Just Humans Being...

We recently watched this film on the  Films For Action  website. We joined a permaculture group over 20 years ago with the idea of finding land together to create an educational space to grow organically, unfortunately we never found the right place & the group dwindled, but we often wonder how different our lives would have been if we'd gone ahead. This film reminded us of Scarlet & J at  The Finished Article , they too are growing in their front garden & also have an allotment in the north of England. It's all very inspirational! Kay & Sime xx

After publishing Saturday night's post, I heard a commotion upstairs & on investigation, found Bebe standing in her doorway with a broom in her hands - the broom is part of the barrier Sime sets up every night to discourage Bebe from going downstairs &/or venturing into our room during the night. It usually helps her to feel safe too, as she can get quite anxious about being on her own in the dark. We have a nightlight on the landing & various laminated signs - arrows to the loo, info on where she is & one asking her to go back to her room & that we'll see her in the morning!  The council social care department are going to let us try an electronic prompt device, on which we can record our voices & it will be triggered if she attempts to leave her room, so as she reaches for the door handle - our voices will kick in asking her to go back to bed... Clever! Will keep you posted on this, as we're quite intrigued! Anyway, back to Saturday nig...

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. ”  ―  14th Dalai Lama How do you wake up? We start every day with a cup of herbal tea in bed & since we stopped having guests, we have the luxury of a kettle in our bedroom. Our alarm goes off at 6:30am during the week & we can just reach down to stick the kettle on. Three minutes later, we have a pot of one of our favourite teas brewing - nettle, fennel, licorice, cinnamon, ginger or tulsi ... We usually snuggle up for a while longer, until it's ready to drink & then enjoy our tea quietly for a while - listening to the birds tweeting outside our window. By the time the pot's empty, we are usually wide awake, chatting, laughing & we've talked through everything we have to do on that day. We can't drop Bebe off at daycare until 10am, so it's nice to get going gently... By 8am it's all systems go, but we ar...

We are having a chaotic time, but Sime is convinced everything will be ok & amazingly, we do seem to be ticking things off our list. Our extra work seems to be going smoothly, but Bebe is going through a sleepless phase, which I'm finding tough, as I always wake when she's phaffing about - Sime just sleeps through it all! During the winter months it was very windy here, so we got into the habit of leaving Bebe's radio on overnight, as she would get quite anxious when the wind was noisy. In a bid to try & get her to sleep, we have now removed the radio & the lamp that we would leave on through the night & have replaced it with 2 nightlights. We've also replaced the low energy bulb in her bedside lamp with a  LED 6W cold-to-the-touch bulb, as she tends to put tissues in the lampshade, which of course is troubling with a warm or hot bulb. Bebe also has had a habit of opening & closing her drawers throughout the night, which has started to really...

We are off on a European road trip soon & are feeling quite excited! When we first organised the trip - we visualised a gentle run up, a slowing down of work & an immaculate house... Instead it has become chaotic & the complete opposite!  We have taken on extra work & can't believe just how crazy life has become (of course those of you who have read our blog for a few years will know this is pretty normal for us), but we had hoped this time would be different... Not only is there work, but there's Bebe in the mix... Little does she know that we will have to take her with us to do a couple of jobs at the weekend, yes we are going to be working every day until we go away with little time to organise Bebe's clothes (which need labelling, as previously - lots of her clothes have gone astray), then there's all her medication to be ordered... Our sleeping bag needs washing, stuff getting together, food for our journey (not so easy when you live &...

On Sunday we took Bebe for her second visit to Melinsey Mill . Last time it was quite cold & we sat indoors by the wood burner, but this time it was a hot day, so we sat outside by the pool. We discovered the place while exploring the area, shortly after moving to Boswinger 9 years ago. It's a water mill, tea room, craft centre & nature trail rolled into one - we love it & have shown our appreciation by filling in their visitors' book with silly comments over the years, as well as sending lots of our B&B guests there! Rick & Jackie own the quirky mill - Rick makes things with wood, willow & stuff. Jackie runs the tea room cum pizzeria (they have an outdoor pizza oven for summer evenings).  Hans Hideout. Rosie's Barn. We took Bebe on the nature trail... On which there is always something to see... There's a wasp's nest in this teapot... In the Teapot Archway... A day off...

Oh what fun we have! Kay & Sime xx

For as long as we can remember, we have planned to live in a small place when the kidlets or at least the girls, had flown the nest.  We both loved the wooden houses we saw on road trips in the States, especially in Tennessee & on Long Island & have looked forward to clearing the majority of our stuff, downsizing & living simply for a long time.  A few years ago, we came across information about  The Tiny House Movement & as everyone who has stayed with us probably knows - we love to talk about it!  We still have a long way to go before we will be ready, but there is definitely a feeling that our dream is getting closer. Bebe moving in with us means the process may take a little longer, but in the meantime - we are enjoying doing the research & making plans... We rent an old 5 bedroomed farmhouse, in which 2 of those bedrooms, plus 2 store rooms, a shed & garage are practically bursting at the seams with junk... Stuff we've either ...

Stormy weather has arrived... So it's cold & blustery again. The windows & doors have been rattling since Friday night & we have the wood burner blazing away. Friday afternoon, we were able to skive off work & spent a lovely afternoon with Scarlet & J  (who were down here on holiday to celebrate their 30 anniversary). We met in The Lost Gardens Of Heligan restaurant & as always, the time whizzed by & we had spent nearly 4 hours chatting & laughing... We were there until closing time, but it was so nice to catch up & we're hoping they will return to Cornwall soon... :-) Anyway, this windy weather will no doubt cover Hemmick Beach in rubbish - we are trying to clear as much as possible as often as we can & the recycling guys are always happy to take any bits of plastic we find, which is great. On Wednesday, we remembered to take the camera, but forgot to take bags or boxes to collect stuff, but we did return on Thursday with bags ...

Time is flying by...  We can't believe that it's nearly 6 months since we left to pick up Bebe & she is for the main part, enjoying life. We do have the odd blip when she is quite low & agitated, when nothing we say makes a difference, but for the most part - she is fine. We have to remember that she can drift in & out of lucidity, one minute she seems so rational & on the ball, then the next she can be lost, insecure & child-like. We have discovered more & more  just how much Bebe can do & are realising that just like others with dementia, she is very good at pretending that she is still capable of doing certain things. It's not easy for her to accept help with her personal hygiene & she's at times desperately trying to cling on to her independence. We encourage her to do as much as possible for herself, but it is very sad to see just how much she has forgotten & equally it can be exciting when out of the blue, Bebe...

Food is the focus of all our family get-togethers... Sime's lentil stew is just wonderful, as is his mash. He adds leeks or spring onions (fried in just a little soy sauce) to mashed potatoes, as well as chopped mint, black pepper, a blob of mustard & a splash of plant milk. Bebe doesn't eat much, but has always been happy to eat veggie/vegan dishes with us... Kay made  Chocolate Fudge Cake , using the juice & zest of 2 oranges & some creamed coconut in the icing...  It had been Ryan's Birthday & as we don't see Sal & Ryan very often now they live in Bristol - we wanted to make a fuss! We also visited Pizza Express in Truro, who now feature a vegan (if a little spicy) pizza on their menu... They are always willing to accommodate us & adapt any pizza... This one is their vegan version of Giardiniera... Without the cheese & pesto. For dessert - raspberry sorbet & coffee! Tired & hung...