January - embracing grey

I will be glad to see the back of January tomorrow.  It has been the wettest since records began.  And guess what - it's still raining!

Earl Grey tea loaf with lemon syrup

A fed up looking bull

Stormy clouds and wet walks

There have been so few sunny days that I feel like I'm stuck under a very heavy grey blanket and can't get out.  It is so claustrophobic!  It is at times like these that I wish I lived in California where your windscreen wipers crack through lack of use - not on this small, damp island.  

View of Salisbury Cathedral across the floods

http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/

Apparently, this isn't the first time that Salisbury has experienced bad flooding.  In 1852 the London News compared Salisbury to an inland Venice!  

My gloominess about the weather is not helped by having to practice Britten's War Requiem at the moment.  It is a dark piece of music but it has grown on me.  I play it over and over in the car on my trusty cassette player (bless) whilst trying to wipe the inside of my windscreen with my sleeve (de-mister died years ago), avoiding flooded roads and hidden pot holes in the dark! 

Anyway, rant over.  I have decided to embrace greyness, appreciate it's soft beauty......  I'm lying, I've just been eating more cake.

This has been the month of new experiences -

Electric blanket 

How did I live without one for so long?  

Frank brought us his first presents - two dead shrews, nice.

We herded some cows.  

Eight very skittish calves escaped from the barn behind the bungalow and the farm manager wasn't around so Ez, Sarah and I managed to get them from half way up the hill back down to the barn. Luckily, big boy with the nose piercing (above) wasn't amongst the escapees!  It was the most fun I have had in ages! 

My first purchase on ebay 

Oh no, it's like charity shopping but without leaving the house!  I saved £164 on a new coat that I had seen in town!

Some pictures below that I have managed to take on walks with Big Dog around the village, on some of the rare sunny moments.

 

Can't do any gardening, better make another cake!

Chocolate marble cake

I like it when Sarah's mum has a clear out.  She knows I love anything earthenware.

A gorgeous colander - too old and fragile to use as such.  It is now a fruit bowl.

Calm, calm - a Denby coffee pot!

A river of water rushing down the track off the hills

Today, as a long walk with Big Dog was out of the question, I decided to root around in the vintage shop in Wilton shopping village (bought two pictures for the bungalow) followed by coffee and cake at 'Coffee Darling' - a lovely little cafe in Wilton.  Very satisfactory.  

'Scrubby Nelly' vintage shop

www.tripadvisor.com