Hellebores

I'm concentrating on things that are small and beautiful

because the larger world seems such a troubled place just now.

It's Valentine's Day today. I wish you all love - and chocolate!

After the weekend

It's very quiet today.

Family were home with us at the weekend and the house was full of fun and laughter. Now they are back at work and school, the weather is cold and wet and we are readjusting to being just the two of us again. We had a lovely time at the weekend although on Saturday plans to be outside were scrapped because it was too grim; horizontal rain has few charms. We stayed in the warmth of the kitchen and played the sort of wet-weather games that my family used to play when I was a child. There was a fair bit of colouring in to be done as well! Everyone had a go.

Last month The Boy had made a friendship bracelet for Himself. It received much praise so the rest of us set to work to make one for ourselves.

A favourite game that we played (more than once!) was the one where you draw a head and neck, fold over your drawing to hide it from the next person who then adds the body,which again is folded and hidden. The next person adds the legs and finally the feet.

The results are ridiculous.

On Sunday, hurrah, we woke to dry weather and even some sunshine. Down to the beach for a walk and a scoot.

It was another round of games in the afternoon before going to the station in time to catch the London train.

Some rather battered hellebores from the garden.

Out to lunch.

What do you do when it is very grey and your phone promises nothing other than rain or drizzle, when all aound our small world people are trying to kill each other and the wrong people seem to be holding the power? We pulled on our woollies, pocketed an umbrella and went out for lunch.

We walked along the beach towards the centre of town. Quite a stiff breeze down at sea level so we walked quite briskly to Brasserie Blanc and arrived in their dining room before anyone else and with plenty of time to hum and haw over the menu.

I ordered pheasant and had to laugh when I realised that this was the first time that I've ever had to buy a meal of pheasant. At our previous home the gamekeeper used to hang a brace of pheasant on a hook outside our kitchen door. The shooters were out in the woods at either side of our property but none of them seemed to want to eat the birds that they had shot. More fool them! In childhood pheasant plucking was a regular seasonal task. In more recent times we took the lazy route of just skinning the birds.

I chose a rhubarb trifle for dessert to continue the nostalgic theme. It made me glad that I'd visited the allotment briefly last Saturday to put a forcing pot over one of my rhubarb plants.

Then we walked back along the beach, this time with the wind behind us. Just the thing to chase away the blues.

Inside

It's raining hard and blowing a hoolie, time to be tucked up safely inside. We had the briefest glimmer of sunshine yesterday, throwing light onto walls and furniture, distorting the forms.

Here is a protrait of me, painted by a friend, disguised by chards of sunlight and reflections.

I ventured into the conservatory to put several screws into the roof beams so that I could tie up the rose and jasmine strands that are covering my Greek boy. It is a cold, clammy and uninviting space in weather like this. My oranges will need more sun than this if they are ever going to ripen!

Our house

The house where we now live was built in 1928 and it is considerably younger than our previous homes, a former farmhouse and a cottage that were centuries old. We were pleased to find, in the bundle of papers relating to our purchase, a large watercolour detailing the builder's intentions. We also have a small photograph album with images taken by one of the three daughters who first lived here.

It is fascinating to study the ground plan and see how the layout has been changed since the initial build.The kitchen is now a hallway with exterior side door and the scullery has been extended into a kitchen. The original scullery looks to have had some rather fearsome equipment!

The main body of the house is untouched and this is a source of pleasure to us, although not everyone would agree! Many houses of this period have been quite ruthlessly modernised. The inner hall then and now.

Can you decide to buy a house simply because the door snecks look lovely and feel good in the hand? Yes, I can!

Sunset

Sometimes even the dullest of days briefly becomes amazing!

Bournemouth beach huts

The weather is cold, grey and still, it hardly gets above freezing throughout the day but because there is no wind it is not unpleasant to be out as long as we are well wrapped up. Midweek we had a good walk along the beach. As soon as I opened the car door I was pleased to hear the boom of the waves down below me on the shoreline. It is difficult to tell what the weather will be like when we get down to the promenade. Often when it feels pleasant up on the cliff there is an uncomfortable wind blowing down below. I'm not a pretty sight when a cold wind blows and makes my eyes water and my nose run!

We walked towards the town to see whether any progress had been made following the landslip last October that dislodged some of the beach huts. The area is still cordoned off, it is clearly going to take some effort to make the hillside stable.

It was very quiet, a few dog walkers and only one beach hut occupied. When we turned around to retrace our steps the occupants of the beach hut were swimming in the sea. Oh, good for them! Two stalwart women! I told them that I was green with envy. (Although I would have been more than blue with cold had I joined them!)

The beach huts are very expensive to rent and rarely fully occupied, even in glorious weather. Some locals make very good use of them whatever the weather.

Others are definitely only fair weather huters!

If our family are going to be sitting about we like it to be warm!