Goodbye January

So it is goodbye to that most difficult month of the year, and welcome the short winter month that will lead us into spring. And well done everyone, you made it through! 

Since I last wrote there have been a few lovely sunny days when I have walked locally. Last Saturday for instance, though it was cold and blustery, I found a field of new lambs! What a joy! There have been some wonderful skies, and clumps of snowdrops, to encourage some looking skywards and hillsward! 

Otherwise it has been rather a question of 'head down' because there have been a number of deadlines to cope with. All enjoyable. But deadlines nonetheless, which have allowed little R and R!

So today I had my first Red Cross Support Line shift. One call came hot on the heels of another, and I didn't find it at all easy. It is being able to signpost relatively quickly which is hard whilst juggling a lot of procedures. After my second call I was just about shaking with the nerves! Anyway the lovely young supervisor took me through everything afterwards, and I hope I can remember all I have learnt. I get another debrief tomorrow and then I'll book another shift, and hopefully I'll be even better prepared! 

Yesterday our accompanist was away and I did a whole session, sectionals on the Credo of both Mozart and Haydn and playing for the communal sections. I had worked hard on the accompaniments but have not got the amazing skill of playing all four parts together....so occasionally I conducted while Geoff played. I was exhausted by the effort of concentrating hard all evening! 

And on Sunday last, I prepared and led the church service, with input from Christians Against Poverty. It went very well, and I have been overwhelmed with the generosity of the comments from folk in the congregation who have been pleased to see me take the next step.

And now for the sad news I have also been coping with and makes me feel sick to my stomach. It seems lovely Rufus has long covid. He is off school, exhausted, headache, and breathless on exertion. I am so hoping it doesn't last. Poor boy. And of course it is hard for Ellie and Gav who are trying to work around it all. And as if that weren't enough, dear Ash who injured his crucial ligament playing football last term, is apparently going to need surgery on it as a bit of bone has become dislodged. If he does have to have this, he'll not be able to play sport for a year. All this when you are just coming up to fourteen. So just as things were sailing along smoothly and the girls were getting into their new jobs, these horrid things happen. 

And of course, today's cases weren't happy stories.

I'll try to get back to gazing at the skies, and listening to the lambs. 

A lazy, chatty breakfast. A packing of lunches. A setting off. Me driving. 
We parked on a narrow street in Matlock.... a tricky one to drive out of at the end of the day! 
Then up, up and away along the Limestone Way and the Derwent Way. Views back over Matlock were wonderful and the sky gradually cleared of cloud. It was warm. We walked across fields with friendly horses, sociable cows and a rather isolated looking bull who seemed not to be in favour with his lady friends. We met two chatty and delightful Indian couples who seemed to be hiking without any maps, and were impressed by we ladies for climbing high up! 

Sometimes the way was through sun dappled trees, often with bramble bushes full of fruit and blue black sloes on prickly stems. Once we crossed a wonderfully green meadow. We finally headed down through woods to Bonsall. Like so many of the nearby towns it is in the valley with cliffs rising steeply up the sides. 

After lunch we climb again and find ourselves on a short ridge. Then we descend down a step road with the most fabulous views. We marvel at the houses perched on the steep hillside accessed by this vertiginous narrow road. How do they manage in snow and ice? But they have views to die for into the green valley below where the river courses, and across to steep cliffs, glowing in the sunshine. We see the Heights of Abraham cable car ride and walk under it. Below is the spa Matlock Bath. But our path remains high until we rejoin the fields we had fist climbed and headed back down into Matlock.

With Rob's guidance I managed to get out of the narrow road and almost immediately turn into an opening on the right where I was able to turn and drive back out of Matlock on the right side. It was exciting!

Home for tea and cake and crosswords. Another favourite part of the day for me. Then we opened the wine and I cooked. We played linkee after the meal and then Rob had us trying to do some fearsome logic puzzles. The others are good, but my mind is not up to it. 

For the second night running, there is a fabulous sunset.