I went on holiday for a week and didn't hear any news at all. It was rather lovely. Was there any? Does it matter whether I know about it or not? I do of course know the cricket score, which was force fed to me by the urchins. Otherwise I am a blank slate.
Wales was glorious as ever. The sea, the mountains, the air, the greenness, the sheep and the gentle, beautiful Welsh rain, keeping everything lush. Water trickling over slate, ferns growing out of walls, moss covering old wood and ancient stone, lichens creeping slowly over rocks.
There was mountain biking, body boarding, swimming, dog walking and stone skimming. And more ice-cream than you could shake a stick at. The biggest boy and I went to Bardsey Island for the day. There are just a handful of houses there, and of course several dozen sheep. Someone has a polytunnel and grows salad and you can buy homemade jams and chutneys. It is utterly peaceful. I would rather like to stay there for a while, far from the madding crowd as it were.
But for now I am at home, where the mad crowd are round and about, but all is as it should be and I am grateful and glad. The dog is tired but doing his job of keeping everyone accounted for and rounded up well as ever. I'm tired too as it happens. Holidays can be hard work, but oh so lovely. One day I think I shall move to Wales and have a slate wall of my very own, with ferns growing out of it and moss on the steps. In the meantime I am happy to be here, with a messy garden, a laundry mountain and everyone present and accounted for. If you have any news of your own, I would love to hear, but you don't need to bother updating me on the rest of the world, I shall save that for another day. Or not.
It looks and sounds like a lovely holiday!
ReplyDeleteI stopped listening to the news years ago, so can't give you any updates. All I hear these days is the late-summer song of cicadas and the occasional growl of a lawn mower. :)
That last photo of your 3 young men is wonderful! They are growing up so tall and gracefully. I know that you are proud of them, and of all of your (and their dad's) hard work over the years.
ReplyDeleteYour holiday sounds perfect and Bardsey Island idyllic. I'll have to put it on my Bucket List. I'm getting more like my Aunt Hilda when it comes to news. She point blank refused to listen to it on the basis that it was never good news. I find it just upsets me and there is very little I can do about any of it, yet it still holds some sort of macabre draw. Maybe just the cricket score is the way to go ..... if only I understood the rules! Good luck with Laundry Mountain :0) . xx
ReplyDeleteSo glad you obviously enjoy your lovely family, make the most of it, when you are old they will be off with their own. Being old and alone stinks, you are so lucky to have such a busy, eventful life, you are such a lovely family.
ReplyDeleteAah skimming stones, a wonderful pursuit, and hole digging too. What a perfect holiday in your favourite place. Avoiding news is my favourite occupation. If the news is on I’m often to be found with earphones in listening to the Archers! Hope the washing pile goes down rapidly and your week is a good one. B x
ReplyDeleteDear CJ, there are some lovely photos of your holiday, especially the final one. From memory of your last visit to Wales, as well as this one, you are whetting my appetite for a Welsh extension holiday when I next come to the U.K. Thankyou for that. I alway think the worst part of a holiday is the pile of washing when you get home again. All's well here, except this week is filled with many doppler scans and a 24 hour heart monitor test. It seems as though every day I have 1 or more appointments, but I am hoping the cardiologist won't need to give me a quick call to hospital. Time will tell. On the wider news in Oz we had a terrible knife attack in Sydney - down streets I often walk. 1 dead and 1 stabbed, but we were amazed by the heroes who chased him getting people out of his way, and finally bringing him down with cafe chairs and a milk crate, preventing many deaths. It takes a while to get over these attacks..... Please don't talk about cricket to an Australian...... The 2nd test was such a disappointment. We did have such high hopes..... Good luck with the washing. Do a little bit each day until you catch up. Regards, Robyn
ReplyDeleteIt's good to leave the world behind at times.
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ReplyDeleteHi there, lovely photos. I made a conscious decision to avoid the tv news about 6 months ago and now I feel much less stressed at the awful things that happen in the world that I can't do anything to change. I do have the local radio on most of the day so I occasionally hear the news bulletins but they concentrate on local items with only the merest hint of what's happening in the wider world so don't find it so upsetting to listen to. My husband updates me on some of the head lines and if I want to know more, which must of the time I don't, I ask him for details. Why worry about things that you have no control over when there is so many things that require my attention family, job, home, garden, cooking, working with my church to improve our community and local environment. Why not give missing the news to stay in a positive frame of mind after your holiday.
Lovely post and pictures. The ones of Bert and one of the boys similarly posing made me smile.
ReplyDeleteI've given up on the news in general so it's no good asking me. I'm happy enough just plotting and reading. xx
News here: The park I used to visit daily as a small child, and where I still go for occasional walks, is celebrating its 90th birthday. Beautiful flowers, ancient trees, wide expanses of lawn, birds, goats, horses and a few small lakes. Its beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat's the sort of news people want to hear.
Isn't the lack of news the absolute best thing about holidays? Gorgeous photos of Wales, you make it look so beautiful. I have never been (apart from a school trip aged 11 which I don't think counts) but my parents are big fans and regularly take their caravan there for walking and Welsh cakes. As for the news, god, i just can't. I am starting to think I should be stockpiling loo roll in the event of No Deal. :-(
ReplyDeleteI'm blissfully ignorant of most news...husband gives me a brief, not-too-upsetting, daily digest and so I'm just slightly less than oblivious. I'm absolutely okay with that.
ReplyDeleteWales sounds sheer perfection. I would probably like to live there too. xoxo
Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all.
ReplyDeleteBeing absent from news has a lot to recommend it I think. Gorgeous pic of your three boys all together. But please tell them to stop growing so rapidly! You'll have three men there before you know it xx
ReplyDeleteOMG, you have grown yourself some men! Lovely holiday photos. I would love to visit Wales one day, shame it is so far away. I haven't watched the news since Christmas.... just read the news headlines and occasionally read an article. Most of my worldly education comes from radio programmes now, Woman's Hour in particular and some other Radio 4 programmes. I hope you have a wonderful weekend xx
ReplyDeleteYou write beautifully of Wales! I love that pic of the three boys lined up in height order! Sounds like you had a wonderful break. I've been away too and really enjoyed the lack of news and internet. xxx
ReplyDeleteI rather like the idea of not hearing any news given the state of this dismal country!
ReplyDeleteFairly new to your blog as seen from Attic 24's blog, and am inspired by your writing. Love your photos and commentary of life. I have three lads too ( all grown and flown, well almost) so I can identify with much. Very surprised to read you had visited Bardsey. My dad has many links to the island and visits regularly I have been several times too- beautiful place. I too am numbed when I hear the news.. and feel like I need to dive into a bunker!
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