It crossed the road in a scurry where I change gear to prepare for the mighty hill at Houxty Bank. Luckily I had slowed down a bit. The squirrel was so very red and so very small.
It is the second one I have seen crossing the road in a hurry of late. A good sign for sure. They are not dying out as fast as we fear around here.
This area in the National Park and esp at Kielder is one of their last safe habitats.
What I love about living here: the wildlife, the landscape of fells, the rivers and burns, the wide open spaces and huge skies, the many rainbows, Northumbrian pipes, the farm eggs, it is a cat's paradise, and the odd gannin's on.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Autumnal Equinox
Glad to be back home for this time of transition and change.
Watching the garden and the landscape around us I see how summer turns to autumn and I would not miss that. The changing of seasons is a time of observing, noting and paying great attention. I love it.
The once lush green foliage is now coloured and bright red berries shine in the sun, rosehips of many kinds, cotoneaster, rowan, hawthorn...
The apple trees in the orchard are laden with fruit. This is a bumpercrop year. Although not one single plum!
Going for walks just to notice what is going on in nature right now. Invigorating and also melancholic as winter does seem closer than just before the equinox.
It is very windy and the tree brushes against the tiled roof, at night it is spooky. I may have to cut it back before winter.
Right now I am contemplating what to do with my huge apple harvest. Looking through my Swedish cookbook last night I found recipes for drying them, stewing them, making chutney...
I still have jetlagg and find it hard to fall asleep at night and I sleep late in the morning. Must try to shift that slowly.
A busy autumn lies ahead and I welcome that.
Winter will be for quiet work time, reading, writing,...
Watching the garden and the landscape around us I see how summer turns to autumn and I would not miss that. The changing of seasons is a time of observing, noting and paying great attention. I love it.
The once lush green foliage is now coloured and bright red berries shine in the sun, rosehips of many kinds, cotoneaster, rowan, hawthorn...
The apple trees in the orchard are laden with fruit. This is a bumpercrop year. Although not one single plum!
Going for walks just to notice what is going on in nature right now. Invigorating and also melancholic as winter does seem closer than just before the equinox.
It is very windy and the tree brushes against the tiled roof, at night it is spooky. I may have to cut it back before winter.
Right now I am contemplating what to do with my huge apple harvest. Looking through my Swedish cookbook last night I found recipes for drying them, stewing them, making chutney...
I still have jetlagg and find it hard to fall asleep at night and I sleep late in the morning. Must try to shift that slowly.
A busy autumn lies ahead and I welcome that.
Winter will be for quiet work time, reading, writing,...
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Hemma igen!
A halcyon day with warm weather and sunshine.
So happy to be back home with the darlings Luna, Fergus and Myles! Sleeping all together in the bed.
Unpacking, doing laundry, opening mail, hoovering up feathers,...It is so good to be home again.
I love travels and adventures and yet coming home is bliss.
The neighbours filled me in on the "gannins on" in the valley while I was away:
Peggy is in Chevy Chase and yet another house is up for sale due to a tennant farmer retiring, Robert is parcelling out allotments in his sheep field, R Cocker is winding up the village with his building plans, the weather has been mild in Sept, a lot of mowing apparently, and the choir starts on Monday!
Peggy turned 100 this past spring and could have stayed at home I think, but now she is in a care home in nearby Otterburn called Chevy Chase after the ancient road going through. I will go over and visit and read to her.
Laundry drying on the washing line in the sun. Cats napping and I am looking closely at the garden seeing how plants fared and grew in my absence. The houseplants did amazingly well. No premature deaths.
I hope to have time to write more about the trip soon.
So happy to be back home with the darlings Luna, Fergus and Myles! Sleeping all together in the bed.
Unpacking, doing laundry, opening mail, hoovering up feathers,...It is so good to be home again.
I love travels and adventures and yet coming home is bliss.
The neighbours filled me in on the "gannins on" in the valley while I was away:
Peggy is in Chevy Chase and yet another house is up for sale due to a tennant farmer retiring, Robert is parcelling out allotments in his sheep field, R Cocker is winding up the village with his building plans, the weather has been mild in Sept, a lot of mowing apparently, and the choir starts on Monday!
Peggy turned 100 this past spring and could have stayed at home I think, but now she is in a care home in nearby Otterburn called Chevy Chase after the ancient road going through. I will go over and visit and read to her.
Laundry drying on the washing line in the sun. Cats napping and I am looking closely at the garden seeing how plants fared and grew in my absence. The houseplants did amazingly well. No premature deaths.
I hope to have time to write more about the trip soon.
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Jetzt bin Ich Zuhause
From Revere to West Hampstead to Tarset.
Three very different neighbourhoods.
Back in Inglaterra and I see Iggy Pop selling CAR insurance and Johnny Rotten British butter! Talk about surreal.
Just like the travelling I have been doing lately.
From London to Helsinki, Finland. Then back to London.
London to Boston to Provincetown, Cape Cod.
Then to Amherst, Mass. Next to Vermont, deep into bear country in the Green Mountains, back to Amherst after that.
From Amherst to Cold Spring in the the Hudson River Valley, NY. Train to NYC and Manhattan and Brooklyn too for the Brooklyn Book Festival. Back to Cold Spring and next stop the Keene, the Adirondacks!
What an exraordinary adventure!
I will write more when I settle in a bit. Right now I am still spinning on the carousel.
It was a fantastic trip in all ways.
Three very different neighbourhoods.
Back in Inglaterra and I see Iggy Pop selling CAR insurance and Johnny Rotten British butter! Talk about surreal.
Just like the travelling I have been doing lately.
From London to Helsinki, Finland. Then back to London.
London to Boston to Provincetown, Cape Cod.
Then to Amherst, Mass. Next to Vermont, deep into bear country in the Green Mountains, back to Amherst after that.
From Amherst to Cold Spring in the the Hudson River Valley, NY. Train to NYC and Manhattan and Brooklyn too for the Brooklyn Book Festival. Back to Cold Spring and next stop the Keene, the Adirondacks!
What an exraordinary adventure!
I will write more when I settle in a bit. Right now I am still spinning on the carousel.
It was a fantastic trip in all ways.
Friday, 4 September 2009
An echo from the tip of the Cape
A short message to say that I am home again!
Swimming, walking, reading, seeing dragonflies hovering over ponds, families of wild turkeys crossing the back roads, the electric sound of cicadas, lotsa art, seafood, ideas sprouting for new work, meeting new friends, having delectable suppers with good friends, re-connecting with this place that is a home to me and myself and I.
I feel so infinitely grateful that I can come here.
Thank you. Merci. Danke.
The walks in the dunes in silence, and swimming in the peace and quiet is balsam to the soul and spirit and body and mind!
Wish you were here!
Swimming, walking, reading, seeing dragonflies hovering over ponds, families of wild turkeys crossing the back roads, the electric sound of cicadas, lotsa art, seafood, ideas sprouting for new work, meeting new friends, having delectable suppers with good friends, re-connecting with this place that is a home to me and myself and I.
I feel so infinitely grateful that I can come here.
Thank you. Merci. Danke.
The walks in the dunes in silence, and swimming in the peace and quiet is balsam to the soul and spirit and body and mind!
Wish you were here!
Sunday, 16 August 2009
From here to Helsinki
Helsinki or Helsingfors as it is called in Finland-Swedish is on the agenda for next week.
It is a booktrip in the sense that it is mainly to meet with publishers in Helsinki and explore possible exchanges and translation projects.
I hope to have time to go to the largest bookstore in Scandinavia?! And to visit Kiasma the contemporary art museum which looks like an extraordinary building.
Travelling via London and the Richard Long retrospective at Tate Britain.
Got to get the priorities straight!
Supper ordered in from Holy Cow! The best to be had delivered to your door in NW6! I know the menu by heart.
We, me and my bestest friend, are going to work on our proposal for a project in Japan next year - very exciting! It is fun brainstorming and sharing ideas, a privilege when you work in a team.
So I shall probably not be visiting DJANG for a while.
Ciao for now!
It is a booktrip in the sense that it is mainly to meet with publishers in Helsinki and explore possible exchanges and translation projects.
I hope to have time to go to the largest bookstore in Scandinavia?! And to visit Kiasma the contemporary art museum which looks like an extraordinary building.
Travelling via London and the Richard Long retrospective at Tate Britain.
Got to get the priorities straight!
Supper ordered in from Holy Cow! The best to be had delivered to your door in NW6! I know the menu by heart.
We, me and my bestest friend, are going to work on our proposal for a project in Japan next year - very exciting! It is fun brainstorming and sharing ideas, a privilege when you work in a team.
So I shall probably not be visiting DJANG for a while.
Ciao for now!
Saturday, 15 August 2009
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