I think it's because it's such a while since I posted and I have no single 'theme' for this one. I would have liked to tell you some 'big' news (well, biggish for me) but as yet, there isn't any! This is par for the course for Andalucia and how things are arranged here....but soon, there will either be some 'big' news or, of course, there won't!
It's been a busy few weeks and so bear with me as I give you a whistlestop tour of my world in pictures and just a few words.
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| I started painting with my Zentangles.... |
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| The beginnings of the Villa Family orchard...perhaps! |
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| My four-month old 'puppy' on guard! |
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| Signs that some work is beginning (though after the cement went in, there's been no further progress just yet!) |
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| My iris flowered! |
Then after Semana Santa, my mum came! She came in a much more relaxed and healthy state than last time, when she was really tired out with looking after my dad. We had a lovely week, sitting in the garden, chatting, going out for lunch with the children and popping in to see Sam before she left.
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| There were lots of crosswords, but not between us! |
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| Pippin was so good with her and didn't jump up or behave badly - and they got on like a house on fire. |
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| The time went far too quickly though! |
...when we gave each other a hug and immediately the tears began!! However, one week on and they are all safely back in Scotland; the girls have started school there and Sam starts her new job today....so a little chapter has ended and a new one has begun. One day soon - a visit to Perth, I think! Means I can also visit another friend there at the same time...which is beginning to sound like an excellent plan.
So, lots of beans here - possibly a few more than five - but magical ones and ones that will be taking seed and growing and bringing new stories for my blog in time to come. (There, I knew I'd find a way to bring it together at the end!!)
And do forgive me if I have been absent from your blog in recent times...we're one computer down and I've been otherwise occupied - I shall be finding time to catch up, comment and get back into the swing of things again very soon.
Here, it's a 'bank holiday' so we have another four days of holiday before life gets back to normal again next Monday. Enjoy your May Days wherever you are.
Axxx
Looks like you've had a very busy, productive and social time Annie! How lovely to have your Mum to stay, and looks like you've had a great time out and about.
ReplyDeleteThe painted zentangle is amazing! I enjoy seeing your zentangles on FB even if I dont always comment!
Have a great day Annie!
Gill xx
Thank you Gill - it's been a good few weeks with lots of emotions! And the sun has been shining down throughout and that always makes things seem so 'alive' and immediate.
DeleteGlad you like the Zentangles...I admit to being pretty obsessed by it and enjoy my quieter times with a pen in my hand. Even got my mum to do some too!
Lovely to hear from you - especially as you seem to have been incredibly busy recently. Love your stuff!
Axx
Hello Annie,
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a National Holiday here to today so the leisurely pace of your post sums up the mood here in Budapest perfectly. All is peace and calm with no rush hour traffic and cafe terraces are the only crowded places. Lovely.
It must have been good to have your mother staying after the departure of Sam. Somehow, one always feels rather down after guests take their leave and so it is good to have someone else to occupy the mind and fill the house with noise and laughter.
An orchard of your own sounds a wonderful idea and your small seedlings look so very promising. So good to leave a mark on the land that will last for decades. Too few people do that as they think of instant gratification. We always think of the Oak trees planted by others who never lived to see them in maturity.
Are you enjoying some amazing sunshine too, Jane and Lance? It's glorious here - up to 28 degrees and feeling very summery.
DeleteIt was great having Mum here and we had a lovely time despite Sam's departure. No point being miserable as I'm planning a wonderful visit to Perth in the not too distant future! As for filling my house....don't forget I have three children and a dog, so we are certainly never short of noise, laughter and quite a bit of other things too!!
The orchard is a distant hope and we're not sure how apple trees will fare, but you are so right about the importance of planting and thinking long term. We've managed to get lots of trees in so far and will continue to nurture the land with the future in mind. Oak trees have to be one of the most wonderful things left to us from the past.
Thank you for commenting - I will be over to you very soon!
Axxx
I wonder if it's that time of year when it's difficult to find time or inclination to blog or to follow other blogs. I seem to feel a bit like that at the moment.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good time with your Mum, and I love all the photos. Pippin is a gorgeous boy xx
I don't know, Ayak, I think I've been pretty lax all year so far! I do admit it's partly Zentangle's fault...I seem to find time to post my challenges even though I don't have blogging friends through tangling in the same way. Now I feel guilty...
DeleteHad a lovely time with Mum. And Pippin is an absolutely delight now - he's got over his very difficult patch and is relatively good most of the time, a joy to take for a walk and very handsome. And big, did I say big? He's big and getting bigger...Axxx
Hello Annie from a cold Oxfordshire .. It certainly looks like you have been very busy ,one way or another , which is brilliant. More than I am . Blogging is meant to be fun , we all need a break now and again , and if you feel like a break , take one. If you feel under obligation it takes away from the sharing I believe. A few of my friends have more than one blog . How do they do it? I have no answer, but what they mostly have in common is that they do a Daily photo blog .. tiny bit of writing and that is it . I couldn't do one as not much of interest , well for a few days maybe, I am sure you could do it. Another lot of bloggers do A-Z blog posts , lots out there. Love you Zentagles too , Anne x
ReplyDeleteHi Anne - sorry it's chilly in Oxfordshire....we're baking here! I love blogging and haven't run out of ideas, but I just don't seem to get it to the top of my list at the moment. At the beginning, I used to see everything as 'blog fodder' but now I''m just too busy to worry about it. I will probably get back into it when the temperatures really soar and we have to stay indoors more during the afternoon....And of course, I can't stop Zentangle! Glad you like them. Axxx
DeleteWe all seem to be slipping a bit on the blogging front for one reason or another. I hope all you beans sprout. It sounds like you are on the cusp of something big - hope it all comes to fruition. ( mixed metaphors or what!!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant choice of mixed metaphors! Love 'em!! We might be slipping a bit but it's great to keep in touch, thank you, B2B. I'll be over to you before long. Axxx
DeleteApart from the size of that pizza....I have to comment on the size of that Pippin ! he is going to be a horse Annie, I am sure.
ReplyDeleteThe photo of you and Sam is so lovely.... just think, that is a friendship that is strong enough to last through something as small as distance between you. ....and when you are able to see each other, it will be amazing.
The house, the garden, the surroundings and the weather all look great, and I am sure you have had a brilliant time with your mum. Love to you, from me, here, back in Caunes. ! Jxxxxx
I know, isn't Pip a big one and isn't Pippin a silly name for him! However, he is now settling down and showing signs he's going to be a lovely big dog and I can cope with that.
DeleteSam already seems a long way away but I know they'll be fine and that we have every intention of not losing touch. It will be lovely to visit and I already have the plan to see Celia at the same time!
This is such a perfect time of year and my mum's visit was perfect, if just too short.
I'm delighted you're safely back in Caunes and look forward to seeing how you spend your summer there.
Axxx
You've been having a super time except for your friend leaving - but at least you have made plans to visit.
ReplyDeleteI did like your embryo orchard....Leo always plants trees wherever we live and has any number of seedlings in pots to back up the saplings of native species which the electricity board give away every year.
Pippin looks as if he is growing into himself at last and obviously he and your mother enjoyed each other's company.
I haven't been blogging either...I'm having to adjust to the rainy season starting early and the computer having to be unplugged during the thunderstorms which happen in what used to be my blogging time in the afternoons....though I am also depressed about Leo's family problems and have a suspicion that what is stopping me from blogging is the wish to blow that particular situation sky high!
The planting of trees and seeds is going on apace here, Helen...although Pippin has had a few in a relapse of good behaviour...On the whole, though, he's being such a good dog and as you say, growing into himself...his BIG self, that is! He was so good with mum, who's getting a bit doddery at times and I think that shows he does know how to behave but can't quite help trying to have fun with me and the children. He has a habit of nipping me on my bottom if I turn away from him! That has to stop!!
DeleteSo sorry Leo's family problems are preying on you. Take care, I always feel very volatile during stormy weather...if you don't need to blow things up, then maybe it's best not to? (If however, you do, then I hope it has the desired effect - for you at least.)
Great to catch up here and I will be over to catch up on yours soon. Axxx
Blaster Bates...that's me! (Do you know his stuff?) I'm of the 'opening the abscess' school....and woe betide the abscess.
DeleteIt's a sign of Pippin's maturity that he sensed that your mother was not too steady on her feet...though your backside is obviously fair game!
Our more boisterous dogs are always gentle with Danilo's mother who is very frail and sit beside her happily while she strokes their heads as does his normally ferocious dog,Rowley.
I'm so keen to get back to Spain...friends and family have used the house and loved both it and the area...but Leo can't leave while the building here is progressing.
I'm hoping for September....
I have heard of Blaster Bates....oh dear, we'll stand back and wait for the s**t to fly then!
DeletePip's making strides of progress though right now he's in trouble...another story!
It would be lovely to think of you back in Spain....I shall mention it to Janice..and maybe we could start a little plotting and planning! Axxx
I've just discovered Zentangles, and those little critters are addictive! Glad I found your blog...
ReplyDeleteIf you like Zentangle, you are super-welcome here or over on my tangle blog (Annie's Tangles) but most of all, you're just very welcome anyway! I think you are B2B's friend - is that right? Axxx
DeleteYou look so well Annie - however many beans it takes! And it looks like a wonderful life that you have.
ReplyDeleteIt's the beans, Nilly, definitely the beans! We've had a really excellent couple of weeks - almost as soon as the sun started shining with intent, everyone's spirits lifted and we started to play out seriously. Good days. Axxx
DeleteI'm responding as much to your reply to Anne as to your post ... 'blog fodder' ... my lot have taken to using that term! As in ... 'don't tell Mum, she'll be treating it as blog fodder if she knows', and similar such statements of exasperation. But I think the particular kind of paying attention that happens when you have a blog to feed is a good thing. That said ... everyone needs to stop sometimes to fill the well they draw inspiration from, it can't all be done while blogging.
ReplyDeleteLife looks full and fun (if sadly minus one friend), I do hope you're enjoying your long weekend x
You are quite right, Annie - paying attention is a really good thing. I found myself realising that although I'm not blogging quite as much (or reading!) I am still paying that attention to the world around me and I am rather grateful for that - things are more sharply observed. I think you are definitely a keen observer! It's lovely to see you on Facebook - I've been finding this more immediate and useful to me recently.
DeleteAnd yes, life is pretty good just now, despite the one friend down (but not lost) and the weekend is just lovely! May your Bank Holiday be as good. Axxx
These are the things that make our lives real; the comings and goings, joys and sadness of everyday life. It certainly seems that on balance there are far more highs than lows, and your friendship with Sam has firm foundations so will survive distance.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your mother enjoyed her holiday with you all and goes home with wonderful memories. I can almost feel the pleasure you get from Tangling. Is it something you are able to pick up and put down, or are they best done in one chunk?
Agree that Pippin is going to be a large dog!
Apart from occasionally having to give myself a pretty hard pinch, you are quite right about what makes life real. I am glad that it's me that is still here and not the one to have left...I know Sam has big doubts so I do hope things work out for her.
DeleteMum had a lovely week which unfortunately flew by far too quickly! And my pleasure at tangling really is tangible, Gaynor! And I can pick it up and put it down at any point without a problem. Right now, I'm working on a small wooden box that I shall keep my pens in and it's looking lovely!
Pippin - what a misnomer! We're pretending it was ironic....He is getting to be very good now at least and I adore him! Axxx
Always a joy to see your postings, Annie; from your great zentangle to the growing Pippin and everything in between.
ReplyDeleteThank you Penny - yours always bring me much pleasure and I apologise if I haven't been as frequent a visitor as I'd like....I will return!! Axxx
DeleteYou're not alone in blogging more intermittently at the moment, Annie. Like you I now have another interest, in my case, music, which eats into the time I once spent on blogging, but also provides blog fodder sometimes. I think most bloggers find that they fall into a more manageable pattern once the initial mad enthusiasm for blogging has subsided.
ReplyDeleteI loved this photo catch-up on what's been happening in your life, with the happy photos of your mother, the amazing ones of your beanpole puppy, and the lovely souvenir one of your temporary goodbye to Sam and her family. A full life and a good one, Annie. :-)
Thank you for this, Perpetua.
DeleteI am delighted you are really taking to the clarinet and enjoying your music so much and you have the additional 'excuse' of trotting from one end of the country to the other several times in recent months. That definitely cuts down blogging time, although it must provide the fodder.
It's lovely to share the glimpses of what we are doing and getting such delightful feedback from my blogging friends, who are now so much part of my life. And yes, it's good and full right now.
Thanks again,
Axxx