Life on the Wild side

Everyone here has said that money is in short supply and the local currency (the pound (£)) is struggling against the Dollar and the Euro - fine! Get rid of the Pound and embrace the Euro - the Pound is outmoded anyway! Money isn't everything though. People who are used to a low budget don't miss what they've never had - or do they?


Here, and I suspect where you live, there are wild places you can go to during the day and drink in the silence of Nature and refresh your internal batteries. Unless you live in a Totalitarian, Draconian society, going into the countryside to drink in the beauty of Nature is free. If where you go is dangerous then get a few friends together with the same thought and go into the countryside en-masse.



These last few months have flown past and in that time, I've lost a dear friend, my mother-in-law who shortly after her 81st Birthday, started to suffer from mini-strokes. This escalated to Altzheimer-like symptoms where the lady didn't know what day it was let alone what time of day it might be. After several trips to the hospital, her heart gave out in November and I lost a long time friend who could tell me what to expect as I followed her footsteps towards Octogenerian life. She will be sadly missed.


On another level, because of the winter here, we've had long dark days, with very little sunshine and this got me going out more and trying to lighten up my life even though the days were shorter and we've been having a real cold snap of -4 to -15 degrees Celsius, so I had to wrap up warm. This meant wearing several layers of clothing of differing thicknesses to trap in the air - and it proved effective in keeping me warm whilst I was out. When I visited the USA once, I noticed local people thought nothing of wearing long Johns (A type of underpants with long legs in an interlock cotton mixture). Of course if you are in Minnesota, Saskatchewan or New York, temperatures can get really serious after the fall (Autumn). The Fall in Virgina is one of the most beautiful times to be there as there are a lot of Birches, Maples and other deciduous trees that colour well in the Fall and when winter approaches. The Americans are lucky for having trees that go through every shade of yellow, gold and red before the leaves fall· Of course where you live too might be like what I am describing here? I haven't been to every country so you might be able to tell me of how beautiful it is where you live. On the occasions I've lived in Mountain regions like the Appalachians, or on the high hills and mountains of Austria and perhaps Crete and Greece - I have seen some really beautiful sites regarding trees. The Olive tree of which I have just a tiny one in my garden, is superb with its twisted trunk and the smell of the olive in its leaves, fruit and bark is something you cannot forget in a hurry.


Some trees like the Lime, Orange and Lemon also provide an aroma that is worth sniffing as you pass by. And who has sniffed the air on walking past fig trees whose fruit is ripening well on their boughs? All of these nuances of life in the countryside might remind you to make a note and go in the countryside in the New Year and refresh your batteries too.


Whatever you do or wherever you go, may you all have a really wonderful 2009 and may war if it is close to you end soon for you so you too can go outside and drink in the aroma of Nature where you live.


Have a very prosperous and peaceful 2009!


Grommet

This post is a mixed bag because the last three months have been filled with a close relative getting dementia, and as Her near family - trying to support her. It culminated in her death two weeks ago and her funeral on Monday 21st September 2008.


Everyone dies. Either young, not so young or old like me. I see it as a transition - a passage from One reality to another, but losing someone you've known for a long time hurts very deeply and coming to terms with not seeing them again until its your time - doesn't help!


Which is why I live for the future and prefer not to dwell on the inevitable. Our ancient ancestors left signposts of what lies beyond death in England. Stonehenge, Avebury and Castlerigg are the three most famous stone circles, but there are others...


The picture this month is of a waterfall in a hidden valley in Northumberland, right in the center of a town called Bellingham. The waterfall is called Hareshaw Linn, and if you spend time in that valley you will eventually find some 20 or so Hut circles (the foundations of houses) that go back to the Bronze-Age period whenn the Beaker folk lived in this valley some five thousand years ago.


There is a peace and contentment when you come here. It is a place to meditate and to re-charge your internal batteries before facing life again in the real world. It is probably because of this this place is one of my favourite places in Northumberland. On one such journey, I bumped into a fellow traveller and realised it was a well-known Rugby player for the Newcastle Falcons and was famous for a certain Drop-kick for England some years ago. So it doesn't just attract nutters like me - but the rich and famous too - ha!


Enjoy the picture.


Grommet

This post is a mixed bag because the last three months have been filled with a close relative getting dementia, and as Her near family - trying to support her. It culminated in her death two weeks ago and her funeral on Monday 21st September 2008.


Everyone dies. Either young, not so young or old like me. I see it as a transition - a passage from One reality to another, but losing someone you've known for a long time hurts very deeply and coming to terms with not seeing them again until its your time - doesn't help!


Which is why I live for the future and prefer not to dwell on the inevitable. Our ancient ancestors left signposts of what lies beyond death in England. Stonehenge, Avebury and Castlerigg are the three most famous stone circles, but there are others...


The picture this month is of a waterfall in a hidden valley in Northumberland, right in the center of a town called Bellingham. The waterfall is called Hareshaw Linn, and if you spend time in that valley you will eventually find some 20 or so Hut circles (the foundations of houses) that go back to the Bronze-Age period whenn the Beaker folk lived in this valley some five thousand years ago.


There is a peace and contentment when you come here. It is a place to meditate and to re-charge your internal batteries before facing life again in the real world. It is probably because of this this place is one of my favourite places in Northumberland. On one such journey, I bumped into a fellow traveller and realised it was a well-known Rugby player for the Newcastle Falcons and was famous for a certain Drop-kick for England some years ago. So it doesn't just attract nutters like me - but the rich and famous too - ha!


Enjoy the picture.


Grommet

Well, I've been looking at key areas not far from home where certain birds like kestrels, Foxes and other wild Animals hang out and do their thing... with the intention of photographing them and some places of interest and adding some of the photos to my blogs - to give you an idea how beautiful it can be here.


The trouble is there are hordes of kids in the rural location I live in too, but I don't want to take pictures of them - unless I want people thinking I have some ulterior motive - but can they be considered a background to a picture or do I have to come out and take a picture of a place of interest with no people or kids present - advice please, if you will? I don't want to upset anyone...


We have the second largest Lake/reservoir/ and forest in Europe and these places are just begging to be taken pictures of, so if bikers whatever their age is permissable, I might have to take pictures of mountain bikers as well as the places I'm focussing on...


So today has been one of writing or thinking of putting together a to do list of events I need here to tell a story in pictures as well.


Please comment and add suggestions - I will read all and maybe contact you (by e-mail) for more details of a deeper idea of what you might want to suggest I do (nicely please ) Ta!

Regards

Grommet

Well this time I've moved on up to Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) came out on October 18th so its fresh and new - and since I'm exploring my music just now (i've already changed my background to a nice blue colour with some crescent-shaped silver motifs on it - its beginning to look cool ! Thanks for the comments.

Serbia... I've been there, I think! It was before the war when it was Yugoslavia, in a place called Split by a wonderful lake - I met a family there - hospitality was superb and I tasted some of their wine - Oh My - I took three bottles back with me but had I known about the war I might have taken a case back since I can't find the family anymore ... Still I got a new friend in Serbia and that's good - Any friend is a better start than making war!