Saturday 28 March 2020

Exercise Allowed

My Thursday exercise took me on my bike along the road, round some corners, down a hill, round another  corner until I came to the Mill House, with the church behind it


Once there would have been enough water running underneath to turn a wheel here, it would have been a busy place.



 Nearby is the village phone-box. No longer in use as a phone box it has become an information point for the 6 mile village cycle ride loop and has this wonderful stained glass. It now also contains a USB point for people to charge mobile phones.



Close by is this magnificent Magnolia - just coming into flower
On my journey I saw one other cyclist, one lady on her horse, two people walking and about 5 cars - which is just about normal for a sunny day in our quiet rural village.

On the way home I took a photo of the Horse Chestnut with leaves just opening and 'candles' just appearing, it was  very windy so a bit of a blurry photo.
Nature looking fresh and green all around.



But look at my cucumber plants. That B***** cat managed to pick her way over other things on the table in the conservatory to take some bites out of the leaves.......every year she does this, every year I think I've stopped her getting anywhere near them. It's only the cucumber plants and only when they are small and hopefully they'll recover. 
 She's a dear little cat but at the moment is being a right pain, I'm sure she's picking up the unsettled feeling from me - dogs do but can cats?.................. She's got in the habit of dashing round the bedroom and scratching the carpet just as it's getting light. I now keep the cat flap shut at night to keep out the cat that was coming in and pinching Polly's food so I  go down and unlock the cat-flap but she doesn't want to go out - she just wants me to get up. I've tried shutting her out of the bedroom but then she just scratches at the door and miaows plaintively.

This week I'm so grateful for
  • Social media to see photos of my grandchildren keeping busy
  • Ian, the boiler man who came quickly to sort my boiler when it started to smell 
  • A garden to grow things
  • The sunshine this last week

And Finally.................

Why does nobody tell you that when you have children you carry on worrying about them whatever age they are?

Back Monday
Sue

55 comments:

  1. Your cat and I are clearly getting wakened by the light mornings! I seem to have some sort of internal alarm wakening me at 6am at the moment. I don't mind except the earlier I get up, the earlier I go to bed and my husband is getting up later and later and going to bed later too so soon we'll miss each other altogether!! Oh tell me about the worry of having children and of course grandchildren! Then there's their spouses and their animals - need I go on!! lol. Take care and stay safe. xx

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    1. The scratching the carpet and dashing madly about the bedroom thing is very annoying! It's only been in the last 2 weeks so no idea why

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  2. What an amazing phone box - those stained glass panes are fantastic and must cause many a delighted smile.
    I think cats can be very sensitive to atmosphere so maybe she is reacting to the general anxiety.
    Take care and stay well. xxx

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    1. The glass shows the heritage railway and the sign posts that are everywhere as the village is so spread out and the boat that Hakluyt sailed on before coming here as a vicar. It's so colourful

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  3. Love the phone box. My husband started a stained glass class in Malvern a few months ago. He picked up the basics and ordered some glass last week so he can continue to experiment at home. At least it keeps him off the streets! Thank goodness your boiler is fixed. It’s b.... cold here this morning so it would be miserable without some heating. Days are starting to get a bit samey around here and it is only the end of the official week 1 but actually week 2 for us. I’m quite nervous about going out at all for exercise but I think I will later today just to break everything up. FaceTime is marvellous. I did it with my daughter to wish her Happy Birthday yesterday. It was good just to see her. Have a good day.

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    1. I'm glad the boiler is fixed too - so much colder today

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  4. That's a lovely route for the bike ride and I LOVE that wee Mill House. The phone box is amazing and how thoughtful to put a phone charger in there. The one down by the bridge here is just abandoned, sadly.

    Our cats are shut in the kitchen at night or with 4 of them we would have no peace at all - they would be hurtling up and down stairs at first light! I wonder why she has a thing about young cucumber leaves? I have no seeds for growing inside (will remedy that) but Tam has a stash of the yellow lemon-shaped ones which are nice eating.

    On our last trip out - was it only a fortnight ago? - with our son - down to the Gower - we saw lots of beautiful Magnolias coming into flower. My stellata has died but I have a baby stellata with 2 flowers on down in what was my mum's tiny garden.

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  5. I really like the stained glass in the phone box.

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  6. Children..."When they are tiny they tug at your apron strings, when they are older they tug at your purse strings - but they NEVER cease to tug at your heartstrings"...Sue, I really understand what you are saying. It's especially tough right now. Remembering you, and your family, in my prayers xx

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    1. 3 children, 3 partners, 4 grandchildren - what a lot of worrying I have to do!

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  7. Hi Sue, Tell me about it have had several sleepless nights. Just want to gather altogether and give a big hug. Xxx

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    1. So difficult to help at a distance.
      But our grandson seems to be having fun in the garden from the photos I've seen on our whats app family group!

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  8. Glad you feel safe enough to get out and about a little during your social distancing. Love the stained glass phone box idea.

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    1. Easy to keep at a distance on a bike around here

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  9. Your bike ride must have been lovely, I rode a bike for over sixty, the first one was a Daisy Bell.
    The telephone box look lovely.
    I noticed my little horse chestnut tree was spouting leaves, when my GS was 5 he took a very, very small plant to school (in fact the teacher and I become friends) he has till got the tree 28 years on and the teacher is still one of my dearest friend
    The weather seems to be changing, hope you have a nice weekend with others Sue.
    Hazel c uk šŸŒˆšŸŒˆšŸŒˆ

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    1. What a lovely story.
      No biking today - much too cold and windy

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  10. My cat has picked up I'm not as relaxed as normal, every time I sit down, she is on my lap. We have sorted our cycles so I can go on the local roads, which normally are full of cars.

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    1. Luckily I can bike without too many cars even in Normal times

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  11. What's with that vile anonymous comment? I'd delete it ASAP. Have people nothing better to do than be unpleasant just when most of us are trying to be kinder?

    Calms down ... There's an abandoned phone box in our village which will be kept. No lovely stained glass :-( I voted for it to be a village book exchange but it looks as though they're going to put a defibrillator in there. All very well if you know how to use one. I'm afraid it will fall to the people in the shop, which is right opposite.

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    1. Don't panic! - that computer generated comment has been doing the rounds for a couple of weeks - it means nothing and I delete as soon as I see it.

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  12. I love the phone box, especially the stained glass. Most of the village ones round here have been converted to libraries though there is one that is a store of food, clothes and bedding for the homeless to help themselves.

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    1. I'm not sure what other villages have done with their phone boxes - I've heard of the library thing in lots of places.

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  13. That last line made me laugh Sue! I remember when my son had some childhood disease when he was about three, saying to a friend - I shall be glad when he grows up. I couldn't understand why she burst out laughing- I do now he's 62

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    1. I used to say it's a Mum's job to worry - didn't know it would still be when they are 40!

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  14. My mother told me never to have children. I think that was one of the reasons.

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    1. I did say it tongue in cheek.

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    2. Oh right - sorry, not getting the norfolk/suffolk humour today!

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    3. You've been a bit quiet on other blogs.

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  15. Henry cat does the same and I could throttle him sometimes.

    Suffolk in the sunshine is a beautiful place to be, I'm glad you are able to get out and about and enjoy it. Very windy today, so your blurry picture would be even blurrier!

    Love the phone box. It always makes me happy to see a red phone box when out and about.

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    1. Very cold and windy today.
      The phone box looks so good and colourful

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  16. I've known a couple of cats that liked cucumber but I didn't know they liked the leaves too.

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  17. I have a problem dog, already barking because I have her all alone downstairs whilst I look at my computer. As for children, we are worriers until we die, even though they are getting old as well.

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    1. My eldest daughter will be 40 this year so I've been worrying for 40 years - no wonder hair turns grey!

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  18. Lovely photographs of your ride and the village. It looks like such a beautiful place. I'm glad we can at least get outside for a walk but I wonder how long that will last. Hope you have a good weekend.

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    1. I'm lucky to have quiet roads for biking and fields for walking.
      Hope your Mum is OK - cold in Suffolk today

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  19. No one tells you because they don't need to, it's in-built when they are born. Angela's quote has it about right.

    I would love that 'phone box in my garden so that I could see it every day. I wonder who thought of stained glass for it? An amateur like Catherine's husband or a professional who saw the potential? A bit of detective work for you Sue?

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    1. A professional - It was commissioned by the parish council and people donated, it was just after we moved here but we were so busy with hospital appointments we couldn't join in. The stained glass person has also done work with the children in the primary school.

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  20. Yep our kids are our kids for life … if somebody had told me about this before I got pregnant all those hundreds of years ago I don't think I would have bothered … haha!!

    Only last week Simon my eldest was having trouble with his 15 year old and he said 'Mum when does this stop' I answered 'hopefully when they are 40' … he's 39. It took him a minute but he gets it now, lol.

    I love that the old phone box has a charging point for mobiles, what a good idea for walkers etc. I wonder if the horse rider should have been out, all the horsey people I know have said they have been told riding is a big no-no at the moment, in case of accidents putting more pressure on the NHS. There's a lot of yard work and lunging going on at the moment with my horsey friends.

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  21. "Alarm cats" I call them. Ours was meowing his fool head off at around 6:00 a.m. Sometimes I have to get up and show him his food. -Jenn

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  22. Pretty sure cats can and do pick up on what we are feeling. I know ours does.

    God bless.

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  23. Those pics are beautiful.

    When we first got a cat, we ended up locking the cat downstairs and wedging the door shut with a pair of secateurs. But cats do know. Malevolent cat was always a sweetie when one of us was poorly, and psycho cat was incredibly gentle and loving to my late mother as she went through chemo. It's a shame that they were so evil the rest of the time.

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  24. The stained glass window in the phone box is amazing such beauty. Stay safe.

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  25. Cats do sense your feelings. They are quite good at picking up emotions. I love the phone box and I really enjoyed your bike ride. I want to go out on my bike but I have not been on it since my knee surgery last Fall. My knee is still bad so I'm a bit unsure about the bike. Yes, we are always mothers and we will always worry. My boys are in their 40s and I still worry. Take care Sue. Enjoyed your post.

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  26. I’m in love with the stained glass telephone box and the phone charger inside is genius! Thank you for all the lovely photos of your cycle ride and your uplifting post, Sue. Now we’re curtailed to where we can go, it’s nice to see other places. Karma comes into our room at around 6am every day, but she generally settles down with me (as long as I’m lying on my left side!?!) Keep safe :)

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  27. My elderly cat went outside today to roll in the dirt and lie in the sun. It's 18C here today
    and the wind hasn't picked up yet. Yesterday we had gale force winds and it drives my pointer mad. She got so scared she jumped behind me on the sofa and lay back there while I putzed around online. I love the phone box. Such imagination. There is a stained glass shop quite near me and every Christmas and Mother's Day I drop hints. Guess I'll do more than hints this year.
    We mothers never stop worrying. Besides my two, I have a bonus child again. My mother raised my niece most of her life, and for someone not being of blood, she inherited my mom's cleaning gene. She cleans when she is nervous and now my kitchen shines.
    Hope your weather improves. Greetings from Southern CA.

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  28. Lovely sights from your bike ride.
    Our cat wakes me up to go downstairs and watch him eat!
    The stained glass in the phone box is stunning.

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  29. Yes, we have similar antics here at 5:30am with our cat tearing across our bed like his tail is on fire. Then moves to ripping at the furniture - knows that will get our attention!! It works, we get up and feed him (read reward him) so we can get back to sleep.

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  30. Dear Sue, I discovered your blog via your comment on my blog-friend Rachel's page.
    These are beautiful photos you took! My friend Anne (friend from the early days when we met studying English literature) lives in a beautiful water mill in the middle of Germany (and of course has a big garden, a marmelade cat and 4 sheep; she is a retired teacher now).
    At the moment one of my joys in Berlin (sort of lockdown) is to plan my annual visit to England - makes me look with hope to the future. And when I feel a bit down I "pop" to Riseholme and Tilling and visit "Mapp and Lucia" (as a member of the E.F.Benson Society I have visited the beautiful little town of Rye where they "live" their highly interesting life).
    I will read more of you, and if you like you might have a look at my blog.
    "Au reservoir!", as they say in Riseholm.

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  31. What a lovely route to take for your daily exercise allowance. There's a phone box near to us on the caravan site that houses a defibrillator in it which is a great idea. xx

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  32. The phone box is beautiful! Well done on the Cucumber plants- they look brilliant!!!!!

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