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Monday 10 December 2018

Owl Wood and Village Life



This is Owl Wood and Parsonage Cottage viewed from the barley field.    It looks like a little village because of the number of sheds which seem to be an essential part of country life!  Log stores, tool shed, workshops, old chicken house, polytunnel, plus large compost bins and assorted log storage and cutting areas. 

I should say here, Owl Wood is not as large as it looks in this photograph, it is merely the portion on the left, the other trees are across the lane and belong to assorted farmers!   The barley field doesn't belong to us, either, it just feels that way because Farmer T calls it our lawn. 

Most of the leaves have fallen  and the majority seemed to find their way to the main patio, in drifts several feet deep, thanks to the wild and mischievous winds.  I love the trees throughout the seasons, the splendour of the foliage in spring, summer and the glories of autumn, but in winter I take pleasure in seeing the graceful elegance of their form.   

Owl Wood is always interesting, at this time of year there are lots of berries and fungi, a few crab apples still cling to the trees and the ground is strewn with lots of fallen branches and twigs.    There will be plenty of warming exercise in clearing that lot up, the payoff being that there will be lots of kindling to be dried and used throughout the winter.





I have spotted all manner of mushrooms, some nibbled one day, gone the next, nice to think that they made a good meal for a hungry animal.


I would love to know who ate this - squirrel, deer, rabbit?














Some fungi nestling among the undergrowth, others growing on the old trees stumps and dead wood.

















One of these days I will take my camera with me, these are all snapped on my phone, though I should really call it a camera, because I hardly ever use it for calls.









At this time of year it is a real joy to see the texture of old tree trunks, green ivy leaves and red berries, they never fail to delight me.





The north side of the old hen house - the roof is covered with beautiful green moss.




I headed into Louth, to get my hair cut.      It isn't the easiest salon to find, you have to walk down a tiny dark alley, head towards the light and you come out into a small courtyard.






Earlier in the year the courtyard is filled with masses of beautiful blooms, even in November they still manage to keep it looking attractive.    This is only the second time I have been there, it is a bit more down market than the place I used to visit, it costs less, but the hair cuts so far have been very good.

My previous hairdresser worked in a much more upmarket salon, and had magical scissors.   On my last visit to her she was running on time, but ended up at least twenty minutes late, because the customer before me had just returned from a holiday in Disney World, which just happened to be where she had booked a holiday.

They spent most of my appointment time oggling photographs on the customer's phone.   I really needed to have my hair cut, so I bit down my impatience at their rudeness and her unprofessional behaviour.    I should have left.    Her head was still filled with Disney, she gave me the worst haircut. 

So far, so good at the new salon.




Can you tell that I am taking life at a slower pace?    I have the time to make a start on a lovely Christmas jigsaw puzzle - I bought it from a charity shop, so I hope it has all the pieces!   I also made a huge batch of Ginger biscuits to fill up the biscuit barrel, they keep really well and seem appropriately warming for this time of year.

No time for puzzles today, though.   I need to bake a cake this morning, once I have walked the dog and seen my grandchildren onto the school bus. 

It is the second Monday in the month, which means that our village hall will be a meeting place for some of the older people in the area.    A sing song has been planned - oh joy!   If I play my cards right, I could man the kettle and serve the cake, keep busy and avoid having to sing along.

There won't be a meeting in January, but in February we are having someone in to give us a lesson on marbling paper, which should be fun.   It will cost us about £5 each, but to be honest, I would pay that just to avoid having to sing.  😳😸



40 comments:

  1. That hairdresser would have infuriated me. No wonder you changed. Love the mossy roof of your hen house.

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    1. I almost feel as though I should sit on the roof and kick off the moss but, a few of the verses could make me quite cross... "Quick nurse, bring the tranquillisers ..."

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  2. Your phone(and you!) take very good photos. Jigsaw looks good - hope it's all there.
    Amazing amount of moss on that roof and with all those mushrooms too,I would have guessed you were somewhere much wetter than Lincolnshire.

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    1. We live in quite a wet area, Sue. Very large fish ponds, the river which runs through the river and supplies the trout farm across the road. Luckily our house doesn't normally suffer, but the village does get cut off at either end during very wet weather. I found a very nice Christmas puzzle in the bottom of the village hall cupboard, I have blown the dust off and brought it home. We'll do that one over the holidays, too.

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  3. Lovely post, got me off to a good start today. I love the colour of the moss on the roof. Nice to see another blogger doing a jigsaw, I sometimes think that Tom and I are the only ones doing them.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Hello Briony, I'm glad it started the day off nicely. The puzzle is of the interior of a 1950's style shop, it is very evocative of days gone by. Our granddaughter loves to spend time working on it, after tea and before she goes home - far better for her than watching the television.

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  4. Enjoyed the read, thank you. Re hairdressers, I changed from local salon to home visits by a different hairdresser. The hairdresser at the shop charged £30 plus pounds whereas I pay a mere £13 at home!

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    1. Hello Valerie, Goodness, that is a huge difference, well worth making the change. My new hairdresser charges £9 less than the previous one, which was an unexpected bonus! Better to keep the extra money in our own pockets.

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  5. Lovely photos, phones are so good these days. I liken going to the hairdressers worse than dentists! Its awful that you suffer from a bad haircut just because they are not concentrating, especially when they chat and snip snip opps! I would look forward to your marbling day too, not a bad price at 5.00 xcx

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    1. Hello Chrissie, The phone I use is a very old one, passed on by one of my sons, my husband has our daughter's old one. Both phones do all that we require, but best of all they fit so easily in a pocket, unlike any of my cameras! I'm really looking forward to the marbling session.

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  6. Replies
    1. Absolutely! Slow and steady just about sums me up these days.

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  7. Such a lovely post, full of gentle times and things to enjoy. I would have been irritated by the hairdresser too I'm glad you have found a better one. Owl Wood is looking wonderful, it must be a joy to walk there and spot all the changes that take place overnight:)

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    1. Hello Rosie, It was cold and frosty this morning, the air was still and the sun shone brightly, it was all incredibly beautiful. The only days I don't walk in Owl Wood is when the wind is wild, far too dangerous, so I really do get to observe the smallest changes. A few days ago I noticed that the snowdrops are all beginning to point their tips up through the ground, that seems really early.

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  8. Owl Wood is such a delightful sounding place as you describe it. Your singing can't be all that bad.

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    1. Oh yes it can! Owl Wood is a wonderful place, our hens used to roam free in there, Marcia, but these days it is normally just me, Toby dog, and my two cats who use it. The rest of the family prefer to use it during the warm weather!

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  9. Such great photos, and a wonderful walk to the hair salon. I love the barley field, as it feels like you could catch a deep breath along a very crisp walk. Is the hen house warm with the insulation of the green growth on it? Such a wonderland you live in!

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    1. Hello wyomingheart, Sadly, we don't have hens these days. We have had three little flocks, all great characters, they were all very comfortable in that hen house and they loved the freedom they had to roam around Owl Wood through the day, living the good life! The barley field is where I normally start and end dog walks, apart from soggy days, then we come back along the lane, trying to get rid of some of the mud!

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    2. Well Elaine, Owl Wood seems to be such a treasure! Sorry you haven't any hens at the moment, but perhaps you will next summer!

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  10. What a lovely place to live. I've been through so many hairdressers - they tend to start off great, then either lose their mojo or put me through too many instances of lateness, lack of focus, etc. I am lucky to have a great hairdresser now. Your village sounds like a little bit of Heaven.

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    1. Hi Susan, Three cheers for the good ones! I would love to walk you round our village, I think you would be shocked at just how tiny it is, but I could also show you some truly beautiful places. It is a funny old place!

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  11. Delightful, all...!!!!!!!

    Thank you for saying, which part, is your Owl Wood. I *asked* to myself, that question, immediately! Perhaps you are posting, with all my questions in mind! ,-))))) Tell first. Saves time, in having to respond to the questions, of your Nosy Reader. -giggggles-

    ✨🎄✨

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    1. Not nosy, interested, Nanci! When I took the photograph I was busy wondering just how many sheds/workshops one man really needs, additional ones keep sprouting up around our place. Goodness knows what he will start on once he finishes building the garages! Everyone needs a hobby, but why can't he settle for whittling, or carving.

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  12. My goodness I would have been infuriated at the Hairdressers too, I would also have changed too. Gerard and I are working on a Christmas jigsaw, we find them therapeutic amidst the chaos.

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    1. I have also borrowed another one from a long-forgotten cache I found at the back of a cupboard in the village hall. It is a lovely, evocative scene. Goodness only knows how long it has been in that cupboard.

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  13. What a lovely area you live in. The fungi nibbles would intrigue me too. Jigsaws are also still part of our lives here too. A friend has let us a Christmas themed Wasgij that we'll start on Christmas Eve I think.

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    1. That sounds like a good way to get into the mood, T. I have found some beautiful fungi this year, often when I have forgotten to take my phone with me, of course! During the last few days I have noticed that there are lots of tiny shoots coming up in Owl Wood, the snowdrops are getting ready for action.

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  14. ops -- should have proof-read that - our friend has lent us the puzzle!

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  15. I hope you marble lots and lots of paper. It is most useful stuff.

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    1. I am looking forward to that one, Joanne. It has now become a 'free' session, a friend has decided to pay for the whole group. I shall, of course, take photographs!

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  16. sorry about your previous hairdresser; you did well to find someone else. Me, I just cut my own hair. In fact, I did so this morning. Took off about 2 inches, but still long enough to cover the back of my neck/keep it warm.

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    1. Brave! That must save a small fortune over the years. I once cut my daughter's fringe (bangs) it looked as though a donkey had been chewing it, a sad reflection on my lack of ability! She has never let me forget it. ;)

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  17. Had mt heir cut today, not quiet as short as I do in the summer. Really pleased with it.
    Fungus looks like it is doing well, most o fthe stuff I see has gon over to mush

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    1. Hello Bill, That's you nice and neat for the festivities then!

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  18. Lovely gentle post. Time for a walk and a haircut. I seem to be running on the spot here. Christmas comes at a time when the garden needs lots of attention - watering, weeding, deadheading etc etc.

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    1. I hope you find some time to relax and put your feet up, Susan! Pesky weeds.

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  19. Your pictures are glorious, I love the red berries so much.

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    1. Some days the light is such that the red berries seem to glow like Christmas tree lights! Very jolly.

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.