Up North

I missed the rest of autumn while I was away. Although the
weather is unseasonably warm the leaves have gone from
the trees

Well all is quiet now, almost painfully quiet. No noise of grandchildren running around, in other words I'm back home in Latvia. It does feel kind of weird as we are now in the apartment and not the caravan. We have never lived in this apartment since we bought it about 9 years ago. Other people have made good use of it in the meantime though. The good news is that it is warmer than the other apartment. We have our own heating but also the apartment also seems to retain the heat better. It is a brick built apartment rather than the concrete shell like the other one. Anyway that will be a story for another time.

We finally have water in our pond

Yes it rained! Josefs has certainly grown while I've been
away and is even more active than before.

It is nearly two weeks ago now that I attended a two day seminar on leadership in urban and regional development  in Manchester. Manchester has never been a favourite place of mine but the seminar was good and the accommodation booked through HomeAway, a bit like AirBnb, was fine too. The networking meal was excellent at a Greek restaurant close to the Manchester Metropolitan University and hopefully I will have a few contacts from that. I also met a professor from Estonia. I had worked with him briefly before and was rather surprised to see him there. I had to book a taxi to get from the restaurant to the accommodation and had a ride with a lovely taxi driver from Kashmir. He was quite chatty and I found out that he has got a bit of land out there and his family have three buffaloes and grow vegetables - lol the things you find out about strangers.

Ian finally got the car back too. Spot the difference. It is now
two tone red and brown again though.

Some glorious days while I was away

It was a bit embarrassing at the seminar as my walk up to the university in the morning in the polluted atmosphere aggravated a cough I had got from my grandson the previous week. Oh yes! Yet another virus from life's little petri dishes. At one stage I had to leave the room to cough. Unfortunately it wasn't easy to actually get out from the corridor to get to the kitchen to get a glass of water because it needed an electronic key. Fortunately someone heard me and went to get me some so I could return to the presentations.

And some fairly cold ones

There were visitors while I was away too. Not all of them
welcome. The pigs are back!

After the meeting I took a train. It was chaos at the station, the screens didn't seem to work properly and trains were late. I don't seem to have much luck on the trains in the UK as the train to the seminar ended up being a bit of a saga. It was a cheap ticket that went the long way around and included a trek across Warrington to get from one station to another to get my connection. I ended up with a later connection too as it took me a little while to find the station and the previous train was running late. Fortunately for me on this second journey the connecting train was also running a bit late and so I got to the little remote railway station of Grindleford without a problem to be met by my son-in-law and the older two grandchildren; there was no trek across a town either.

Some visitors were more welcome though and left tasty
carrots for the alpacas on the trees

Even Freddie and George seem to have grown up while
I was away

My daughter, our eldest child of three, now has three bundles of energy herself. I was launched into looking after two of them and one of her friend's little ones the next morning at playgroup, while she and a friend attended a funeral. I did pretty well at just about keeping an eye on all three and even sat on the floor for song time. Mind you, after being bounced on by three energetic little ones, getting up was more of a challenge. I think it would have been no matter how old I was though.

Foggy mornings of late autumn

Me and my grandchildren at Sudbury Hall (photo by Edith
Chenault)

My Texan friend, Edith, living in Estonia flew over to the UK to join me on the Friday. She had never been to the UK before and this area my daughter lives in is very pretty with a lot of history. I thought she would enjoy visiting a more rural area than visit somewhere like London and I was right. We had to laugh when we found out that the stately home of Sudbury that we visited was perhaps only a few miles away from where some of her family may have emigrated from a few generations back.

The little tour guide

My friend and I babysat while my daughter and son-in-law got away for a night. My granddaughter had a few tears for Mummy and Daddy in the evening but her younger brother came up and gave her a big hug whilst she was sat on my knee. It's nice to know they are growing up to be kind, of course they have their moments but they are not bad hearted kids at all.

Jakobs may have grown but he is still cute and fluffy

Monsal Head after the frost

It was always going to be a challenge to get around as my daughter had just sold her 7 seater and so my friend and I decided on a bus trip. The two older children were very excited about this and I think travelling on the bus was the highlight of the day. We got a family Hopper ticket that meant we had all day travel for £15, so it didn't work out too bad - at least for the UK anyway. We saw Monsal Head, which has some quite striking views. It was a bit cold though as there was a frost and the side with the views and the walk was in the shade in the morning. With an hour to wait for the next bus we had a bit of a challenge to keep the kids entertained. We went for a short walk and turned back at the squiggly tree - well that's what I told my grandson to keep him going for a few more minutes. We had some snacks, another little walk and then waited for Father Christmas to turn up again. Well the driver did look a lot like Santa with his white bushy beard and cheerful demeanour.

They were enjoying themselves, honest!

So let's try and get a good picture

And again! At least they are smiling

The ducks at Castleton

We then went to Castleton. Here we had lunch at Tilly's. Highly recommended. I had a Welsh rarebit that was reasonably priced and very filling. However we couldn't stay all day in a cafe and so we set out to explore the village. We found the entrance to the castle but decided that would be too expensive and not enough to entertain two little ones, the cave we decided would probably be too scary, especially as it was Halloween. Instead we found lots of little back alleys and saw some ducks in the river. We also saw some ponies in a field and my granddaughter enjoyed seeing those but my grandson was close to a meltdown because he wanted to see a T-rex. I did explain that a T-rex wouldn't be good thing to have around as he might want some ponies for his tea, so the owner wouldn't be very happy. He wasn't entirely convinced but we managed to distract him with a view of a classic car in his favourite colour of dark blue.

Well they wanted a picture in the middle
of this circular seat

We also spent time at the Castleton visitor centre. The kids really enjoyed the short videos and the interactive display, where you move your arms to open and close pictures of the Peak District. The only problem was that the display was not designed for three year olds and so I had to play at being an extension for my grandson to change the pictures. We had one more stop at Tideswell where we had hot chocolate and cakes before heading back for a roast dinner with Yorkshire puds - how very English!

Almost a smile!

Tellus looking almost angelic here, apart from the spit marks
on his neck. Today he was in a bad mood and was fighting
with the others. Ian split him up from Brencis and so he went
for Peedo, then the others. Normally he is very placid and
easy going, but he has his moments.

The rest of the time we went for walks, took the kids to the park and read stories. My friend also had her first taste of proper English fish and chips. All too soon it was time for our daughter to take us to the airport. We went with the youngest one, who spent many a time in my arms for a cuddle over the previous week. Apparently he was asking for Mommar after I had left. The flight across was fine and I have to say that the Ryanair lasagne was not bad for airport food. It was filling enough anyway. My friend managed to find her car at the airport without too much hassle and I guided her to our apartment. She stayed overnight and then left with a jar of home-made chutney, jar of tomato sauce made from our own tomatoes, a large marrow and hopefully many happy memories from her first trip to the UK.

This is Veronica but with the arrival of her daughter and
granddaughter it is hard to tell them apart in the photos

Let us out! Kept in on rainy day

So I'm back to a normalish winter routine now. I went out to the land over the weekend and Ian and I spent most of the Saturday talking and catching up. I then spent most of Sunday digging up a bed of Jerusalem artichokes. It was a bit weird though as the sun still felt warm and not quite right for a November. Monday I stayed in the apartment and prepared petals to make some scarves tomorrow. We also had a man come round to give us some advice on the chimney. At the moment it goes into a ventilation shaft, which is not technically legal. It is also starting to disintegrate at the top and so will not be okay in the future. We agreed to get a chimney to go out of the house at the back of the house and sorted that out with the house manager through a friend who came to translate. More money! A bit of an expensive time, but all necessary.

The new girls are slowly settling in and enjoying being out
on the grass

Still in the UK

On our way to school

I'm gradually moving up country and this week I'm in the Midlands with my youngest son and his family. I seem to have picked up another cold this week too, obviously different bugs around here. My immune system must be racing now.

Highlights this week

Autumn is here and what is better than playing in the leaves?

My son's partner had a teacher training course opportunity and so I got to look after my young grandson for the morning. Of course nothing went to routine. He had a big breakfast, which was not normal and so didn't want his normal bottle. He also seemed sleepy earlier than I was told, so off we went for a walk and he was asleep in his pushchair within 15 minutes and slept for two hours. Oh well! At least he wasn't fussing for mummy with this strange lady.

It's autumn out on our land too and Ian has taken some great
pictures this week

So much to do when you are little. Even
a stony path is exciting to play with

We have taken a trip into town and I had fun watching my little grandson have his photo taken. He is about the same age as his older sister was when she had a portrait photo taken so they wanted something similar of him. It was funny watching his parents and big sister all trying to get him to smile. They got some sweet pictures anyway. Now both pictures are up on the wall and you can definitely see the similarities.

Meanwhile my granddaughter is scaling
the heights

More of autumn out on the land

It's been nice just pootling about, although I have also been doing some work, trying to prepare for my presentation, which is tomorrow. I got most done while the family were out at an evening wedding party.

Little Jakobs is getting fluffier. Soon he will be just a little ball
of fluff

Coombe Abbey

We had a lovely late afternoon out yesterday to Coombe Abbey and went back again today. It is still quite warm for this time of the year but beginning to look very autumnal.

A Griffin in the garden

Jakobs contrasts well with the blue autumnal sky

I forgot to mention last week that I heard one of my papers has been rejected again and I'm still waiting for the others. It is such a frustrating game to play. I almost cannot move forward until these things are done. Quite depressing really as I just want to get this PhD finished and then I can move on.

Misty mornings out on the land

Brencis eating the twigs

As many of you know, I live in Latvia, although originally from Britain. A friend of mine posted a blog (link here) recently which looks back at the history of Latvia and the trauma caused by the State. I feel is helpful for understanding some of the realities of lapsing into totalitarianism of any kind. Many might wonder how it is relevant today since the Soviet State is long gone, but it isn't totally. It still lives on in the memories of people still alive today. Also some of the tactics of the time, such as telling the truth, mixed with lies to confuse people so that no one knows what truth is should send shivers down our spine and alert us to the need to take action. We mustn't become immune to this and slide inadvertently into a hellish world worse than we have now.

George glowing in the sunshine

Mud, mud, glorious mud

Spring has arrived out on our land in Latvia

The weather hasn't been much better this week, but we still got out and about. My daughter and I have been to Costa coffee a few times because my daughter prefers their coffee and she and a friend often meet up there with their kids. I'm just happy to tag along. It works well with the older ones colouring and the younger ones confined to a corner playing and at least it is out of the house for an hour or two.

Morning coffee spot for Ian. I hope I don't miss all
the good weather though

All the migrant birds have been returning. Ian even
saw four storks on the day our newest granddaughter
was born

There were dry evenings and so my daughter and her husband went for a couple of evening bike rides while I babysat. They came back rather covered. They may as well take advantage of me being around though. Mind you, I did end up on sentry duty on the door of the boys bedroom as they weren't exactly getting the idea of what sleep was for that night. Still been there, done that and got the t-shirt, so I didn't really mind too much. It's a phase!

Freddie

The new baby with proud older brother and sister

We were beginning to wonder what was going to be the best way for me to get to my son's for the third and final week, as my daughter didn't want to take a long ride down if my son's newest baby hadn't arrived, however, the baby finally decided to make an appearance on the Wednesday. It was very exciting to be able to say hello via Skype to my eighth grandchild and in plenty of time for me to see her. I love that her name also means resurrection or miracle.

At least the drainage is still working
to clear away the melted snow by
the side of the greenhouse

A bit dark but my granndaughter is blowing out the candle
on her birthday dessert.

It was my granddaughter's birthday at the end of the week and I had put together a little bag making kit from some of my fabric stash so I could make it with her. We spent one afternoon having fun sewing. I'm not sure she was that bothered about the bag in the end, but she enjoyed the process. It was lovely to be able to carry on a tradition, as my grandmother was one of those who taught me to sew when I was young.

Another sign of spring - deep ruts

And muddy driveways. We obviously still need to
work on the drainage here

Stomping in mud puddles

One of the joys of little children is their ability to find fun in a muddy woodland walk. It was a relatively nice day (one of the few) when my daughter, her friend and all their children went for a walk around a reservoir. Those children managed to jump in just about every puddle along the route, they found it hilarious and were soaked by the time we got back to the car. Near the end of the walk was a steep hill and the kids enjoyed rolling down, well the oldest rolled down but the younger ones only really managed to roll in circles.

There has also been some spring snow showers too
out on our land

The little one I rescued in his all-in-one

There was one point where one of the little ones was rolling round in circles when the oldest was coming down the hill rather rapidly towards him. I played my role of Supergran and swung into action by hoisting the little one out of the way by the back of his all-in-one suit. I always knew that swinging hay bales around would come in useful sometime.

A lovely spring day and the alpacas are getting the freedom of eating out in the fields

Young alpacas love to roll in the grass too

On my last full day we went to a soft play area in a sports centre. I was impressed with the chap who was supervising. He trundled the kids around on a snake for most of the two hours and played basketball with them, although he did have to spend a while trying to extract an over large ball that got stuck in the net. It was lovely at the end as shook all their hands as they left and thanked them for coming. He obviously had a big heart for kids and keeping them active. We finished the day with a family birthday pizza party. The kids were truly amazing, especially the two year old who managed to hold it together despite a lack of sleep and a lot of running around all day. I was half expecting a melt-down but he didn't.

The girls' field doesn't get as much sun as the boys
one does

Another spring returnee

Eventually it was time to leave and so we set off early on the Saturday morning to my son's house. On the way down we stopped off at a pub for lunch run by my son-in-law's older brother. We had a lovely meal but the best part was observing the conversation between my two year old grandson and my son-in-law's brother. He's been a bar tender for many years and he just went with the flow of the little chap's conversation. It was a classic and I was in stitches listening to them.

The girls' field may not get as much sun, but they still
find the bits of green grass

Our cats have been joining Ian on early morning
walks while I'm away. I think I am going to have
some major time change adjustments when I get back.
Apparently all the cockerels are crowing at 5:30am

After a long drive we made it to my son's house and I got to meet my eighth grandchild for the first time. It was lovely having a chaotic afternoon with six of my grandchildren and their parents, but sadly I had to say goodbye to my daughter and her family as they travelled back home. So now I am on the south coast getting to spend time with another set of grandchildren and helping mum with the new baby. I even took all the little ones to the park today for a bit of fresh air including the baby- another muddy place but fortunately for me, we managed to avoid the worst of the mud this time around. I think there will be enough washing to do this week somehow.

Eyre enjoying the sunshine on top of the cupboards
in the greenhouse

It wasn't me! Mari stood on the remains of the hay

Brencis