Home from the range

Mmm...falling asleep to the sound of pattering rain when you are warm and dry. Love it! I give thanks for the tree top glimpse I have from my bed, every morning waking up to slightly different colours this time of year, as if it's a painting someone has added a few new brush strokes to. I sometimes think I should take a regular photo of this, not every day maybe but every week perhaps. It's the sort of idea that other people go 'Oh, yes you should!' if you tell them, and would make the kind of book or exhibition I would enjoy looking at but there are so many variables to consider...time of day, position of the shot, type of light or weather, my phone or my camera...and while I've been pondering on these choices another year has gone by. Of those who are reading this thinking excuses are being made, let he who keeps a daily blog cast the first stone, I say!

This morning I intended to take a picture of the trees but the sky stole the show...isn't it beautiful? Laura and I both enjoyed the view of sky and trees on our journey into town, and an almost black cat with a huge bushy tail crossing the the road carefully in front of the car. The Range, as expected, had an excellent range of all manner of things we'd come to buy and more besides, so some pleasant retail experiences ensued... We even had a tasty snack at their cafe which isn't somewhere you'd expect to say such a thing - fruity teas and some delicious and unusual cookies.

Disposing of unwanted items sensibly is always something I enjoy. I find it so satisfying and there always seems to be a contented atmosphere lingering about any recycling facility, the accumulation of so many sighs of relief and happily rubbed pairs of hands I'm sure...I actually worked in one once, sorting plastic bottles (and the other things people put in plastic bottle recycling bins!) in a unit that provided employment for adults with learning difficulties. One of my favourite jobs actually...feeling useful on so many levels.

Now I'm grateful to be home again, with the slow cooker finishing the job I excused it yesterday and an evening of rest, reflection and vegetable stew awaiting my attention.