Author: 'A Poetic Potter & A Potting Poet'

I often look back but always move forward, opening to the possibilities that life filled with wealth - in all its forms - can bring

Day 25

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Writing again

 

I brought two finished pieces home with me from the pottery studio this afternoon.

The two pieces are very different.

One was thrown on the wheel, turned to trim off and shape, then decorated using a technique that I’ve been developing, using layers of underglaze applied with small separate brush strokes.

The other is hand-built, in a freestyle form, using coils and creating texture with various implements and materials.

The former is, I think, a vase. The latter I’m going to use as a candlestick.

On the way home from the studio I stopped off to do some shopping for groceries.

The house was dark when I got back. Trev was out but Lydia was there to greet me.

She hadn’t been on her own for long and doesn’t get separation anxiety like a lot of dogs do.

Even so, she was pleased to see me and, after putting the shopping away, it was time for her tea.

Trev brought fish and chips back for ours which I thoroughly enjoyed, complete with curry sauce, of course!

 

 

Day 24

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Writing again

My car was booked in for a service this morning so Trev followed me round in his car to the service centre, where I transferred Lydia from my car to his so that I could walk her on the way home.

The car was ready by early afternoon and it was a clear and mild day so I walked back to pick it up.

Later in the afternoon I had a bath – the first bath I’ve had in a long time. Showers are so much easier in so many ways but I did enjoy a good soak, with the addition of some mineral salts and an essential oil – ylang ylang.

The theme for the current Buddhist course – last week, this week and next week – is ‘love’. This week the emphasis was on ‘affectionate love’; a love that is free from delusions such as attachment and anger.

It is such a lovely theme to explore in the context of Buddha’s teachings and feels especially so at this time of the year. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to receive such wonderful words of wisdom.

Day 23

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Writing again

I wasn’t able to visit my friend M today as I usually do on a Tuesday as I didn’t want to take germs into the care home.

My cold isn’t yet fully developed but still lingering in the background.

I took Lydia out for a reasonable walk and since then have been taking it easy. I did put our Christmas tree up though, and made some roasted red pepper and sweet potato soup for our tea.

I’d boiled the bones and carcass from a chicken we’d had earlier in the week, making stock for the soup and providing some ‘Lydi juice’ for Lydia that she enjoyed after her tea. It had turned to jelly on cooling, so nourishing as well as flavoursome.

Day 22

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Writing again

Seasonal branches adorning the fence at our Qigong venue this evening

Lydia is steadily getting used to her new collar. By the end of our woodland walk this morning it felt like she was almost gliding along next to me. The lead that I attach to the collar has a bungee section at the end of it, which helps.

Yoga this afternoon had a strong emphasis on the pose of a tree, and in Qigong we did a lot of work on developing the strength and flexibility of the spine. I felt quite focused in both sessions and enjoyed the poses and movements.

Despite all my health and wellbeing activities, I feel like I may be starting to come down with a cold, so may have to rest up tomorrow if it lingers.

I’m hoping for a good night’s sleep though, tonight. Lydia has already joined me in the bedroom for her ‘sleepy time’ and I’m going to settle down for the night now as well. Sweet dreams.

Day 21

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Writing again

For the first time since May I didn’t write and publish a blog post yesterday, so I’m doing it today instead.

I completely forgot after having had a lovely afternoon with friends, making Christmas wreaths.

My friend Maxine had organised it, and we all contributed different kinds of foliage from different places. I’d bought some bunches of festive foliage at the Buddhist Centre when I was there on Friday, and there were baubles, ribbons and lights that Maxine provided for us, along with some delicious snacks and drinks. 

Trev gave Lydia her tea while I was out so I didn’t have to leave early, and was pleased with my creation which is now hanging up on our front door.

I’ve got some more get-togethers with friends coming up over the next couple of weeks, and made a really good start with this one.

Day 20

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Writing again

Lydia has had a good rest this afternoon after a longish walk this morning.

I pushed her a bit, to go a bit further than she wanted to, although it was an easy walk for both of us really.  Just over an hour on flat ground.

I’m tired too, though recognise I still need to push myself a bit as well. I’m tired but still not able to fully relax into the deep sleep that I need.

We had some over-ripe bananas so I made banana cake, with the addition of linseed, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, all-spice and ground ginger.  I used my standard cake recipe – 4oz butter/margarine, 4oz sugar, 4oz flour and 2 eggs, x 3, although I used less sugar to allow for the sweetness of the bananas. I also added some rolled oats. It turned out well. Baked in two loaf tins at 180 degrees centigrade, initially for about 20 minutes, then turned down and baked for a bit longer, until they passed the skewer test, coming out clean so I knew they were done.

As usual, Lydia has been keeping me good company on a quiet rainy day.  

She hasn’t had her tea yet but doesn’t seem in any hurry for it. Neither am I for mine.

Day 19

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Writing again

Photo by Thapelo Boateng on Pexels.com

Before and after going to the dog field with Lydia this morning, I did some work in the kitchen, finishing the decorating and cleaning, then putting things back but reducing clutter at the same time.  It does look and feel so much better.

Leaving Lydia to look after the house – Trev was still away but came back this afternoon – I headed over to the Buddhist Centre to do some volunteering for a few hours.

The work was outside. To begin with it felt a bit cold, but I had gloves, a hat, coat and boots. It wasn’t long before I took off the hat, coat and gloves, as the physicality of the work – sweeping – warmed me up. A few people – residents at the Centre – passed me as I was working and all made appreciative comments.  The young lady who was supervising me made sure that I was happy doing the work and insisted that I had a cup of tea before I left, which I did.

The satnav on the way home directed me on a different route to the one I normally take and it proved to be a calm and quiet drive, through villages lit up by Christmas lights – lovely.

Arriving home, I was glad I’d made the enchiladas the day before as all I had to do was turn the oven on before giving Lydia her tea and then having a bit of a rest.  Trev had returned home and it was good to watch a bit of telly.  It’s been a fairly full day, and a good one.

Day 18

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Writing again

Continuing to work on the kitchen, I made good progress with more cleaning and a bit of painting before leaving the last coat of paint to dry and heading out to do some shopping.

Lydia has kept me company all day and she enjoyed an extra lamb rib as well as a raw chicken wing with her tea.

I had some savoury rice, and vegetarian sausages that were in the freezer. Then I made some chilli enchiladas for Trev and me to have for our tea tomorrow night. I bought avocados and limes to make fresh guacamole, and crème fresh as a lighter alternative to sour cream. There’s plenty of chilli left over so we can have that on Saturday night, or it will freeze for later.

Day 17

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Writing again

Lydia and I were out earliesh this morning, as the sun was still rising.

It was the second day for her wearing her new collar, and she did very well.

Back home, after setting Lydi up with her breakfast ball, I set to on deep cleaning the kitchen, eating my own breakfast as I worked.

After a few hours it was time to set off to meet my friend Susie. We had a lovely walk round a lake before heading for a café to have some lunch.

Susie first introduced me to meditation around 30 years ago. I wrote a poem about our friendship a while back:

Friendship

The light of your heart

Turns forever night

into a sensation of morning

as you reach out

to illuminate the darkness and depth

of my despair

 

Almost beyond hope

I find the firm hold

of your belief in me

and then I can see

that somewhere in the future

lies a present, what will it be?

 

All I do know is that now I can say

thank you for the day

and for your friendship

that helped to show the way

2013, dedicated to my friend Susie

Back home to Lydia and, after she’d had her tea and I’d had a bit of a rest, I went out to the Buddhist group meeting.

The theme for tonight’s meeting – the first of a group of three – was ‘love’, with the emphasis on affectionate love, cherishing love and wishing love. Wishing love is about wishing for others to be happy; not just those we are close to or who we particularly care about, but all others; all living beings.

Day 16

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Writing again

Lydi did very well with her new collar for the first time. It’s a Halti collar, designed to stop pulling. It will take a while for her to get fully used to it, but it did seem to make a difference.

I’m early with writing and posting Christmas cards this year, which is just as well as it leaves me clear to make a start on deep cleaning the kitchen and doing a few things to it that will hopefully help things along when we come to sell the house.