This month marks our sixth month in the UK. We are amazed. It seems that time has flown and yet dragged.
Spring is almost here… daffodils are popping up in garden corners, our snow drops have blossomed and everywhere signs of spring abound.
Daffodils at Nottingham Hospital
Spring blossoms on a tree in London
The promise of blossoms to come!
We were in the forest last weekend and bluebell buds littered the forest floor, giving anticipation the the beauty that was to come. However, this weekend is a reminder that spring is not quite here – snow is forecast to fall this afternoon and it is grey and damp, the story of the past few days. It is not as cold as it was a month ago, but the dampness does see to make it feel colder!
Last weekend we went to see the ‘coppicing’ and traditional forest maintenance in the next village, Grindleford. Unfortunately the day was grey and a bit cold but we had a good walk about, and got to see a different part of the Peak area in which we live. The great big work horses were on lunch break when we were there, but they were pulling the cut trees to a car park, with minimal environmental impact. It was lovely to see everyone out and about enjoying the forest!
A warm cup of tea can do wonders!
Guy petting the workhorse
Two weeks ago, I went for a bike ride with a new friend and her two kids. When she asked if I would mind ‘pulling’ them up the hill I answered “without a problem”. I did not realise this meant pulling a buggy around perpetually! It was a great introduction to buggy-pulling and we cycled around the entire Dam/Lake system here on a lovely morning. As you can see, it is almost spring, but not quite!
Troll bridge! (or so we told the children’s)
SNOW!! Still covering a lot of the higher ground.. And the buggy’s we pulled
Ice covering the surface of part of the dam
The Derwent Dam system
When I glance at some of our photos, you can see that our behaviour has changed since the lengthening of the days and the warmer weather. We have had some glorious days that really pre-empted that springtime feeling. We have tried to go for sundowners (albeit in our down jackets) and had some fabulous exploratory runs. Spring is almost here…but not quite.
The view from Stanedge Edge
Frosty sundowners!
A run across the top of Stanedge Edge
The views on a glorious day..
And so we remain hopeful that the winter season is passing for this year in more than just the season of our life. Spring is trying to press through, and we are starting to feel more settled, more comfortable and more able to grow in this place. Spring is almost here in the flowers and weather and longer hours, and it is almost here in our lives too – I have a permanent post, we are feeling more settled and into our routines. But its not quite rosy weather yet, snow is still lining the walls in the fields, and forecast to fall. I am still searching for something nearer as the 3 hour daily commute is proving to be a test for my soul (my husband was right) and we are still finding our niche in our lives here.
However, to help spring along in our lives, we leave in a week for our first holiday with good friends from Canada. We cannot wait to have four days of being tourists and sightsee-ers and catching up with friends who we;ve laughed with for almost 10 years. Here’s to spring and celebrations and hope for the future!
Hope!
theadventuresofguyandli 