Tuesday 31 January 2017

January

January can feel like such a long, drawn out month. A general low after the buzz of the festive season. The magic gone, back to reality, back to work, cold, dark mornings, with only the faintest hint of the days becoming longer and the warmer months to come.
With this in mind I have been taking extra care to keep the house cosy, feed the family wholesome, nutritious meals and maintain a sense of wellbeing.
More than usual, I have been looking closely at what we are eating. Cooking/baking from scratch as much as possible. I made some bread yesterday, something I haven't done for a while now. It was such an easy recipe and tastes delicious. I think I will be making a lot more of my own in future.
I also made time to complete the socks I am ashamed to say I started knitting way back in November! I will have to be careful with washing, as they are 100% wool, but they are oh-so-cosy. The perfect answer to the cold wintery evenings.
With it being soooo long since I last posted, I feel I must just briefly mention Christmas. We had a lovely quiet time, just as we like it, and I will have a lasting memory of Lily hurtling down the hallway on her new scooter brandishing an umbrella with a huge smile on her face.  A happy day.
Since Christmas we have enjoyed some truly beautiful walks in our local area. For the most part, days have been cold and bright, with the occasional frost and even a sprinkling of snow.
New Year's morning found us on Orrest Head, in glorious sunshine but a bitterly cold wind. While the following day a walk up Dodd fell proved very popular with the addition of some snow and a welcome drink of hot Winterspice cordial at the summit. The views weren't too bad either.
Unfortunately, the start of the year also brought with it some personal sadness for our family and resulted in me having been unwell for much of the month. Blessings well and truly counted I am now looking forward to what the rest of the year holds for us, and hopefully, I say with such optimism, some more consistent blogging.
J. X

42 comments:

  1. Beautiful photographs, I love the countryside but I'm not made of the right stuff to be in it, Orrest Head is probably as much as I can cope with! I know, I'm rubbish!

    Hope you're feeling well now, I'm sure that amazing looking bread helped liven the spirit.

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    1. Thank you. The bread really was delicious. I must hurry up and get some more made. X

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  2. Wow, those views you certainly live in a beautiful area. I rarely buy shop bought bread but I have to admit to using a bread making machine. Sending you a hug and hoping you are feeling better.

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    1. I used to have a bread maker but one day it sparked and died! Our kitchen is so small I didn't bother replacing it and just do it the old fashioned way. It gives my arms a god work out too. X

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  3. What a lovely place, the photos are gorgeous, as is that rather lovely loaf of bread! Hope you're doing ok, feeling better xx

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    1. We are very lucky to live here Cheryl. X

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  4. Beautiful photos! I love to go out walking, but unfortunately my surrounding areas aren't as nice as yours! :)

    Lucky you getting a sprinkling of snow, we haven't had any, just frost and cold winds.

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    1. It was just a sprinkling of snow but still exciting to see. X

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  5. You live in such a beautiful place, your bread looks so good xx

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  6. Jules, I am so happy to see your post this morning (I have been checking regularly and didn't see anything when I checked yesterday). I had been worried about you, but didn't want to ask and intrude. I knew you'd post when you were ready to do so. I am sorry you experienced some personal sadness in your family and were unwell as a result. (((HUGS))) I hope your health improves with every day and the year ends on a more joyful note than when it began.

    That loaf of bread looks delicious and those socks look warm. Thank you for sharing the lovely pictures; I enjoyed looking at them. Looking forward to reading your next post. May you and your family be abundantly blessed this year.

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    1. Thank you Bless. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be away so long. I'm much improved now and feeling better by the day. The socks are very cosy, I must try and make some more. If I start now they might be ready for next winter! X

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  7. Oh Jules...my heart goes out to you knowing that you have been sad and unwell. Hoping that you feel a little stronger each day. You certainly live in a mighty beautiful part of the world. Tender hugs. oxo

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    1. Thank you Jackie. There's always something isn't there? I'm feeling stronger by the day and will be thinking of you and yours on Tuesday. X

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  8. A beautiful collection of pictures, we've had some lovely sunny days in January.

    Good to see you posting again; "stuff" happens for a reason, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time. Hope the rest of the year is much kinder to you.

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    1. Thank you Jayne. I think we're always pleasantly surprised when we get good weather in this part of the country. It has made for some lovely days walking. X

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  9. I am sorry that your year has started so badly - maybe you can start afresh with the Chinese New Year?! Here's to a wonderful Year of the Rooster for you and your family.
    Wren x

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    1. Thank you Wren. There is a lot to look forward to. X

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  10. I'm sorry to hear of the sadness and illness and hope you're now on the mend. I think it does lift the spirits to get out and about, especially when you have such beautiful countryside nearby, your photos, as usual, are fabulous and really capture the beauty and crisp weather. It's a while since I've baked any bread, we don't get through the food we used to now that there's just the two of us at home, but the sight of your loaf is encouraging me to get back to it.

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    1. Oh yes! Make some bread. It's soooo good. A good walk can work wonders. 'Lifting the spirits' is the perfect way to describe it. X

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  11. Sorry to hear about some sadness and that you have not been well Jules, the same is true for us too. A topsy turvey start to our year but I'm also hoping like you that things will now only get better, I've just returned to blog land since Christmas also, we are very in tune! Glad to see you are back my friend x

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    1. Thank you Selma. Here's hoping for a great year ahead for us all. It's so good to see you back too. X

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  12. I love January because it is a long month and after the hubbub of Christmas it's also generally a quiet one where we're happy to hunker down and just 'be' for a while.

    I'm so sorry to hear you and yourr family have experienced sadness in your lives and that you haven't been well as a result. I hope the rest of 2017 is better for you all.

    The bread looks delicious, I'm mentally eating a big slice of it with butter!

    Sharing those breathtaking views with your family has definitely got to be a Blessing and I truly hope many more come your way. xx

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    1. Thank you Suzanne. I think the month of December can take it out of us all in some way. That is why I like a quiet November and January.
      Don't just mentally eat the bread, make some and enjoy!
      I definitely have plenty of blessings and I'm sure there are plenty more to come too. Sending some back at you. X

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  13. Lovely photos... when the weather is clear, winter sun can be SO dramatic. I'm glad that you feel well enough to post again. Jx

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    1. Thank you Jan. Those clear, bright days can lend themselves to some beautiful photographs. X

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  14. Sorry to hear that you have not been well, I do hope that things are looking up for you now. Your socks are beautiful, they will keep you nice and cosy!

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    1. Thank you Amy. They are keeping me nice and cosy right now. X

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  15. I'm sorry that you have been suffering and I hope you will feel back to full health soon. The views are beautiful and are the sort of thing that feed my soul.

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    1. Thank you Scarlet. I could spend all day taking in those views. X

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  16. sorry there have been sad times x

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    1. Thank you. Looking forward, I'm sure there are many happy times to be had.

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  17. I'm sad your year started off so sadly. Despite that, it looks like you've been able to find happy moments, and that's pretty wonderful.
    xx

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    1. Thank you Sadie. We always try to make sure there are happy moments. X

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  18. Sending 'feeling strong' hugs your way. January usually is a 'meh' month for me, but this year has been the most positive and happiest one I have had in longer than I can remember. Beautiful photos of the lakes, the air and the walking are always so cathartic and healing - keep well x

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    1. Thank you Kate. The walking is definitely doing me good.
      Your January has been very positive. An exciting time for you indeed. Enjoy every minute, you are so very talented and deserve to.

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  19. Hey Jules, the top picture looks like my minds eye of heaven. Stunning. I marvel at the way people can knit. your socks look super comfy. Hope you are well

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    1. Thanks Sol. It's not heaven but comes close. X

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  20. Just found you whilst bloghopping 😀 Your scenery pics are gorgeous, such views! And your bread looks really scrummy :) Looking forward to reading more of your blog
    Jillxo

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    1. Thank you Jill. I'm very happy to have you here. Great to discover your blog too. X

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  21. My feet love a pair of wool socks.

    Can you please share your bread recipe.

    Besos Sarah
    journeysofthezoo@hotmail.com

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    1. Thank you for visiting. You really can't beat woolly socks in cold weather. I will email you the bread recipe this week. X

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