I Climbed a Mountain!!

It's been a long time since I blogged and sometimes blogging in itself can feel like climbing a mountain, I have so many ideas but articulating and getting them down can feel a challenging at times. There is always something else to do, somewhere else to be or no time to write, sometimes the words just don't  come. I have these dreams of sunshine, outdoors and lazy afternoon blogs, like I used to do when travelling,  today I decided I am putting that dream back into action, so with the bbq going, a cider next to me and my laptop in hand I am set to write. 

So let's start with talking about my adventure last weekend as it was one to remember and for me a real accomplishment. 

I have been wanting to take on a big mountain for some time now, however with my knackered knees I always stay away and stick to slow rambles and small hills. I decided I needed a challenge and with my knees staying good for some time now this was the time to test them. 

Sam was away on my brothers stag so I planned a camping night away with a friend and we made a plan to hike Whernside, I was told it was the slowest incline out of the 3 Yorkshire peaks, so felt the best peak for me. I had no idea what to expect, however when I turned up Friday to camp at Philpin Farm, I saw the beautiful mountain positioned in front of us in all her glory. I was nervous, worried I wouldn't be able to complete the climb and worried my knees would go on me, when they do, they hurt bad. However I believed in myself and knew with the support of my friend we could go at our own pace and time without pressure or stress. 

 Luckily the walk to Whernside was only 15mins (ish) from our campsite so was a nice easy stroll to the start. I was shocked when we reached the start the climb up was only around 2 mile, this set my mind at rest a little more. it was a beautiful slow incline and I was surprised how many folk were coming down from the other side. We soon realised there was a race on and these were most of our passerby's. We took our time, enjoyed the views, stopped for sweets and nuts and allowed Socks the rest she needed (as she isn't made for climbing mountains). It was gorgeous chatting to others and slowly seeing the landscape in front of us, as you all know Yorkshire is a favourite of mine but this was phenomenal and seeing the other peaks, Pen y ghent and Ingleborough looming behind and in front of us was breath taking.  

I was amazed at how many people take on the 3 peaks without training or hiking shoes, we saw so many people struggling with sore feet and tired bones, however their determination to finish (i.e. climb another mountain after) was astonishing and at one point made me tempted to do more. My brain quickly changed when Socks refused to head up the more challenging part of the climb, basically putting the brakes on and attempting to head down, rather than up. I sat with her for 10mins and gave her water, pretending my encouragement was going in, she then picked herself up and managed to climb, only to find what looked like the top was a blind summit and there was still a way to go. Luckily it evened out and the rest wasn't such a pull. 

Making the top was a wonderful feeling and my friend had packed cake from the little shop at our campsite, yep she knows me well. We munched it up, enjoying watching what everyone had in their lunches/snack pots. It was lovely, we looked over Ingleborough with such pride. I was shown different points of the lake district and other parts of Yorkshire, it felt very special and surreal sat up there watching the world go by. Socks took a sleep and we lazed a good half hour away. 

The trip back down is always a worry, the pressure that hits the knees has knocked me before (in India monks blessed them when I struggled to make it down Triund Hill), and although at times I was aware there were creeping out, they held up and I made it down okay, obviously some bum scrambles but it led a number of other walkers to follow suit which felt nice and to feel it's okay to hike down however feels best for you. We smiled and giggled at the conversations being had around us, hearing folk talk about what they were most looking forward to when finishing their hike, however long or small that was, there was a sense of achievement floating in the air. 

We finished back at our campsite and enjoyed the masses of folk snacking and resting around the campsite shop, more cake, yes please. The sun was shining and a huge sense of enjoyment was being had, the joy of walkers, it feels forever thankful for the nature we are in and the beauty it gives us to enjoy these hikes, rambles, strolls and walks. 

Autumness

Autumn, it is my favourite, the Season comes in slowly and i just find the colours of Autumn beautiful. A real delight of deep blends and ever changing into something new and crisp. 

When lying in bed we look out onto trees and it makes my heart skip to watch them change, delighting in them over every Season, the growing of Spring, the joy of Summer burst, the leaving of Autumn and the frost of Winter. It's ever changing just like the month of Autumn.

With that brings clarity, Autumn is a time when i begin to retreat, this year has felt a 'retreated' year, however a lot is happening in the Austin household right now and it feels fitting with the Autumnal season. With that i have been getting my Autumn on and doing lots of enjoyable seasonal embracing. 

We got back from our holidays and instantly chutney and jam making was on the cards. Our neighbour had given us a Rhubarb crown when we first moved in, this had been down the bottom of the garden but it wasn't doing much, so i moved it into a pot and placed it at the top of the garden, it went wild and lovely red rhubarb stalks began sprouting everywhere, every time i went out i eeked with smiles at the tasty jam it was going to turn into. 

I had made rhubarb jam last year and failed miserably so i waited for Sam's Auntie to come and stay and she helped me. Finding my faithful Marguerite Patten book from the pantry we delved in. This book is great and was a Christmas gift from my Mum and Ron a few years ago, it's basically the main book i use and there are so many variations of simple jams and chutneys, it's an old trusty. Strangely when Sam's Auntie showed me her book she used it was an older version of this one, coincidence? that just proved how trusty it was. 

We threw all the ingredients in and watched it bubble up nicely, waiting for it to get to the correct temperature then doing some special test on a plate to see if it had set. I havent took any pictures of the making of it as our kitchen is not the dream (next year, eek) but for now it's about the descriptions. My thermometer doesn't reach the exact temp and i think this is what happened last year, i over boiled it. woops! Anyway this year i didn't and i got a nice haul of jam, i have already given some out, smashed one, doh and enjoying the tastes myself, toast and rhubarb jam with a steamy cup of tea, yes please.

I also made some chutneys, i do this every year them give them out at Christmas for gifts to friends and family for cheese and nibbles over the festive period. This year i made apple and elderberry, both hauled from the garden and blackberry bramble, hauled from our local golf course, i also made some spicy apple, my favourite, it has mixed spice in and is so Christmassy, sadly i cheated with this and used some left over apples bought from the shop. 

I have been crafting also, i decided my mantel needed a new garland as the Spring one went into Summer. I had decided i wanted to make an Autumnal leaf garland so started looking through my many craft books and found some lovely little ideas in this one. 

It has a number of gorgeous crochet and knit leaves and flowers in and the designs are simple and easy to follow. I have lots of acorns dotted around the house so made the decision i wasn't going to have acorns in the garland, however i knew i wanted oak leaves in and maple leaves, then some normal leaves. The garland has been up and down and taken on a number of different designs. Firstly i just made the leaves as they were, however then decided they were too dark and didn't give me the excited heart beat i wanted. I then decided to outline them...

However when i outline them, they kind of lost their shape, so down they came again and i decided to attempt to make the stem/veins of the leaf, aha, this is when i started to smile and feel that burst of yes, this is what i wanted. 

I have to admit it's not exactly what i wanted and some of the leafs don't look how i hoped however it will do and it's been complimented lots so i think i maybe need to stop being my worst critic and enjoy this bit of Autumn. 

Up or down, i am still deciding if it should just hang or be pulled up in the middle, hmm. 

I also made a little pumpkin hat for a friend at work who left to have her little girl this week. I forgot to take a photo but have stolen this of her blog 2mermaidz where Sarah writes about the lifes and adventures of her and her girl gang. 

Pumpkin season came upon us and we decided to rummage the pumkin piles in the supermarket for the best green one's, as they have the most flavour i am told. We found two good sizes and decided to put one in the porch for Halloween and eat up the 2nd.

My favourite curry is pumpkin curry, i remember days in Burma and Sri Lanka when i ate it at every possible opportunity and just knew i needed those tastes in my mouth again. Sam set himself away and boy he didn't disappoint. We looked through our many cook books and found a recipe however the ingredients were too wild so he looked online and found this one http://www.mysrilankanrecipe.com/roasted-coconut-pumpkin-curry/ ~ we enjoyed it so much we had it again on the Saturday. 

We were so happy to have pumpkin in our mouths again we have decided to build a patch in the garden to attempt to grow some for next year. This excites me muchly. 

We have been out as much as possible, enjoying some of our favourite spots - mostly the woods in Autumn, the light and colour is gorgeous and there are so many good smells for Socksy. 

I follow two blogs which i love and have been inspired to embrace the seasons more through the crafts and creations on their posts - go enjoy Lucy at Attic24 and Gillian at Tales from a happy house and marvel in their wonders and delights. 

Our Socks

It's been a year since we picked Socks, and i have been meaning to post this blog for about a year,  i felt with her years anniversary it was time to write.

The question i am mostly asked is why a greyhound, if i am honest (and i hate saying this) i didn't want a greyhound for years i have said no to one, i was told they smell and there big, i wanted a cute fluffy thing or a pug, obviously. However the agreement was if we were getting a dog it was to be a greyhound and Sammy loves them so i felt now he was on board with a dog i may as well go with what he loves. Sam then pulled at my heart strings with the retired, no home, needing love and i was hooked. How could i let a 4yr old dog live in a kennel after being forced to race for the start of her years. So we liked the facebook page and started dog spotting, we knew we wanted to be off when we first got her so knew we had to wait till the October half term. I was so excited, it was actually happening.

We first spotted Socks when we were in Sri Lanka, she popped up on the facebook site and we were in love when we saw her. We contacted the greyhound trust and they informed us they couldn't reserve dogs online, however because Socks was black she wouldn't go quickly. Mad right, the black dogs are the hardest to go as they don't photograph very well. When we got back we arranged the weekend, full of excitement and nerves we decided to take Bow and my rents with us as obviously Socks and Bow would become firm friends.

We headed up to Northumberland Greyhound Rescue out in the wilds of Northumberland and asked to see Socks, we were so pleased to hear she was still there, we walked her and knew she was our girl, we didn't need to meet any of the others, we reserved her and started prepping the nest for her arrival in 2 weeks. We went back a couple of times to see her, it was so hard as we just wanted to take her home however we knew it was best to be off with her so had to endure the wait.

When she came home it was so nice but also really new for us, she was so nervous, she didn't know how to settle and where her place was. Socks had slept in a kennel from being born so therefore being in a house with central heating and cosy beds made no sense to her. There was a lot of leaning going on, her form of cuddling and resting her head on our shoulders, just so you knew you she was there.
Socks didn't make a peep of a noise for around 8wks, she wouldn't go through stiles on country walks and she often kept herself behind us when walking. The stairs were a mindful for her and after a few days of attempted training we give up and thought why does she need to go upstairs. On mornings when we wanted her upstairs Sam would carry her up and she would come for a snuggle.

We were told she may suffer from separation anxiety however we didn't find that, she slept in the kitchen fine and lies in till late, snug on her bed. When we put the fire on she lazes relaxed in front of it, her heart content. The first noise we heard from Socks was her exasperated stretch, we knew she was happy when she did her upside down legs in the air sofa stretch. The first time she barked we got the shock of our life and when she growled we knew she was finding her voice.

I work with traumatised children, they lose their voice due to shock, there shy, timid and don't know what home is. They look for nurture and comfort, safety and security. I felt Socks looked for all this, she was our traumatised pup  and with love and comfort she became strong, brave and confident.
Socks has literally changed our world, she is the perfect dog for us and fits into our life so well.

The first few times we took her in the van she wee'd, we assumed this could be because  when she was being transported to race she would have been in a van. However when she got used to it, she settled and literally loves time away in it. When were packing she knows it's vanlife time and the first time we saw her run upstairs was when she was so excited her burst of energy just sent her flying up there. When we stayed somewhere with grass and she felt it on her body she went crazy, loving the feel and squirming all over it.

In the morning she heads outside in the garden and then bolts back in, spinning with excitement. Her first trip to the beach she ambled slowly, after that she took to the water and spun crazily round and round with such joy.

People laugh at us, some people don't fully understand, that's fine but for us Socks has filled a void, in a time when it's been hard she has given us something to live for. She isn't a child, we know that, Sam tells me off for that but she is an animal that brings unconditional love and smiles. In my work i always ask if an animal is present in the family, when there is they are normally the child or adults confidant, they can tell them anything and what they get back is love, licks and warmth. That's what Socks gives to me, she brings a smile on a darken day, she makes me go out when i want to nest, when sometimes i feel there is no point she makes me realise how great our unit of 3 is and how without her Sam and I would be lost.

So why a Greyhound? Why not, there bloody amazing!

Claire x

2016 – A year of unexpected.

2016, a time of crafting, reflection and thing’s not always going the way we planned, however other things came about that were unexpected and we made a year that could have been tiresome into something just as beautiful.

Jan 2016 

We had different plans for 2016, we bought a house and that became our focus, spending the money we had to decorate it the best we could, we got creative with colour, wallpaper, tiles and boldness and made a house into our home. 

March 2016

The Hens came home, then they multiplied. We always knew we wanted our hens back, it was a jolt in us moving as the rented flat wouldn't allow us to have them, so when we started to be settled i spoke to Jill, a friend who was looking after them in Rothbury, she was moving and looking to re-home them so it worked a treat, Spring came and they arrived on the back of a truck, one had sadly passed due to a sore foot but Maisy and Mavis joined us again, these two have moved all over the UK, i was pleased to see them back where they belong. We decided to purchase a few more hens, so went for two hybrid layers and another two bantams. The coop got bigger and after a few teething problems they all become a flock and enjoyed being together. Sadly we lost Maisy just before Christmas, she must have been around 6 so had good innings for a hen, Sam found her passed at the back of the coop, with her mate Mavis (aka Tina Turner) watching over her. We have a new hen coming in the next week from my Aunty, Nicola the black rock, hopefully the girls will accept her and there wont be too much bullying.

Spring/Summer 2016

We took many a walk out in the country and coast, enjoying the Northumberland air, we took trips to some old haunts but also some new.

August 2016

We then decided to take a trip to Sri Lanka, however just before going we purchased Betty, we had always decided we wanted a campervan project, however didn't expect this to happen until 2017, an opportunity presented itself though and it was too good to miss, so a few days before flying we headed to Sheffield to pick her up and bring her home.

We took our travelling toes off again mid August, not thinking we would have the opportunity to this year, we found cheap flights and decided what the hell, why not. We booked 3wks off work and decided to explore a this enchanting country (i hope to write a blog about Sri Lanka, so watch this space). Sri Lanka was beautiful, really laid back and chilled out, tasty food, the most beautiful beaches and sights that were awe inspiring, my highlights were climbing Sigiriya and all the beaches, lots of relax, book reading, life planning and silliness with my love. 

October 2016

We came back to England and decided it was time for us to become 3, it wasn't happening any other way so why not this way. The decision to get a dog did not come lightly, i have wanted a dog for years however its just never felt right, my love of pugs moved and Sammy suggested we take home a retired greyhound, it's a dog i didn't know a lot about however Socks is perfect for us. Socks loves a good walk, but also a good rest, she is affectionate and loves a cuddle and her nature is just to die for. We have made many good decisions this year, but this one was one definitely beats the rest, we visited http://www.northumberlandgreyhoundrescue.org.uk/ up in Steele, luckily for us we had already seen Socks online and she was still there when we went to meet the dogs, from the moment we saw her we knew she was our girl. A few weeks later, home she came and we haven't looked back.

At the end of October i became an Aunty, my brother and his fiancee had a baby boy called Miles, blessing us with his gorgeous smile, cute face and delicious baby smell. I got my craft on and made him a mobile, i went down the safari animal play and got creative with my miniature knitted world books. 

November 2016

Winter came with a mix of feelings, we thought we would be ending the year with different news but sadly it hasn't happened for us yet, lots of tests and appointments and investigations so some good news and bad over the winter months, i will write about this more when the time comes but for now it is filled with a mix bag of emotions.

December 2016

December came with a new project in tow, something i am going to blog further about but i had decided to bring a living advent window to my local community, lots of planning, preparation and organising and the project came together, each day a new window was reveled in the community displaying an advent/Christmas/winter theme. On the 24 December, all 24 windows were open and the full advent trail could commence. The project was great with amazing participation, here's a sneak of our window, each window would have a short description with it so people could learn the story behind the design.

 Our window was based on my snowy walks with our wonderful greyhound. 

2017

2017 starts with difficulties but i have developed a mantra 'believe in the hope' to push me through any negatives that maybe trying to flood my mind. I have an operation coming up next week and i plan to stay as positive as i can, i have incredible support around me and being in the arms of those souls keeps me going on this challenging but wonderful journey called life. 

ps - here's to more blogging, its my constant, please feel free to leave comments, i love hearing folks feedback and stories. 

Claire x