It is monday morning and I really needed extra sustenance after a very early start. My sons are currently emptying our French house and planning to return today with a van full of the things we didn't want to give away. They had a bit too much excitement late last night when the chimney caught fire and the 'pompiers' spent two hours putting it out. Unfortunately for us the chimney was damaged and now has a big hole which will have to be fixed before the house sale can go through. Nothing ever seems to work out as simply as we hope and after more than four years waiting to sell the place this feels like the last straw.
Anyway - back to the porridge. Plain carbohydrates are never enough for me in the morning and I usually add all sorts of extras to porridge to make a meal of it.

Simple organic porridge oats cooked slowly on the aga with some defrosted blueberries and summer berries, a small handful of sunflower seeds, some ground chia seeds, a hefty sprinkling of cinnamon and light touch of ginger. The extra zing of ground ginger is really warming and good for the digestion too. Lots of healthy proteins and the cinnamon to help reduce the glycaemic effect of the oats and I will be ready to face anything for several hours.

New beginnings

I have made the decision to give up clinic practice and from the end of November will confine my work with individual clients to phone sessions and extended consultations over here in the Lake District. I do not wish to leave anyone in the lurch so will be letting my clients know how this change will affect them and finding the best solutions for those who want to continue working with me.

My work with groups will continue and I will allow myself time to focus on my writing during the winter months. Corporate 'Health at Work' programmes and mentoring will take more of my attention and I also plan to develop my ideas of how to help families who are coping with dementia.

Sun stopped play

When the fells around my cottage began to disappear behind a moving veil of heavy snow I decided it was definitely time to test my new waterproof trousers. Of course it does take some time to get all the winter togs on, especially when my gloves have a life of their own and I haven't found a home yet for my scarves and hats. After searching through nameless black bin bags (yes still there since the move at the end of June!- well life has just been so interesting) the right ear-covering was discovered and I suppose I did spend some unnecessary moments re-discovering woolly items I had forgotten I owned. When I had finally fastened my boots (after giving them a little taste of grease to make sure they stayed waterproof in the snow laden grass) I  was at last ready and ventured outside - and the sun had come out!

I couldn't stay disappointed for more than a second or two as the sky was a beautiful blue and my walk above the lake was a delightful mix of the musty smells of decaying bracken and the intoxifying brightness of snow on Helvellyn and the other craggy tops around Ullswater. I went much further than planned and had two hours of bliss making my way round the fell top and drinking in the 360 degree views I was presented with as I marched my meandering circle.

Many swallows didn't make a summer!

It has rained almost every day since I moved in June and  even the swallows look bedraggled. It is interesting how easily a little glimpse of the elusive sun helps a smile to appear. The challenge seems to be to stay smiling even when the days stay grey and the puddles deepen.

After several months giving my time to other aspects of my life which were too pressing to ignore I am now back to doing what I really want.
My foot has been painful again after a fall in my new cottage garden so I am glad that an easy fifteen minute walk on to the fell from my front door takes me to a gorgeous view of Ullswater. I am also back on my bike again after an enforced sabbatical and am once again seeing the world through my often rain drenched cycling lenses.
A great delight for me is to share inspiring moments with clients and  I am delighted now to be working in Penrith in a lovely room with parking just on the southern edge of the town. It is only an hour from Hexham so is a good option for my clients in the Tyne valley who don't want to go into Newcastle. It is also great to be helping people more local to my home area to discover the benefits of Kinesiology.

Now that my grown up children have moved on to independent adventures I am having to tackle technical issues on my own. Having successfully updated my website and re-started this blog  my next challenge is to work out how to send out a newsletter!

Spring has sprung!

For many, me included, the beginning of the year did not promise excitement and joy. Now that the fading snowdrops are being replaced by vibrant yellow daffodils I am looking at life with new vigour and determination to re-discover the pleasure of simply being alive. The buds are plumping out on the hawthorn and the hedges and some of the blackthorn is already alight with delicate white blossom. Blackthorn is unusual as it flowers before the leaves appear, perhaps to remind us that frost can still whiten the landscape as vibrant green is about to overcome the winter shades. Even if I have not yet sloughed off the heavy mantel of winter and the events of the beginning of the year I can allow the flowering of new ideas, meet new people and enjoy the changes which come along as sure as the seasons. Even if my energy levels are not yet robust enough to embrace big projects the fattening buds remind me that the tiny tinge of colour clouding the hedgerow is a sign of unstoppable new growth. It is always good to start each morning consciously aware that this day is a new life. I don't have to start it as I ended yesterday. It is up to me what I decide this new life feels like and make my choices based on the feeling inside rather than the evidence of the events of the past.