking at the challenge with optimism, and that neither of us really understood how difficult it would be to adjust to a new way of life: a life with no heating at the click of a switch, a life where you had to put the work in to stay warm. In fact in January we considered whether to stay or leave this life we had chosen, for many reasons.
Fast forward now to this year, and as I wheeled the logs across the garden, buffeted by the wind, I smiled to myself because I now respect the fact that I have to put in the effort for what I need. I no longer take heating for granted, I no longer take what this beautiful planet offers me for granted; and because I have to put in the effort I don’t waste what we have. In this world of climate change (living in a rural setting it has become so noticeable) that has to be a good thing.
As always we are open to change, I believe you have to be in life; and one of our biggest lessons has been to not hold on too tight. But next time we will take all we have learned from this adventure on to the next chapter. When that happens….life will show us the way.
Rosie
26 Saturday Oct 2019
Tags
appreciate, autumn, Autumn mist, autumn mists, dew, French Vallees, going with the flow, Inspiration, Inspired, misty mornings, Nature, Simple things, spiders webs, things that inspire me
I have missed writing, it’s something I love to do, but this week has been a hugely busy week. All will be revealed in my next series of posts. But first I thought I would share with you what I love about Autumn and living here.
Often when I get up at this time of year and lift the blinds I am inspired by what is around me: the sunrises, the blue skies, the winter skies, and in autumn the mists across the valley.
When I opened the blinds early one morning this week the things that inspired me were the spiders webs, highlighted by the morning dew.
I found myself thinking of how the spiders are frantically making webs to catch the insects in the last of the autumn sunshine, to prepare for winter. Nature just accepts what is happening and goes with the flow; and although spiders creep me out I found myself turning to Harley and saying ‘I suppose they have to live somewhere.’
More changes have taken place in our house, renovations mainly. Look out for more posts.
Have a good weekend folks, and in your busy weekends try and stop, and see the beauty that is around you.
Rosie
15 Sunday Sep 2019
Tags
aerial displays, autumn, Change, everything must change, fabric of home, Feeling blessed, George Benson, home, le grange, Nature, old barnes, spring, summer, swallows, swallows in flight, swooping
When we moved here our house had not been lived in for over three years, and our old barn had become a residence of choice for the swallows every spring; with it’s lack of the likelihood of interference from humans, and the abundance of tall trees, and thereby insects our barn was the perfect choice. And then the English came along!
But life was looking out for our swallows because these English have not blocked up the barn (we’d have a job with half the roof missing) we have welcomed the swallows.
So every spring the babies can be heard chirping in the eves, and now they have come to realise that we will not hurt them the swallows no-longer dive bomb us when we go to the barn to move something back into the house (which has been moved to the barn and back, barn and back so many times!)
This winter the barn roof will finally be replaced by H, we hope to save that beautiful old building if possible. But we will ensure that the swallows still have somewhere to stay, they are part of the fabric of this home and all that it entails.
Every summer as we sit in the garden in the early evening we are treated to an aerial display as the swallows teach their young to catch the numerous insects milling about in the air in the late evening sunshine. In fact we get two displays because as the swallows take their young to bed the bats then come out as twilight arrives and take over the second sitting for the insect banquet.
But what has inspired me to write this post is what happened last night. The Indian summer continues and the past few days we have reached temperatures into the late twenties early thirties. After my shower I stood at the bedroom window and watched as the swallows began to gather. We have a collection of phone wires for our community and swallows love phone wires; add to that our trees and the corn in the field and the swallows found their ideal spot to swoop (a collective noun for swallows). It was amazing to watch as they swooped past our window over to the field opposite.
More and more arrived swooping high and low, sitting on the phone wires, just looking at me, as I stood like a mad woman in my pyjamas videoing them. My photos do not do the spectacle justice : they were preparing to say goodbye.
Autumn is here, despite the hot weather, and the Swallows know it is time to start their preparation to leave.
I realised that although they will be back next year it may not be the same swallows, many will die on the arduous journey to Africa and the Sahara; and it again highlighted to me how (to quote George Benson) everything must change, nothing stays the same. It cannot.
I am truly blessed.
Rosie
Simple things, simple things.
if you want to listen to the fabulous George B singing about change here it is.
23 Friday Aug 2019
Tags
aperitifs, being grateful, cats, chilling, Contentment, counting your blessings, Dogs, French Countryside, Happiness, Indian summers, LIfe, life shows the way, Nature, regrowth, Relaxing, Rural France, Simple things, Small things, The seasons, understanding, Welsh Terriers, Welshies, wine beer
As you know this summer was really hot in France, until August came. Then suddenly the temperature dropped to the early twenties, which is cool for this time of year in this region. But out of the cool air came an abundance of flowers. I realised that it had been so hot that the flowers had been burning, and as the air cooled they took their opportunity to bloom again.
We talked about dismantling the pool, and I am back to good old log splitting, because we do have to prepare for winter, and we still have so much wood to prepare and use.
But now the temperatures are rising again and are due to reach the early thirties and late twenties well into next week. The difference is it’s an autumn sun, and whilst hot it is not suffocating and the late evenings get a little chilly. ( All good for sleeping).
So this week when H has got home we have sat in our chairs with a long aperitif (no wine or beer, we have kept to our word) and put the world to right, whilst looking out across this view.
With a Welshie at your feet, (and the Princess snuffling for something small and furry to kill) what more could you want?
We said in January we would let life show us the way with regard to staying here. Perhaps not holding on so tight to that ‘dream’ has given us the ability to just enjoy the here and now. We said that we would see what the winter brings, but I am not afraid of it, I have truly learnt that what is meant to happen is going to happen, and all the worrying in the world will not change it.
So I am going to enjoy this Indian summer, my H, my cats (Sophie the sofa loaf taught me that), my beautiful dogs, my flowers with their new found lease of life
Not least Sophie’s rose.
And this beautiful place that I am blessed to live in. Life is doing the driving, I just have to trust it and enjoy the moment.
Aperitifs anyone? I can have wine tonight!
Rosie
