Just Humans Being...

We are back in Devon on one of our regular pet sits and after arriving a couple of days ago to torrential rain and flooding...we woke this morning to blue sky, sunshine and a beautiful mist across the valley.  After our early walk we jumped into the hot tub to make the most of this glorious weather, soaking up the warm rays from the sun and marvelling at the clear blue sky - a rare occurrence these days! We are here for 6 days and arrived with everything we need for our stay - our intention being to use this time to completely chill out and enjoy the peace and quiet. It's great that we both feel the same way and neither of us has a desire to race around sightseeing. Instead, it is a real joy to get into a rhythm with the animals, walking, cooking on the Aga, eating, reading and spending time in the snug by the fire in the evenings. Every day is pretty much the same and that's just fine by us...we always bring lots of books with us and the dogs love to snuggle in the snug... Th...

We want to share with you our love for each other, a powerful and intimate connection which continues to grow each and every day. Today isn't an anniversary or birthday...dates don't really matter, we just enjoy sending our love out into the world. We started writing this shortly after our anniversary in September and somehow became too busy to be blogging...so hello again, we are still here! 34 years married, soon to be 36 years together and over 50 years since we first met. One day we'll dig out the box of old photos under our bed and make a montage, but for now - here is a few from the last 5 years, as well as our wedding day on the bottom right. Last September, we enjoyed a wonderful celebration of our relationship with family and friends on the farm and created:  Our 80s Playlist . How can we love each other more than ever after all these years? We just do. The first time we declared our love was over a barrel of beer in a friend’s garage, while a party was going o...

Do you live in fear of growing old, of becoming ill and dying?  Or do you enjoy your life; living with purpose and seeing the beauty all around you? Our work has evolved in the last year and has taken us on a path which felt right...caring for others.  Going into the homes of older people who have needed help and human contact.  We started with 2 clients, people we have been supporting with housework and pet care for many years and as the months ticked by, they both asked if we would go into various friends too. We are now working pretty much full time, doing whatever is needed...housework, gardening, dog walking, food preparation, sometimes just sitting and chatting over a cuppa.  We feel we have calmed those who were fearful and helped them to see things more logically...there is little virus here in Cornwall and it is very doubtful anyone will catch it while sitting in their house. Those who had become frightened of the outside world, have now started going out ag...

  At what point in history did we start putting our elderly relatives into care homes? As I write, I have no way of knowing...no internet to help research and Sime’s still snoozing, well it is only 6:30 and dark - most people are asleep, but I woke with this thought and no doubt I have written something along these lines before. Having cared for both my Grandmother (Nan) and Sime’s Mum (Bebe) and knowing how difficult it was especially with Bebe as her dementia progressed...I was thinking about how families managed before care homes. Certainly in the UK, we have become quite disconnected from our older generation and it seems that their opinions are no longer valued by younger generations. How differently we live today and yet Nan grew up surrounded by family, cousins in the same street or just around the corner. Neighbours were like extended family and everyone helped each other - taking care of the children and keeping an eye on aging grandparents. Lives were entwined. Young ...

  We often wonder when this mindless merry-go-round of consumerism will end. When people suddenly realise that they don’t need to keep buying the next best thing, to fill their homes with chain store tat and their wardrobes with clothes they rarely wear. Why is there so much importance put on stuff? How did the human race get persuaded to spend huge amounts of money on winter religious festivals? The whole crazy buying thing is quite bizarre to us. If you are a consumer – do you look into where your stuff comes from before you make your purchase? Does it concern you that your fellow humans are being paid peanuts to make some of the items you buy, or that there is still slavery in the world? Large corporations continue to exploit people because they can and will do so until they are found out and they will no doubt blame “customer demand” for pushing them to make things cheaper. What would happen if we all stopped? If we found a local person to make something for us and instead ...

We celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and while out for a walk on the coast path that afternoon - we spotted this heart shaped sunlight coming through the clouds... And then this pebble on the beach! Our focus for the day was very much on our relationship and our connection to nature. It just goes to show how we can see and hold exactly what we are thinking about!!! We work at focusing on the good in our lives and we let go of the rest. It really does make a difference to how we deal with everything and see the world around us. We also wanted to share this video with you of Dr David Hamilton, speaking in 2018 about kindness, hugs and oxytocin. Being kind is wonderful, it brings joy to the lives of many.  It's not about giving yourself a pat on the back, but feeling the genuine love of doing something spontaneous.  Spend time with humans and animals you adore.  Take time out each day to spend in nature. Find ways to show kindness. Love and kindness mak...