Spring

Spring Or April Fool

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One of the toughest things about coming back from South Africa has been readjusting to the English weather (‘you poor things’ I hear you cry!).  Long Suffering Wife (LSW) and I were lucky to miss the cold and snow of the ‘Beast from the East’ just as we left.  However, we returned in time for the mini version of that icy blast and, for the last week or so, have struggled to avoid the rain.

Stratford Park

Stratford Park, Stroud in Early Spring Snow

But today, April Fools Day, is sunny and bright!  Is Spring here at last or is this nature’s April Fool prank?

There are many signs of spring.  The sheep are back in the field opposite our house and their lambs will soon arrive, tree buds are becoming full and starting to open, the daffodils that survived the weight of the snow last month are out, and the birds are singing more enthusiastically.  As we move into April I am hoping that the rain will relent, there will be a sustained return to warmth and that this morning’s brightness is no false promise.

Since our return from South Africa, LSW and I have been planning our next trips abroad – to Paris and Porto in the summer – and getting back into familiar routines.  LSW is re-starting her part time garden guide job and resuming her slot in the village shop.  I have been walking, reading, catching up on the TV we missed while we were away, supporting Forest Green Rovers Football Club’s struggle to avoid relegation, and (seemingly interminably) painting the TV room woodwork a dark blue.  Both before and after our South Africa trip, I have been getting up a bit earlier and walking into Nailsworth before, rather than after, breakfast.  That has created space in the routine to do painting in the mornings as well as some afternoons.  Progress in the TV room has quickened a bit – though not enough for LSW’s liking – and one end is now done (provided no-one looks too closely).

TV Room Woodwork Painting

TV Room Woodwork Painting – About A Third Done And Proud Of It!

Both of us have also started digging in the garden and setting out seed trays but this has been rather tentative given the rain and sodden ground.  LSW is excited by a new walled garden she has had designed and built to replace part of our previous car park area.  Now she is in the process of inserting the first wave of plants.  I am trying to populate our small field with a greater variety of meadow flowers – another long term project I suspect.

The drift back into a routine has been punctuated by a few highlights.  On the evening of our return to England LSW and I attended a local event at which George Monbiot, a political and environmental activist, spoke about his latest ideas and book.  It was a very well structured and inspiring talk that was full of optimism in the face of what George, and many of us, see as clear political and social dangers.  The main message is that we need to defeat the neo-liberalism that dominates today with a new narrative that expounds the value of community, the household and what he calls ‘the commons’ which I understood to be assets owned and managed in common by communities.  A lot of this dovetails into thinking around the post-work society that may flow from robotics and other technical developments that eliminate jobs; this is a fascinating area.

Later in the week, LSW and I were both moved more than expected by the Italian, Oscar-winning film Call Me By My Name.  It is a gently-paced story of young (homosexual) love with some great acting, excellent music and a direct and important message about parenting.  The film was shown at our usually tedious cinema multiplex as part of a promising programme of one off showings of films beyond the normal diet of kids’ movies and action blockbusters; more please!

Then, just before Easter, we ventured out on a rainy trip to Wiltshire and Somerset to visit the Messums Gallery near Tisbury and the Hauser & Wirth outlet and gallery near Bruton.  The buildings were more interesting than most of the art but there were some startling pieces and we had a lovely lunch at Hauser & Wirth.  Certainly, it was better being out and about in the wet pre-Spring weather than staring at the rain from our back door.

Messums Wiltshire Gallery

Messums Wiltshire Gallery: Light Installation, Art Space and ‘Nomad Patterns’ by Livia Marin

Spring: no more delay please. Let today be a turning point and hurry up and arrive properly!

Fixing A Pain In The Neck

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Since my last post, Storm Fionn and then a series of grey, wet days have forced the early signs of Spring into something of a retreat. The frozen lake I passed during one of my daily walks last week was a beautiful criss-cross of ice patterns indicating that Winter is not done yet.

Lake at John Cocks Cottage

Frozen Lake at John Cocks Cottage, Horsley

On the other hand, I saw ducklings on a larger lake a few days later – surely too early! Climate Change or Climate Disruption – whatever we want to call it – is creating some strange and unexpected juxtapositions. The ducks are as good an indicator as any that, for all the brief periods of the extremes of wind, ice and snow recently, we have just experienced one of the warmest years ever.

I’m still struggling a bit with a stiff back and neck (which wasn’t helped by my comical looking fall in the ice a few weeks ago). I have decided to try some new treatment.

Years ago I received treatment from a Physiotherapist for a locked up back and still do the exercises recommended by her (admittedly, rather intermittently). Then, when we were in Australia last Autumn, Youngest Son’s girlfriend – a trained Osteopath – gave me a thorough and very professional osteopathy session. While she demonstrated considerable bravery in offering the session, I showed cowardice at the other end of the scale by eschewing the more drastic manipulations she recommended. Nonetheless, there was some welcome improvement in my movement.

I have therefore sought out some similar treatment locally. Despite the rural nature of where we live, there are a surprisingly wide range of options and number of places to try; health is, of course, a boom industry in an ageing population. I ended up opting for a well-being centre and practitioner that I can walk to and who was recommended by a friend.

It turned out that the specialist is a Chiropractor. I’ve not had one of those before. As I related my medical history, he described the treatments offered by Physiotherapists somewhat disparagingly – there seems to be little love lost between the various physical therapy disciplines – and explained how his treatment would be different from that Osteopaths provide.

I’ve only had two sessions so far so the jury is out on the degree of success the treatment is having. A back and neck problem I have had off and on for months is hardly going to be sorted out in a week. However, I’m sceptical so far.

The type of chiropractic therapy I am undergoing is a ‘brand’ called McTimoney. Its very gentle and largely involves little slaps, flicks, rubs and pokes that are designed to invoke natural body reflexes in a way that realigns things that have got out of sync. That it doesn’t involve much big clicking or crunching of bones and ligaments is good for a coward like me but I wonder if I’m going to see much improvement without more drastic action.

The other concern is that both the previous sessions physiotherapy and osteopathic treatment I’ve had concluded with me getting exercises to do that helped me feel more in control. My new Chiropractor has yet to offer that. It’s not that I want more exercises to do – I don’t do the ones I have already been given regularly enough to justify getting hold of more – but knowing I should do them puts the onus on me rather than simply trying to outsource the problem.

I have a couple of sessions booked so will wait and see……. at least, now I’m retired, I can have the sessions without the hassle of having to book time out of the office or around meetings.

Prelude to Spring

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One of the enjoyable things about retirement and, consequently, being able to spend to spend far more time out and about in the country, is that I’m noticing the seasons to much a greater extent than before. In the last couple of weeks I have noticed that the late afternoons are starting to get a little brighter (though the mornings seem as dark as they did when Winter set in). I’m not sure I would have noticed this quiet change sitting under the neon in a London office.

The daily walks to Nailsworth are already revealing the first hints that Spring is not too far off. Small birds are singing a little more vigorously. A pair of little egrets has arrived near the lake I walk past. Long Suffering Wife (LSW) has seen dippers and I have seen a yellow hammer. The kingfishers seem more visible and active. Snowdrops are starting to appear in clumps and the local supermarket has started to stock bunches of daffodils – very helpful in supporting my New Year resolution to buy LSW more flowers!

Snowdrops

Spring is Coming!

There are few weeks to go before the renewal of Spring really takes hold but, now Christmas and the New Year are past, I can now envision it – and far earlier, I think, than in previous years.

LSW and I plan to short circuit the wait by having a holiday in Cape Town in late February. This idea, and a separate one to spend a few days in Portugal, is not yet fully planned but it’s nice to have the flexibility to be able to think about avoiding the last vestiges of Winter’s cold and grey.

Meanwhile LSW and I are settling back into our domestic routines – punctuated by a very active and pleasant couple of days in London. The trip was primarily to celebrate Eldest Son’s 30th birthday but also included visits to Tate Modern, the Whitechapel Gallery, a 40th floor breakfast and dinner for two in one of our favourite restaurants (Morito).

Three Pieces By Ilya Kabakov

Three Pieces By Ilya Kabakov At The Current Tate Modern Exhibition of His Work (Not Sure Why I Liked It So Much, But I Did)

Either side of the London visit, LSW has been managing transformation of our muddy car park space into a walled garden. I am trying to balance clearing the fridge and freezer of food left over from the Christmas period with the need to lose the half a stone I put on during it. I have also resumed decorating the TV room; the brush strokes have become more rhythmic since I set up some music facilities in the room but are not necessarily delivering higher quality.

We are both striving to keep up to date with several catch-up TV series, stepping up reading, trying out new venues like the rather characterful Stroud Brewery Bar and getting out to see bands (This Is The Kit were marvellous) and cinema (we can now recommend Brad’s Status starring Ben Stiller and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri in which Frances McDormand is remarkable).

This is fun and I think Spring will be better!

First Daffodils of 2018

First Daffodils of 2018 – An Easy Way to Maintain My Record of Flower Giving!