Calmness

....that's generally the weeks National topic - or lack of it. I have just returned from a short break in the Lake District which was astonishing. Although I have been there plenty of times before what struck me this time  was the sheer magnitude of the beauty about the place. The dramatic ever changing landscape that throws up so many questions as to it's origins, age and the communities that would have survived such elemental brutalness. I bathed my hands (I was desperate, having ripped 2 nails across the nail bed fiddling around with the tin shack of a hire car we were given - worst.car.ever. No manicurist or spa around in the middle of the Honister Pass. A slate mine yes.) in a waterfall. Pure, cool, refreshing mountain water - in the purest form you could take it. Just me, nature, DH who went off rock hunting or something, the tin shack on wheels and the sheep - my god, the toughest sheep ever. If ever mine need security it's these Hebrideans I'm calling. The Lake District is breathtakingly beautiful. We are so lucky to have this in our country, so accessible and so looked after. Nowhere else in the world could you sit in a 'proper' country pub betwixt Buttermere and Crummock Waters (The Fish) looking out of the door at a waterfall!


Which brings me to the sadness of the violence around the Country. We have so many reasons to be proud of this country - not it's wealth, politics or anything else material. Each and every one of us have access - even the inner citiers, access to a calm area. The sea, the mountains, the rolling fields, the rivers - whichever, whatever, it's beautiful. It provides natures answer to everything - calmness. It demands respect, something the politicians, police et al fail to do at times. So why are we being hellbent on destruction? Destroying our own environment? It's crazy, it goes against our instincts, where we began - all of us, in the most natural way through our Mums. It breaks my heart to see so much hatred and violence, especially in Liverpool. Liverpool with all of it's heritage, it's maritime history. The fabulous architecture. The dynamic, unique people. The sporting achievements, the musical achievements, the medical advances that are made there... So many great people, great places - all born within the foghorns of the old docks on the Mersey - the great natural river. We all have connections with nature - most of all with each other. As I pat my sheep and let out my ducks this morning, pushing my daughter on her swing on the old Oak whilst watching the young buzzards soar and screech I can't help but feel great sadness for what is going on. Nature comes in many forms and as I am learning down here, it is greater than anything else and needs to be respected. We all need to learn that lesson methinks. Urban nature is beauty too. Beating up nature and the environment is not the answer nor will it provide one. I hope for an end to all this soon.

Weather: Sunny mostly, bit cool though 18 degrees or so! Brrrr!

The week so far

Well, all ducks still standing. Good news therefore albeit they nearly tied themselves into knot panicking and diving around. A bit like my dog seems to think he's a small terrier particularly when glasses are on the coffee table so my ducks seem to have not realised their necks are long enough to get themselves into quite a riddle! They are still as fractious as ever but I think are slowly coming to terms that DD and I are not going to eat them as much as were not going away either! I had been giving them access to food constantly but today is day 1 of 'training.' Food in the evening, before bedtime. That way when they get released onto the pond it'll only take them ooooo around 4 months for the penny to drop that me = food = into the pen = bedtime in the house. Tis a slow old process sometimes. And that exactly echoes my thoughts I had this morning walking down to the field. Nature educates you in it's own way through it's own time. It's a serious lesson that nature is greater than the Mac, iphone or Blackberry or anything else that keeps us 24/7 going.


What I hadn't mentioned up until now was my great adventure this week with a pheasant chick. Out walking, dog comes back having retrieved a female pheasant....one chick left in nest. So feeling slightly guilty I had the whole 'country angel v city devil' discussion and decided I would try my best to rescue the chick until I could get him to a wildfowl home. Cue emergency cardboard box home being made lined with mower grass cuttings, bit of water etc. Phone call made to my duck man who also keeps  pheasant who tells me it'll probably be dead by morning. Well it took 2 days for that to happen and between there and then the chick was moved to luxury accommodation of an old cold frame, undersoil heating with straw and gourmet meals of crushed chick crumb and seed. She was even treated to a 'cook and catch your own party' when the flying ants came out. But nature said it wasn't right and wasn't to be and she didn't survive last night. A pity, but I am becoming hardened to certain events...


Mx

Weather: Beautiful, hot hot hot! 30 degrees.