early morning walks, misty meadows and clear skies, mst reading, trust: a family story, dialogue with yourself, there now

Really enjoying my early morning walks to the north and west of the village. Some earlier than others.

A low mist over the meadows one day, clear skies the next.

Loved reading from Trust: A family story at the (virtual) residence of the new cohort of MSt in Creative Writing students.

Yes, Trust is finished. I think when I've said this in the past it has been wishful thinking. The rewriting and editing stages bring you back into contact with painful memories and you can only bear that for short periods. There have to be longish intervals between them, and as the years pass you hope you have got there. But the next 'final' read through proves you wrong.

On a positive note, the successive re-readings form an extensive dialogue with yourself over time and this helps you to come to terms with the past.

It is there now.

holiday!, cotswold wildlife park, apples and toms, time, sisters by daisy johnson

Have had a great week off - and the holiday still has a few days to go. Didn't head for Switzerland and the French Alps this year, for obvious, sad, reasons. West Oxfordshire and the allotment have been excellent alternatives, if a little flatter. Went to the Cotswold Wildlife Park mid-week for the first time since we moved here. Not a fan of zoos generally but loved walking round. Beautiful landscape and the animals and birds looked well, were wonderful to see and were fascinating. Would definitely go back.

Apples and tomatoes have been delicious but are coming to an end - the apples definitely, the toms probably.

I realise there have been loads of things I meant to write about here over the past month or so, which I never had a moment for, it was so busy at work.

Holiday reading: Sisters by Daisy Johnson.

holiday harvest, truly delicious maris peer!, allotment-cation

 

Allotment harvest for our holiday Sunday lunch. J doing roast beef.

Curious shapes and some crops not doing as well as they might due to the high winds during the week. Bean poles at crazy angles.

Maris Peer spuds, though, are amazing. You could eat a saucepan full on their own - that good. Can't take any credit for this - must have hit the season right. Just as other years I hit it completely wrong.

Have over a week off now, which is terrific. Need a bit of a break.

Staycation? Of course. Allotment-cation, as well!

st mary's bampton, north view, high moor, holidays, vc's day off!

 

St Mary's, Bampton, photographed from the north this time (previous view was from the west), from the start of the high moor - if I have interpreted the location of that geographical feature correctly.

Have some time off now - hooray! Starting with today's Vice Chancellor's holiday - a day off for the whole university in recognition of all the work that has been done during the pandemic, thus far.

fiery, st mary's bampton, downton abbey church

 

A fiery start earlier this week.

St Mary's Bampton - the Downton Abbey church - from the Ham Court track.

purple loosestrife, heatwave, mirage, joyous, or invader?

 

Purple loosestrife, early morning, during the heatwave.

Something slightly strange about the depth of field - making the plant look like a mirage, almost. Appropriate, though.

If it captures just a little of the joyously refreshing sight that the flower was, it will have done well!

Fascinated to find that in Oregon purple loosestrife is seen as an invader that needs to be controlled in order to protect local species.

happy memories, fonthill, work

 

Happy memories of walking round the Fonthill estate in Wiltshire last month. It had been raining before we set off but fortunately it held off while we were out.

Seems such a long time ago that we were there. There's been so much to do at work!