Feel of Spring

Today had a definite spring feel to it, which I'm sure most of you will think is strange as spring does not offically start until March. I, on the other hand, feel that spring really begins around the festival of Imbolc. This is the time the earth starts to warm up and buds appear, very small and indistinct but there all the same. The through the rest of the month of February we see more signs, with snowdrops appearing and Fieldfare's gathering getting ready for their flight back to Poland as the weather warms.
The recent snow had put a halt to the feeling spring was on her way. However, the sun was shinning, giving a warm glow to the earth and meking me feel light. There were dark clouds lurking in the skies above, threatening to put a dampener on things, but this did not deter my bright and breezy mood. I was relishing in the feeling, as yesterday I found myself in a bit of a slump. I had no energy, even my reserves were running on low. I was glad I had no jobs to do, except walk the dogs. I'm afraid they only got a romp around the site, even the thought of spoils on the beach did not fill me with enthusiasm. So I had spent the day doing nothing much at all. Today, however, I was ready and willing to engage in all activities, jobs included.




This was a sight to behold, a friendly little mole had felt the warmth of spring and ventured to the surface. He was nowhere in sight, which was lucky. I wondered if he was still deep in his tunnels waiting for us to pass by, or off on some adventure before returning to his home deep beneath the earth. Luckily Willow did not spot this hole, as she would have been truffle hunting straight away. So I passed by leaving the mole to his own spring business.





On the beach you caould smell the sea, as it washed up to the shore. These sponges and seaweed had been deposited by a higher tide, leaving them stranded awaiting their fate.


This baby cuttlefish had not survived long, it is just bone now waiting for the birds to have their fill. At least nature has her own ways of recycling natural things, it's a shame us humans are unable to do the same.

This beautiful amber pebble stood out amongst the others and was begging me to pick it up. The colours we beautiful, swirling around the contour of the pebble.



This froth was left behind by the tide as it ebbed back out to sea. I noticed a large concrete like slab, which it gathered around before disappearing. It looks a bit like the head of a pint of beer!



Laying across pebbles and an oyster shell I noticed a mermaid's purse, these tend to be egg pods for dog fish. They look as those they have been removed from a belt and left lying just to be found by an explorer. I like the folklore that they are a gift left by mermaids, and am glad Troy remembers these not just for their scientific purpose.



This beach is mostly pebbles, but as you can see the sand makes its way through in some places. These pebbles stood out as the sun continued to shine.
We met lots of people out walking their dogs, cycling or just out for a stroll. Everyone was bright and cheerful, some stopping for a chat as the dogs sniffed each other out. Troy had brought his bike, and ridden along the sea wall. I'm not sure how far he went, but was just a dot on the horizon, when I came up over the first section of beach to higher ground. As I made my way across to the second section his figure grew, so I waved until finally he realised it was me and waved back. When he reached me he was fresh looking, so I guessed he had enjoyed the ride. On enquiring how far he had got, I was told down to the grey road. Well that meant nothing to me, as I have not ventured far down this stretch yet. He too had encountered happy travellers, who greeted each other with a good morning.
I walked the length of the second section of beach before turning back to wend my way back to the site.


Back on the site the dogs found a patch of snow to romp about in, before we headed back to the van to get some well earned food and drink.
The fresh air was a good tonic to liven up the spirits today, and I'm glad to say the beautiful weather continued till sunset. The evening sky was also magnificent, with the stars twinkling brightly forwarning the coming of Jack Frost to bring his icy blanket across the ground.

Calm After The Storm

What a total contrast in weather this morning, so crisp and bright as I stepped out to take the dogs for their first quick walk. There was a definite calm to the atmosphere, as if everything was enjoying the quiet after the noise of the last two days. These sort of days give me a feel of urgency to get things done and be out and about.
So by 10.15 we were all set for a walk along the beach, to discover what treasures had been deposited by the trashing waves. The site still had areas of deep snow, which could catch you unawares if you weren't concentrating. Troy stepped into one that reached the top of his wellies. Me, I was more careful as I had my walking boots on, and didn't want my trousers wet before getting too far.
Once outside the gates we headed in a south easterly direction, towards Margate. This is a seaside resort, which in the summer is crowded with tourists. It is about 16 miles from where we are staying, but I had no intention of walking that far today.




We walked along the sea wall and then dropped down onto the beach to find the snow had laid in the dip of pebbles. It looked like a white path leading along the beach. The sea was much calmer, but the waves still rushed up the lower beach, and looked a very dirty colour off to the right of this picture.



As you can see from this the weather had not done with us yet, and it was wise not to walk too close to the shoreline without wellies on.


I was amazed at the amount of very finely polished oyster shells lying along the with the pebbles. They were not the usual bobbly shells, these had been sanded down so they were thinner and smoother. I gathered a few of these, I may make wind chimes with them or something. We also found two cuttlefish bones, which birds like as a source of calcium.
I am always amazed at the flotsam and jetsam which is left lying on the beach after a particulary rough tide. There were two very long planks of wood, which would have been good for some carpentry idea, but I didn't have one so they stayed put. I did however, find a very nice half log and a stripped tree, roots and all. These were deposited by some steps up onto the sea wall to collect on our way back.


Troy found this football for Willow. It was intact when he gave it to her, but not for long. She made haste to cause that ball as much damage as she could, carrying forward as we walked along our way. It kept her entertained for quiet a distance till she finally gave it up to the beach for the next passerby to finish off. Troy also found a tennis ball for Talin. This only kept him amused for a short while, as he became distracted by seaweed and sponges, which are fun to harass.


As we came to leave the beach and head back along the sea wall, I noticed grass growing on the pebble near the sea wall. Life will take a hold where ever it can find the right conditions.


This is Talin, our collie lercher, who is now nearly five months old. He has grown a lot in the three months we have had him. I call him longshanks sometimes, because his legs are so long.


This is our two year old staff , Willow. This is a rare moment, as she is not really one for having her photo taken. She is a petite little dog, who can run like the wind. She has been a good mum to our puppy, for which I am ever thankful.


As we walked back to pick up our wooden finds,I thought I would take a picture of the oyster farm. It seems quite a big place lying in the flat land below us. Lets hope they do not create too many that do not get eaten and go to waste.
Now as I write this the wind is once again whipping up into a frenzy for the night ahead. I wonder how much of the snow will be left when we arise tomorrow?

Winter Weather

The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow
But what will poor Robin do then, poor thing
He'll hide in the barn and keep himself warm
And hide his head under his wing, Poor Thing

This is a nursery rythme from when I was a child, it's not a particulary cheerful rythme as you feel sorry for the poor Robin. However, you know sure as eggs there's bound to be snow if you get harsh north winds blowing. Especially after the harsh north-easterly wind we have been experiencing for the last two days. Here at Reculver, that's where we are staying at the moment, the winds are coming directly off the North Sea. Yes this part of the south east coastline is on the North sea, as the English Channel only connects with it at the Dover Straits. So the winds can be very fierce once they have gusted across the North Sea from some far off colder region like Russia or Norway.
For the last two nights I have rocked backwards and forwards, side to side, in my little van as the winds danced to a merry tune outside. It is not an unpleasant feeling, but I find I can't sleep as the wind makes me restless. I suppose its the noise and motion that keep me awake, not that it bothers me more I want to know what it's doing. When I took the puppy out for his last walk at 3am I did not get too blown about, however, there was a fair amount of snow already fallen. It shone brightly up at us both, but did not deter us as we padded across the fresh layer of white. There were no other tracks on the ground only my footprints and his paw marks, to break up the picturesque landscape.
When I stepped out this morning to take both dogs for their first walk, it was as if we had not been out last night. The ground again was covered in a blanket of white, of course we soon changed that, me and two dogs can do a lot of damage. There had been a significant snow fall during the early hours, making it much deeper. When Troy saw the sight outside he was beside himself. 'This is just like when we were in Aviemore' he chirruped. ' and much better than that lot we had before'. By this he meant the snow we had in January, he was not that impressed with it as it only lasted in isolated places. Especially around our van to stop us moving. As you may have read he did get a bit of sledging in though, so it wasn't a total waste for him then.



After breakfast we donned all our many layers, topping off with wet weather gear and wellies, and set out to give the dogs a run around the site through the snow. As you can see Troy was also armed with his sledge just in case the hill behind our van was steep enough to slide down. Well you never know your luck.



However, on reaching the top he discovered that it just wasn't steep enough for him to get a good momentum on, so he had to abandon the idea of sledging. He did take the sledge with him just in case it came in handy for anything else. We both marvelled at the various depths of the snow, and could tell that the wind had blown snow across the ground piling it up in some places. I know that it is dangerous to be trapped in this kind of snow as you can get buried under snow drifts, but I find it quiet fascinating and artistic. It's almost like an artist had fashioned the various drifts to make the landscape look more appealing to the eye, making it less regimental and ordered.


The picture above is a water point, which is used by campers to get fresh water during the summer season. Now the water is turned off as the pipes would freeze. As you can see the snow is very deep here coming up to the water tap almost. In the background is my little staff dog, yes it's a real dog not a statue. She is looking under the vans for rabbits to chase, it's the best photo I will get of her as she is camera shy.


Here is some more snow art. It looks like an angel wind spreading out across the back of this van.


Here is another snow drift. This is a rubbish collection point, so there would be bins here in the summer season. Now it is empty except for the snow heaped in one corner, clinging to the fence like it's trying to get away from something. The tiny marks are Willows little paw prints.


This view shows the barren landscape that we have acros to the south of us. It looks partculary desolate covered in snow, but really they are fields with dykes. Over towards the North Sea wall is an oyster farm, which I am sorry to say I know nothing about as I haven't found anyone to ask. That's how quiet it is here, no body much about at all.


Yes those clouds in the distance did hearld more snow, but only a brief flutter. The sun shone brightly in the afternoon making both us and our van feel warmer. As I looked out before the sun finally set I could see that some of the snow had already thawed. Yes this would not last that long, just long enough to give us a bit of fun and make everything look beautiful and clean. Well where no one has trampled anyway.

Imbolc Blessings

Last Friday, 29th January 2010, Troy and I took the dogs for a walk through farmlands near off New Dover Road, Canterbury. These were once my old playground, I would scrump fruit from the trees and ground during the summer holidays as a child. Now they have been split up with only apples and pears, from what I could tell. It was a lovely walk which took us out to Bekesbourne Lane, which is on the other side of Canterbury going out towards Sandwich. We then had to walk up the lane and cut back into the farmland. I was lucky that I grew up in the area, as I would have been totally lost and had to tuen back. Troy had taken his bike with him, so he rode most of the way, but had to push it up Bekesbourne Lane till we reached the farmland again.
We were all throughly refreshed when we returned to the van, and ready for a cup of tea and something to eat. As we sat drinking our tea the heavens opened and both Troy and I thanked our lucky stars we had got back when we did. Not only would we have had muddy dogs, but they would have been soaked to the skin. It did not last for very long and was replaced with beautiful sunshine and blueish skies. It shone brightly helping to warm us in our van, giving more heat to the fire already up to full heat. Then the skies darkened and the sun disappeared behind a big dark cloud. Troy was spell bound by the rapid changing weather, he could not believe how quickly it had changed from one extreme to the other. More was to come, as I looked out and saw approaching us from the north east a blanket of white clouds. Then it hailed, very small balls of hard ice which bounced on the road and the van making quiet a din. We watched out of the window as the wind blew the icing sugar around in swirls. It was a bit like watching sand dance across a beach. As well as the hail it started to snow, big clumps of snow which quickly began to give things a white covering. I looked back out towards the north east and saw patches of blue sky. Troy could not believe it, here it was snowing yet in the distance he could see blue skies. The little flurry did not last long at all, being hurried along by the wind, but it had been enough to give a sugar frosting to the ground and settle in clumps on our step outside. The wonders of the weather as they zip across the skies is the most amazing sight I have ever seen, and am now fortunate to have witnessed two such events.



However, I digress as I am apt to do. As we walked along the hedgerows and orchards I noticed very tiny buds starting to appear on the bare branches. I am sorry for the quality of the pictures but I had my tweenies gloves on, these are nice thick thermal swede gloves so my dexterity is a bit cumbersome to say the least. I was gladdened to see such a magical sight, as this gives us a hint that spring is beginning to awaken from the depths of her slumber.





I imagine the beautiful colours that will spread like wildfire, lighting the way and giving a lift to everyone's heart. This does not mean that winter is over, far from it as my pre-ramble noted. He still walks the Earth spreading his white blankets here and there, making the landscape glisten and sparking with the hard frosts in the morning and sending biting winds from way up in the north.




Every day we have more daylight, which is becoming stronger and brighter filling us with his warmth. These are the things I have been noticing recently, and have delighted in the scences as they unfold before my eyes.


The last three nights have been bright with the moon in all her glory. She has shone radiantly across the night sky, giving light to the dark areas. The skies have been clear, so the stars have twinkled just that little bit more in her wake, looking more like gemstones than ever. It is so serene being out with the dogs after midnight, listening to the sounds of animals going about their business in the woods and fields. I am ever thankful for the life I now lead, which allows me to live close to nature and enjoy all she has to offer.
So this Imbolc I am sowing my seeds so that I may enjoy a bountiful harvest come the summer months.
Bright Blessings to all

Joyful Times

At last I can settle and write about our time over Christmas and the snowy period. We spent the festive season with my sister, in her house. Which is a bit like going on holiday for us. Troy was very lucky in that he was able to have a room to himself, as normally he has to share with me. This was a great adventure for him, as well as great comfort for me. It is the first time he has had a room for just him and his things, so he has spent a lot of time in this space creating and just being himself. This is something most kids take for granted, unless they have to share with an older sibling, but Troy moved from sharing with me as a baby to living in a van. He does have his own space in the van as he sleeps above the driving cab, but it is not the same as a whole room to oneself.
We had snow the week before Christmas and everyone was getting excited that we may actually have a white Christmas. The South East of England tends to be too warm for snow, but this time the winds were coming from the North East so anything was possible. Canterbury was not cut off completley but there were some difficulties with roads and railways. This became very apparent when we had our stall at the Yule Festival in Canterbury on the 19th December. The turn out was quite poor so we did not sell alot of our wares, but never-the-less we had a good time meeting new people.
Then we set to getting ready for Christmas day and time with the rest of our families. My sister decided we would have a goose for Christmas dinner this time, and I have to say it was a delicious meal fit for kings and queens.



It was stuffed with a sweet and savoury stuffing and lasted about three days in all. She even managed to save the fat for cooking with at a later date. I have never eaten goose before, and although it was very expensive it was delicious and filling. Even Troy liked the meat and stuffing.
New Year was also spent with my sister and her daughter and children. We all saw the New Year in together, toasting with glasses of wine and juice. It was great fun to have the kids around as they are so entertaining, especially when up late as they get second wind.
Then the snow really came to Canterbury. It was thick and fast and determined to stay for a while. We were stuck, our van was snowed in and so we stayed at my sister's as there was nothing else we could do.





Once it had laid and set it snowy claws into the ground we took the dogs over to the University where there is a bomb crater, ideal for sledging down. As we walked throught the woods and fields we were amazed at how the landscape had been transformed by the snow. Of course we had experienced scence like this the first year we were away. You see we had our first winter on the road up in Aviemore, and had snow from 16th December right round till April. Well not constantly, but off and on. So snow covered scences were a delight to behold once again, making Troy wish he was back in the Highlands of Scotland sking on the Cairngorm mountain. The weather had been so cold that the ponds had even frozen over, although neither of us was brave enough to test them out.



Eventually we found ourselves at the site for sledding, and Troy got himself ready to have a bit of fun in the snow. He was lucky to have a sledge from our time in the Highlands, so he could just get on and slid to his hearts content.



This site is good as it has deep side running down to the bottom of the crater so there is far enough to get a good slid on.






Whilst standing watching his exploits, and having a few go's myself of course! I saw a couple of ladies of the older generation whizzing down the slopes on wooden sledges.





Neither of them had any concerns about all the young people around they just got on with having their own enjoyment. They were having a great time, as much fun as anyone else.





I stopped them for a quick picture as I was so amazed to see them flying down the hill without a care in the world. One of the ladies had had a knee replacement, but htat has not stopped her, as they both get out and about all the time. They enjoy life to the full and are not afraid to try new things. For me that is what life is all about, not sitting at home waiting for the eneviatble to happen. Long may it last for the both of them.




As you can see our new puppy Talin has grown as is now bigger than Willow, but that does not stop her from doing anything. We are blessed to have such lovely dogs who love being out and about whatever the weather.
Now the snow has gone, and although there maybe more snow elsewhere we will probably not see that much more this year. Soon we will be back in our own home doing what we do. I hope everyone has enjoyed the snow wherever they are, and not stopped life just because it was too cold, or their drives and roads were blocked. We need to remember that life goes on no matter waht the media and Government say. Don't be afraid just live.

November's adventures

As we stepped into Novemeber we decided to have bit of fun. We found some old stuff we had been meaning to do and acquired some new additions. I hope you enjoy our latest adventures.




This is a group of fairy houses we found at the back of our van one morning. They had appeared overnight, like a group of nomads. They enchanted us with their little homes, and made us wonder why they had picked this spot to set up camp on. Well why not, this is exactly what we do, find somewhere nice and stay for a few days, so why can't they? Every morning we would peek outside to see if our neighbours were still about, and wish them well.


Then all of a sudden one morning we saw that they had broken up their camp and departed. I can't say I blame them, as the rains had set in the night before and so the ground they had been using was boggy. A shame they had to go so quickly, we had enjoyed their company.


As the weather was bright we decided to take advantage and have a go at making and firing a rocket. It was a bit disappointing, well look at the size of it? Troy had trouble blowing the rocket any distance. Yes this was a rocket you had to use your breath to make take flight. After a couple of attempts Troy was fed up. I have to say so was I, me lungs ain't what they use to be for blowing rockets into space!


This is our new addition to the family, Talin the border collie pup. He is eight weeks old here. We went to Hastings to pick him up, and he has been a joy and a terror. One forgets what puppies are like, so Troy has had to get use to having a ball of fun, which is into all his bits. He has done well in the van, learning quickly to do his business on the newspaper. I have to say he is a quick learner, and our other dog, Willow is a good teacher. For a Staff she has been a good little mum to him, so I have no worries about his behaviour on our travels.


Now we are staying at my sister's in readiness for the Christmas celebrations, so he is having to learn how to live in a house. With so much space, he's not sure what to do or where to go. There are four dogs in this house now, so it will be all fun.
We are busy making lots of trinkets for the Yule Fayre, and hoping to make a bit of money for Christmas gifts. Otherwise it will be much as normal, but with four dogs to walk, and an extra adult to think about. The van is parked up nearby, and will be hibernating for a while.

New Year blessings

I can not quite believe it myself, but we are now starting our sixth year in our motor home. I should explain myself here, we set out at the end of October 2004 and spent Samhain in our van. So each Samhain I class as the end of our year, which is in keeping with old ways, as at this time of year everything dies off ready to be re-born in the spring. So communitites celebrated the harvest they had reaped and made ready for the coming winter months.
We have travelled some miles in that time, seeing wonderful sights and meeting such diverse people throughout the British Isles. My son has now just turned ten and has grown an enormous amount in the past five years. His talent for drawing and creating evolves as I write. It is a wonder to see him conjure up a picture in what seems like no time at all. He is also reading fluently and enjoying different books, his favourite are still comic books. Of course super heros are still his real passion, which little boy does not aspire to some hero or another, and the comic books give him art ideas.
He has created quite a few short comic strips involving family and pets. At the moment he is working on a six page comic of 'The League of Extraordinary Dogs'. We await with baited breath. He has a good creative imagination, I'm sure it helps with other learning as he seems to try to picture things in his mind and then find a comparission to help him understand whatever we are discussing. The other day whilst out walking the dogs he started to develop ideas for a story. We were walking through some woods and suddenly he began to laugh. I stopped and looked at him and enquired if he was alright. " Yes I just had an image of a soothsayer I want to put into a story about magic portals in a wood. He is naked except for a tea towel made into pants" He giggled. When we got in he did no more than drew the man in his surroundings. He did look quite funny.
Then he set about writing his story, this is the more difficult part for him. He finds spelling challenging, and ends up having to explain what word he has tried to write. The English language is very difficult, as not all words can be sounded out, and sometimes letters masquared as a different sound. I had not even taken into account this difficultly until Troy started to write. We do spellings, but he stumbles at the sounds of the words. However, he ploughs on, even if only for a short while. He has gone back to the story and added sentences. Like everything else he learns he will get there, but it must be frustrating to have lots of corrections in your writing most of the time. I try not to make a big thing of it, and praise him whole heartedly when he gets the spelling right. We do spelling tests but I try not to make them a chore, don't want to put him off now he's on the road.
I have succesfully re-sealed all the joins in the outside of my van. It was letting in water as the old seal was either non-existent or peeling away. I had that done three years ago, so I can't complain too much. This time I was quoted over a thousand pounds and to move out of my van for two days. Well that was out of the question, as was the price. So I posted on a wildcamp site and got some very helpful suggestions. I invested in two tubes of sealent used on boats and have completed the job in eight hours over two days, whilst still living in my van. As you can probably tell I am very pleased with myself. I have to add that I am also pleased I did a good job as no rain has leaked in.
I am still trying to find a publisher for my book, failing that I would love people to read it and give their honest opinions, but I don't know how to do this either. I am a complete techonovice and find it all a bit difficult. This blog has taken some getting used to and I find putting it all together traumatic. I just can't seem to get pictures in the right place, so anything else is beyond me in computer respects. I am beginning to put together some future works So I also get confused as to where everything should go.
We are having a bit of us time now before yuletide and family time descend, as most of our time this year has been dominated by work and caring for others. Since being back in Canterbury we have cherished our time with family and friends, but delight in the peace and sanctity we call home. Taking the dog out late at night I can truly enjoy the wonder of the unvierse as it sparkles down at us. We are but a mere dot in the expanse of space. Last night as I looked up at Mars I saw a shooting star. They flash across the night sky bursting forth and are gone before you can even make your wish. I have not seen shooting stars since 2007, so I was especially glad to have been out at that precise moment. The night sky was alight with stars, so clear after the storm that had raged through the south east for two days.
I understand why the Americans call their homes on wheels land yachts, as ours swayed to and fro in the winds which danced a merry dance outside. As we sat in our van the wind outside sounded like an old toy Troy had had. It was a long plastic corrugated tube, with an end like a speaking tube. You whirlled it around and it made a noise. It made us chuckle listening to this sound. Our mirth was brought to an abrupt end when we both felt like we were on a see-saw. Not quite 'Wizard of Oz' but nearly I'd say.
Our days now will be filled with wood and walks, books and drawings and of course food and drink. During all this it is important to still the mind and concentrate on walking one step at a time, then look at what surrounds you. You will notice even the smallest detail in the surrounding world, which we so often miss. I look forward to what awaits us in the coming year and know there will be new experiences out there to help us on our way.