The Walls We Put Up

The walls we put up in our isolation at times wherever there is a pandemic or not and our joy wants to spill  into the colour of the world . We seek solace in the quiet of our times but continual silence is friends to no one .

Seeking out to break those walls but with the ability to seek out the colour , to feel the tickle of long grass on your hand as you go for a long country walk .To see the joy of the swooping swift’s as they do have a joyful glee on their faces as they go past you at the speed of light.

Being Autistic stuff is hard , applying myself is hard but the release of myself into the world of colour is joy upon joy .To hear the sheep in the green fields as I sit watching a cricket match on a summers day with nothing but a cool breeze upon my face .

I seek the colour and audacity of a Hollyhock just to grow where it damn well pleases , inconvenient places is where they seed and grow their joy.

Creating Your Own Oasis Of Reflection

I'll be honest it feels like the going to hell in a handcart at the moment , and the world is chaotic and oh my SO I am creating my own oasis of reflection . I realise oasis of reflection sounds like a gweneth Paltrow candle that would sell of a shed load of money but thankfully it isn't. You will know that I do like to be out and about and that has been hard in a and out of lockdowns but I have managed it where I can.I love a wandering and exploring and if that is couple with architecture , charity shop and a nice cup of tea then all the better.

Think of something you love and focus on that , so your ice cream could be your focus and  could take a picture of that .The idea behind it all is to focus on something that brings you joy. Now currently  I like visiting all churches and we are combining that with looking at the gravestones of my husbands relatives , though at some point we will get to my side. Getting outside is essential I believe as it allows you to have that oasis of reflection for when times getting a bit turbulent it is a little legacy to yourself I truly believe.

The other day I went to the Diddly Squat farm shop which is the farm shop of that there Jeremey Clarkson and yes the queues are long but if you know me I never do anything without other adventures being involved.Yes you might think Jeremy Clarkson is s bit of a plonker but the series on Amazon is funny and there are many a character on it including Gerald and Kaleb. Going on from Diddly squat farm shop we went onto to Chipping Norton and it is a quiseential beautiful Cotswold town that has free parking ! And I like nothing better than free , free is good it enables me to go spent that parking money in a local shop in the town thus putting money into the local economy.

Picnic Up At Diddly Squat Farm

Yesterday myself and my husband went up to Diddly squat farm  and we did take our own picnic to eat after popping into the shop . You could buy food there but there’s no need as you can take your own and soak up the views . Of course you can buy from the shop snd put money into the local economy from shopping in the local area too .

There are toilets at Diddly squat farm but they aren’t disabled friendly as there’s quite a step up but least there’s toilets .My husband did get a t shirt and I got an empty milk bottle but everyone was going wild for the bee juice and milkshake s.And of course the really rude named candles!

A trip to the Diddly squat farm is not going to replace your weekly shop it is one half novelty and one half supporting farmers mixed with a a celebrity. I think the main thing is to explore the area of the Cotswolds we went on from Diddly Squat Farm to Chipping Norton which is a really quaint town with free parking .

Making Spare Cash In A Pandemic

 Making spare cash is never easy especially a pandemic but I have to say I have tried various different places over the years and always seem to come back to Ebay . I did try Etsy and Sphook but I honestly find Ebay the easiest place to sell as it is a quick upload and write of a description and boom you're all done. The trick is with Ebay to to list when they have special listing offers as that is when I tend to to plonk on all my stuff that I don't need any more.

Currently I am selling some stuff on behalf of my Father in law as he has now gone into a nursing home and every penny helps towards the items he needs in a nursing home.Sorting out a relatives items can be a very emotional thing to do and you might turn to a house clearance place if you've a small family.So the top tips for when clearing out a home are to divide everything into categories from vinyl to dvds. Now dvds on ebay don't tend to go for much and you might then have a go at Music Magpie but you're going to have to zap quite a few dvd to get to the £5 pound minimum they do also take other tech so you will have to weigh your options up against ebay.

If you're clearing out a property and find videos you might think go no one wants them anymore but it is worth look through what you've got for example I came across a "Song of the South " video and this a a now deleted video as it not seen as a acceptable in todays society but there are still collectors for such items. I have now put the "Song of the South "on Ebay so fingers crossed it makes cash for my Father in law.

Now the Pandemic restrictions have started to lift my husband bought himself a new camera off Ebay and so he has put his old camera on ebay to pay for this one .My husband loves his photography but during the restrictions that has been little opportunity on and off but hopefully now he can get out there will all guns blazing.

Normanton On Soar

Normanton On Soar ( meaning Norwegian village on the Soar )is a delightful village . I was there with my husband looking at gravestones tracing his ancestors. And I was taken back what a pretty area it was with a whole hosts of walks to go on another time.

As we sat in the pub Plough Inn garden watching the swift’s dip and turn over the river , we also saw barges tootle by and what a grand life it looks waving to people and a much calmer pace of life . Also there was wild swimmers and a rower. Buzzard and a Heron flew by it was a lovely time even thought it was a tad grey . But that’s the trick to make the best of even a grey day .

The Plough inn has a great sized garden and a comprehensive well priced menu , I shared a Beef baguette and chips with my husband and there was the customary salad on the side .

An interesting feature of that village is the chain link ferry which is one of the last in the country.