Hake with peas.

Another day in the office and rushing around non stop. My supper tonight was hake with peas and eaten straight from the pan. Took 15 minutes and was so easy peasy. Excuse the pun. Everyone can cook!

Photo copyright SvD.

'I wish you enough,' said the elderly mother to her daughter as they said goodbye.

I came upon this moving story on the net. I am not the author and how poignant is it!

Photo copyright SvD.

I WISH YOU ENOUGH

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced. Sta...nding near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said:

"I love you and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left.

The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory:

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them.
 

Cast your troubles away.

Where I live in the glorious English countryside, the local farmer has been preparing the field where he kept sheep all Winter for ploughing. Life goes on. The sun rises and sets. So cast your worries to the wind because tomorrow is inevitable just like the sun.

Tonight on my walk. Photo copyright SvD.

Take your chances...

The farmer has replanted wheat (I presume) in the field he recently harvested. These seagulls followed the tractor as it disgorged seeds and gobbled up as much as they could, pure highway robbery but they succeeded! Take your chances while you can because life and time wait for no one. PS That doesn't mean steal. The farmer provides extra seed just for the birds but that is his choice.

Photo copyright SvD.

And can you help?

I came across this carcass in the field on Sunday morning. I cannot identify it from my various bird books. The down on its chest was thick and luxurious. The marking seems quite distinctive. The carcass measured around a foot long without the head which clearly is not there. Many thanks!

The RSPB has helpfully responded to identify the bird: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/lesser-black-backed-gull

Photo copyright SvD.

Ripeness is all.

Folklore tells us that Summer ends as the elderberries ripen. Indeed, the nights are cooler and the morning dew has returned. The damp underfoot on my morning walks is a true indicator that Autumn is here.

Early Autumn is a time of plenty, ripened fruits must be picked now before the damp and cold wind rot them. I used to be a serious jam and chutney maker converting the spoils of my gardening addiction. For those of you who do make your own preserves, remember to pick fruit on a dry day, early in the morning and away from busy roads.

Now is also a good time to collect wild herbs to make herb liqueur (collect the leaves of whatever you can find, except the poisonous ones obviously, soak them in a ceramic pot with pure alcohol. Strain after a few weeks, add sugar and store in corked bottles). Very good for digestion.

Ripe elderberries this morning. Photo copyright SvD.

Ripening grapes 'au naturel' and not in a greenhouse! Unheard of twenty years ago- the British Isles are getting warmer.

Photo taken last Sunday. Photo copyright SvD.

Filled in badger set, photo taken last Saturday. Photo copyright SvD.

And on a sadder note, Autumn is a time of culling unwanted animals before their breeding season begins in the Spring. This badger set has been filled in by the farmer after he extracted its inhabitants and disposed of them. This matter causes me a lot of sadness but I live next to a farm and it is not illegal to kill badgers neither is it my place to give the farmer a hard time as he permits me to roam all over his land.

The badgers I mentioned in my earlier posts are no more unfortunately.

At this time of the year we see the provocative ripeness in nature which also signifies an ending- the bejewelled fruits have reached their maturity, their end. And then there is the sad tale of the badgers whose end had nothing natural about it.