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!

Winter sun

We've had precious little winter sun. It shone briefly yesterday, slanting through the shutters and lighting up odd objects in the rooms. I'm not complaining about the weather because compared to elsewhere we have got off very lightly. It is cold enough for us to stay indoors but nothing worse than that. The plants in the conservatory do NOT look happy!

It's nice to have the usual bits and pieces back in place. They all hold memories.

Here on the mantlepiece is a soapstone of my father's, a jigsaw from a holiday in Venice, a cloth auricula which was a present from a daughter and a tiny tin box of a sleeping cat from when the girls were very small. (I have told you that I'm a hoarder.)

These little Russian dolls are left over from the Christmas decorations. They looked so at home on top of the piano that I've kept them there. Himself brought them back from Russia many years ago and they are in need of a new head of hair. (I could say the same for Himself but won't be so rude!)

What a world.

Floods, freezing, fires, fighting, bullies in powerful positions, sometimes it feels just too depressing. I hope that you all, dear bloggers, are safe and well and enjoying the small pleasures and acts of kindness that are still all about us even though the world does appear to be going crazy. A friend brought me white roses when she came to our New Year's Day lunch. I love white roses, they give me great pleasure. We are hunkering down, watching on the news film of the north of the country, my home county, under a blanket of snow. There are snow flurries here but nothing is settling, my grandson will be very disappointed! I'll be going through my seed box any day now and planning what to grow on the allotment - that should keep me happy!

The sugar rush is over!

The decorations have been taken down and packed away for another year. "Didn't know we had so many," said Himself. He was looking at over half a century of accumulated bits and bobs. They fit into three plastic boxes that are stored in the space under the staircase. Storage space is one of the good things about our present house, it makes life much easier for a hoarder like me!

We've had the Christmas tree for three years and it is doing well. I watered it daily while it was in the house and it didn't drop a needle. I'm hoping it will last as long as our previous one which we kept for over twenty years!

It is sited for now partially under the veranda so that the frost doesn't prove to be too much of a shock.

All the indulgent food has been eaten and it is back to just the two of us eating in a sensible manner in the kitchen.

But I'm craving some chocolate!

Happy New Year!

January 1st 2025. The sugar mouse is eaten the Christmas cake's gone too and of the other bits and bats I've made a veggie stew. The mulled wine's warming on the hob our visitors are due. I'm wishing health and happiness to one and all of you.