Author: Sarah

No time to lose. No, time to lose. Make time to stand and stare.... Did you see that?

A Woman’s Prerogative

Kate woke with the blackbirds, very early on the morning before the big day, with a headache. She had been feeling lousy with the remnants of a head cold pressing into her sinuses and the day before had dealt with several nosebleeds. But this headache was more than the result of sinusitis. She felt a great tension in her shoulders and along her spine. As she stood on the scales in the bathroom and tried to look down she felt the tightness in her spinal chord from her neck down to her waist. She found she could not see the scale and therefore did not record her weight in her diary for the first time since she turned 15 which felt rather odd. Continue reading “A Woman’s Prerogative”

North South Divide

‘Ne’er cast a clout til May be out’…I could explain the origin of this little phrase, but it is done so well here that I shall let you click on the link.

Needless to say I have been casting clouts on and off during March and April. On Saturday in our little piece of Oxfordshire the car thermometer read 27.5 c as we set off up North. Exceptionally warm for April. When packing the Easter Eggs  Bunnies I had to put them in a cool box to keep them intact on the journey.
On Friday night I had done that thing which usually induces the rain to fall shortly afterwards…. I had watered the garden. As we travelled I heard on the radio there had been some sudden heavy showers over the South of the UK.  Oxfordshire seems to fall into that part of the country which is sometimes the South and sometimes the Midlands. So,  had it rained on my garden….? I would have to wait and see. Continue reading “North South Divide”

Good Friday

Traditionally Good Friday has always been the day to plant your potatoes here in Blighty. Seems odd, really as the date of Good Friday varies as much as a month – jolly nearly.

In case you didn’t know, Easter is a movable feast tied in with the moon: Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This means the earliest possible date for Easter is March 22, which would put Good Friday on March 20. The last possible date for Easter is April 25, which would put Good Friday on April 23. So today marks a pretty late Good Friday. Continue reading “Good Friday”

Blood and bandages?

“Some people choose the flowers at the wedding on the basis of their symbolic meaning. For example orange blossom has always been associated with weddings because it signifies purity and chastity. Peonies are avoided by some as they represent shame; azaleas represent temperance: roses symbolise love and snowdrops represent hope.
A combination of red and white flowers is avoided by the superstitious because they stand for blood and bandages…..The groom often chooses a flower for his buttonhole which also occurs in the bride’s bouquet. This is a vestige of the time when a Knight would wear his Lady’s colours to display his love.” Continue reading “Blood and bandages?”

Blandford Biter

‘The Blandford fly The Blandford fly (sometimes called blackfly) is found in east Anglia, Oxfordshire and Dorset.
Blandford fly bites are common during May and June, and are very painful, frequently occurring on the legs. They can produce a severe, localised reaction, with symptoms including oedema (itchy, pale pink, or red, swellings), blistering, fever, and joint pain.‘ Information here. The bites seem often to become infected. Continue reading “Blandford Biter”

I have completed!

Last night at 8:30 I finished another 51 lengths at my local pool, bringing my counted total to 1011: I have swum the 25 km, and added a few more, just in case I had any ‘over counting errors’ over the last few weeks! (Sometimes when I’m swimming I get into a zone and forget momentarily to count – though more often than not I just go back to the last number I remember counting, so may have done  a few more, rather than less!) Continue reading “I have completed!”