The Circle of Life.

What a week it has been.  We started the week with our first walk of the season on Sunday afternoon.  It was meant to be a gentle stroll, but lured by early Spring sunshine and previously undiscovered (by us that is) woodland very close to home on the outskirts of Barming, it soon became a two hour stride, reminding me that neither my bladder, not my joints are as young as they used to be.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any photographs to share here, so you will need to picture the two of us rambling along the circular track through tall trees, still twig brown, in bud but not yet in leaf, jackets slung casually over our shoulders, relishing the warm sun on our faces ... then perhaps on the return trail you can picture me hobbling behind Stuart, whining frequently about how much my poor feet ached! 

I have borrowed the image below to show you where we were walking.  Coincidentally, it looks as though the photographer took his pic at a similar time of year!

North Pole Road through Oaken Wood - looking east towards Barming.

© Copyright Richard Sanders and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

Sadly during Sunday night, my elderly and very frail cat Leo slipped quietly away in his sleep.  He had been a starving feral kitten rescued by my sister and I when he was only about three months old and with careful handling, became a gentle, loving adult cat.  After many years together I was terribly sad to lose him, but comforted by the fact he was with his old pal Toffee when his time came, rather than in a sterile surgery across town.  Fortunately, by chance my son was home from work that day and took care of everything for me, even coping manfully with my tears!   I'm so grateful to him, not to mention proud of him. 

Anthony blowing out his 25th birthday candles.

Speaking of Anthony, on Tuesday we celebrated his 25th birthday and it occurred to me that both my offspring are now over a quarter of a century old.  I am amazed and somewhat alarmed by how fast the years have flown and to borrow a cliche, yes it does still feel like only yesterday they were babes in arms!  At the moment both Fay and Anthony still live with me, but my son is now in the process of buying his first house with his girlfriend and will be setting up his new home in the next couple of months; he won't be too far away though - still near enough to call in a crisis, thank goodness!

As far as my bear making goes, this week has been far from productive.  Creativity always seems to take a back seat at times of upset, leaving me feeling rather flat, but as I have so much to do this month, it's time for me to pick myself up, dust myself down and set to work today.  Right, sewing machine, here I come!