Maulifuff check in

I've been wondering for several days how the maulifuffs who read my blog are getting on.  But, as a good maulifuff myself, that's all I've been doing.  I'm now writing a post because really I should be sorting a cupboard, but when I opened the cupboard door I remembered my sister maulifuffs and decided they would be very happy to be my excuse for walking away from the cupboard.

Maulifuff?     a woman devoid of energy, who would happily do nothing for hours on end or a woman who appears to keep herself busy but achieves nothing. 

Winter is the best time of the year for maulifuffing, I have found.  Christmas preparations are a bit of a challenge for us but we get around the festive season with varying degrees of success.  

Writing and drawing

Let's get one thing straight from the beginning - I can neither draw nor paint.  I am very much a wannabe artist.  But that is the whole point - I WANT to express myself with paint, pencils, inks etc.

So I have decided to do a hand written journal during this hibernaculum period.  I've bought a really lovely A5 spiral bound book to write and draw in.  And I have decided to do one drawing each day.

Once a month I join in "Drawing Club" which is a Women's  Institute on line course.  It could more accurately be called "Drawing for People Who Can't" and the instructor gives very detailed instructions on copying a drawing which she has done.  Even better it is then made available as a recording so I can go back and try again if I want to.  Usually the drawing is done in felt tips, surely the least intimidating drawing implement as most of us associate it with children.  The October picture of pumpkins however was done with colouring pencils.

This month's picture again uses felt tips or rather a felt tip for it is monochrome.  I found that quite relaxing.  

I have also decided to draw some sort of picture every day in my journal and I have to work that out for myself.  So far I have mostly used colouring pencils.  I've drawn big pictures and then written the narrative for the day over the picture.  It makes each page more interesting.  Yesterday I drew a loaf of bread for that was what I had been cooking.  Another day was a design of cups and saucers as a friend had been and we had downed a lot of coffee.

I won't be showing you my journal pages!

News from the hibernaculum

 Life is rather more indoors now, especially as I have caught a cold.  That wasn't my best idea of the season but as has often been said, stuff happens.

I've been staying in since Sunday and really haven't felt like doing much.  My birthday cards are still up and I feel that the cards and the candles make for a cheery note in my sitting room.  I shall soon fringe the scarves which you can see piled up, and then they can go off to the Salvation Army in Grimsby.  I don't feel up to card making or sewing but I'm picking up my knitting occasionally.

The only thing I feel like eating is toast and Marmite.  And, sad to say, instant soups.  Getting soup out of the freezer has felt too much like hard work but may happen today or tomorrow.  

And I'm compiling an order for some roses, including one called "The Country Parson" which is a gift from Jack.  Thank you Jack but don't think that is the only one you will be planting.  

A day together

 My cousin S has an elderly uncle who lives in North Norfolk about a hundred miles from here.  Every month S drives to Norfolk to visit him, a routine which takes a whole day.  Yesterday was Uncle William's 91st birthday so S wanted to see him and she invited me along for the ride.  

Wells next the Sea

We left home at around 8am and got back at about 6pm.  We had a coffee stop along the way and then S left me in Wells next the Sea while she went to the care home to spend some time with her uncle.  The plan had been that I would wander around Wells but the weather drove me into a cafe overlooking the haven to drink a very nice hot chocolate and watch the world go by.

On our way home we had a late lunch at Walsingham, sometimes known as England's Nazareth and then she paid a brief visit to the shrine (my feet couldn't manage that) while I had a second coffee.  Then home with another coffee stop on the way.

Walsingham

That sounds like a pretty boring day, just sitting in a car with brief stops for coffee but I really enjoyed it.  There is something very conducive to conversation about sitting together in a car.  I rarely spend a whole day with just one person.  Satnav meant we didn't have to worry about the route most of which S knows well anyway.  We just chatted and enjoyed each other's company.

Birthday flowers

 One of the lovely things at the start of my hibernaculum time is the glorious flowers I get for my birthday.  Here's a few of them.

Even the bee couldn't resist these

And these beauties arrived in the post too.

A pretty good birthday

A prayer for the quiet times (maybe for the hibernaculum)

 Loving God,

Teach me to slow down in a world that is always rushing.

Help me to lay aside the things that can wait,

to stop striving,

to quiet my busy mind,

and to breathe in the peace of your presence.

May I learn to move at the pace of grace,

to find joy in the quiet moments,

and to trust that the world will keep turning

even when I stop pedalling.

For you are my refuge and my rest,

my peace in the busyness,

and my companion in the stillness.

Help me, Lord, to do less, to be more,

and to rest in the knowledge that I am held in your love.

Amen.

 

Hibernaculum

 Yesterday my hibernaculum period began.    

I want it to be a distinct period with a definite beginning and end.  I suppose the end and beginning of British Summer time would do but I start on my birthday (75 if you want to know) and it will finish on Easter Sunday.  I chose these dates because both are celebrations for me.  Invariably I receive a lot of flowers for my birthday so that makes a joyful start, and I am often treated to various meals too.  

Yesterday I met up with an old schoolfriend and had a lovely meal.  For those old Roman soldiers hibernaculum (winter quarters) were the time when they could socialise more than in the campaigning season and I think they knew a thing or two.  

Today I am sorting out my LED candles.   I knew where they were but can I find the charging cables?!  Tonight the clocks will "go back" and the gentle glow of quite a lot of candles will be delightful.  

Treats

 Once my hibernaculum time starts I shall want a few treats.  I’ve had a few ideas of luxury on a budget but all suggestions gratefully accepted!

Retirement has taught me that luxury is not necessarily about having lots of money. It is about enjoying what you have, taking your time, and occasionally treating yourself.  

During the winter I often buy myself a cheap bunch of flowers at the supermarket.  I think my favourites are alstroemeria.  They are so pretty and they always last at least two weeks.  Spray carnations are another good buy  Flowers do not inspect their containers before agreeing to look pretty. A clean jam jar will do perfectly well.

A day with nothing in the diary is a favourite luxury of mine.  A comfortable chair, a cosy throw, an audiobook and a little knitting or sewing is a real treat.  There is a difference between being lazy and deliberately making room for rest. Retirement should surely allow us to enjoy a little more of the latter.

I really enjoy a properly set tray with coffee and a cup and saucer and maybe a small cake or biscuit.  Mugs are fine but when I use my pretty cups and saucers I feel as if I am spoiling myself. 

Sadly I can no longer take long hot baths but a hot shower, fresh bedding and nightwear and some lovely hand cream to use before bed makes an ordinary evening feel positively luxurious.

The secret is not to buy more things. It is often to make better use of the things we already own.  None of these things requires a large bank balance. Some require nothing at all.

Luxury is not about how much we spend. It is about how much pleasure we allow ourselves.  We have spent enough years saving things for best. In retirement, perhaps it is time to make ordinary days a little more special.