I get up with the larks - usually around 5.15am, depending on how hungry senior cat Sparky is. She has developed a method of loudly picking at the kitchen/hallway door and once started, she doesn't stop until someone gets up to see to her.
I am the weakest link.
Just as well I am also a morning person and have always preferred early mornings to late nights.
Naturally, Toby and Millie then decide that if I am up and about then I can take care of them, too. So I feed the cats, let Toby out to stretch his legs and puss-cat Millie usually goes with him. She doesn't actually go anywhere, just sits on the back doorstep, waiting for him to come in again. Then they both demolish their breakfasts, while I empty the dishwasher and boil the kettle to make a very strong coffee.
I check emails, read newspapers online, flick through a few blogs and then get ready to face the day.
If the schools are on holiday then I am free to go out whenever I like with Toby. On school days I have to cook breakfast for two of my grandchildren and keep an eye on them until the school buses come along.
Toby and the girls take the opportunity to take another nap, worn out after their early start, no doubt.
Once I am free to roam the fields I head off to wherever my feet lead me.
Sometimes the wild wood calls to me, other days I may go along by the beautiful watermill, then out along the bridle path, or through the fields to the lovely old dovecote or, perhaps, take a quick walk round the church on the hill.
I enjoy all of those walks and many others, too. Me and the dog. He is very good company, he doesn't expect any conversation but we do exchange many glances!
Often I don't meet another soul, occasionally I see a friend, or someone I know and I will stop for a quick chat. I enjoy the chats but I am more than happy to walk by myself and enjoy the peace and freedom.
An hour later, refreshed and reinvigorated we return home. I kick off my muddy boots, then set to work getting the mud and water off Toby. His reward is a couple of dog biscuits and as I give them to him I often wonder whether it is the walks, or the biscuits which he enjoys more.
My reward is a cup of tea and a bowl of porridge, housework awaits.
A lovely gentle snapshot of your day. What a saintly super star you are Elaine, I am totally in awe, not a nasty bone in your body.
ReplyDeleteLXX
Hold on a mo while I get rid of that halo, Linda, it's choking me! No super star/saint, just a regular, flawed, human. I am currently enjoying my second coffee and trying to whip up some enthusiasm to face the rest of the morning. Grandchildren will be here in 20 minutes so that caffeine had better kick in soon.
DeleteOne of my cats picks at my bedroom door and meows very loudly until I let her in every single morning, I know that she will do it but it annoys me every time, lol. She is so persistent and will stay there for anything up to and hour.
ReplyDeleteUnlike you I am a night person and hate getting up early, I wish it was not so but I have always been like it.
Briony
x
Hello Briony, persistence could be their middle name, Sparky doesn't stop, either. As soon as the light starts to fade, so do I. I have often fancied being a night owl, but then Morpheus comes calling and away I go. ;)
DeleteI'm an early bird too, especially in summer, but sometimes in winter (like today) I surprise myself and wake up around 9, but I do have a cold at the moment so that's my excuse!
ReplyDeleteYou are good not to have breakfast until you've been out with Toby, but then I suppose you can settle down properly once he's walked.
Walks have been in short supply recently as it has scarcely stopped raining and I'm not a fan of wet weather walks unless it's a drizzle - pouring is another matter . . .
Hi BB, When I was younger I didn't eat breakfast at all; these days I find that I look forward to it, a reward for getting the grandchildren off to school and the dog worn out and settled. Don't tell anyone, but I like a glug of evaporated milk on the porridge - reminds me of my childhood, I am regressing!
DeleteI hope you get over this cold rather more speedily than the last one - and if plenty of rest is a possibility, then it can only do you good. Enjoy it - and don't forget the elderberry rob. Walks, especially given how much rain you have had, must be quite tricky - another reason to rest.
I am another morning person. Once awake I am unable to just lie there doing nothing, so I much prefer to get up and start the day, albeit at a more leisurely pace. I miss having a dog to walk. X
ReplyDeleteHi Jules, I know exactly what you mean, especially once we have those longer daylight hours. I love having my canine companion but, previously, I spent a couple of years doing the same walks on my own, I love having that thinking time as well as the exercise.x
DeleteSounds like a lovely morning for you. No cat to wake us here, just what needs doing on the calendar. Even being retired that calendar stays pretty full. How did that happen?
ReplyDeleteIt proves the point that retirement means that we become even busier, Marica. I know that I have. Much better than sinking down into permanent lethargy and sluggishness.
DeleteA very good day, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt is my favourite way to start the day - hitch up Toby and head for 'the hills', Joanne. I am thankful that the farmers are happy to let me roam.
DeleteStill baby sitting... For a few years more? Lucky you're an early riser and get out into the woods and fields.
ReplyDeleteThere is a four year gap between them, Linda, so Gran's Cafe will be running for a while yet. The older one started school when he was just turned four and very tiny, here we are all these years later and he is almost a teenager...that is an awful lot of breakfasts and teatimes! No wonder I need the freedom of the fields!
DeleteYes definitely a good thing you are able to get up early. I used to be an early riser but now struggle in winter.
ReplyDeleteYou both must be very muddy by the time you get home, the fields here are just standing water and deep mud - even the hard surfaced lanes are getting almost as bad
It took two towels to get Toby dried and free of mud today, Sue. It is filthy along the tracks, but the sun was shining, the sky blue, birds were singing and we walked for about seven miles in all. He is now snoozing in front of the stove, I doubt he will move until lunch time, and only then because he will want a Bonio!!
Deletelovely to discover you and read how you spend a day. Super pictures.. what a gorgeous snug home. Helen, Darcy, Bingley and Fred XXXX
ReplyDeleteThank you, Helen, Darcy, Bingley and Fred. Lovely to meet you - and welcome!
DeleteCount me as another early riser, even on my days off. Of course I have 3 pups that need walking before I can do anything for myself, but I savor that first cup of coffee when I get home!!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the building in the photo? Looks intriguing.
Cheers, Sheri
Hello Sheri, one thing about having dogs, it forces us to take exercise! The building is a beautiful old dove/pigeoncote, it is in one of the local fields. It was built sometime in the 1500's, I believe. The interior of it is lined with brick ledges, for the birds to nest on. In past times the pigeons would be made into pies, etc!
DeleteI alternate and rise early in summer with the sun and later in winter when there is little light to wake me. Now I am not working I go with the flow sleeping longer during the winter months - it has a kind of natural rhythm for me.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean - hence my need for very strong coffee these days! Left to my own devices I would probably wake as the first fingers of dawn appear, Sparky prefers to ring for room service at the first hint of hunger...
DeleteI’m a morning person too, which is just as well, as Karma, our cat, needs her insulin at 7am each morning. She generally comes into our room at around 6.30 and mieows . My hubby does do a couple of mornings, but more often than not I’m awake anyway. Your morning walk sounds so peaceful :)
ReplyDeleteIt is very quiet in the fields and tiny villages around here, Ann, which suits me perfectly! I am always happy to stop and pass the time of day with anyone, but I really cherish the time I spend out walking - it exercises both body and mind. I guess Karma is as good at telling the time as Sparky and the gang! I haven't let them go beyond the hall doorway since we had a massive flea infestation a few years ago. The fleas were not so much interested in the cats, as in drinking my blood!! It was horrendous.
DeleteThat sounds like a good way to start the day, a walk out and about with a dog for company. I don't wake quite as early but I am enjoying the fact that it is light when I wake now, it puts more of a spring in your morning steps.
ReplyDeleteI will be very happy when we move into the longer days! Fingers crossed that we have a wonderful summer, lots of sunshine and warmth - a rare treat. Enjoy your weekend.
DeleteYour walks sound wonderful. You must feel you live in paradise.
ReplyDeleteI'm a morning person, too.
Such an amazing snapshot of your entire day !! So you needn’t put an alarm every day to wake up, your sparky cat is enough to wake you up. Me too just like you early to bed and early to rise I have been maintaining this schedule for long. Thank you for sharing your fairy tale of your schedule Elaine. Stay fit and healthy. Take care !!! Hugs 😊 Please visit us at https://www.bloghasting.com/
ReplyDelete