Just Humans Being...

The day after we arrived in the Alps, we were driving up a mountain pass near our campsite & the power steering in our car failed. The steering wheel suddenly became heavy & it was quite terrifying... We were high up, the pass was steep with severe bends and it seemed like we were stuck. Luckily, there was a lay-by & enough room on that bit of the pass to gradually turnaround. Sime switched on our hazard warning lights & we very slowly crept back down the pass. At this point, Sime believed our holiday was over, or at the very least - our car had had it...  I, on the other hand remained optimistic, all would be fine & felt sure a miracle would happen! I also thought it might be quite nice to extend our holiday while the car was being fixed. The main thing was - We were safe, the car was still in one piece & we had got back to the campsite. Here's what happened the next day... We didn't know at the time, but we were watching two golden eagle

Our wonderful overnight residence in Chaussin, Jura... We loved this little campsite & intend to visit again in the near future - it has tipis & safari tents for rent, as well as these fab little caravans. The owners are quite alternative & the site just has a great feel. They have a natural water source which is solar heated for the sinks & showers & there is a great emphasis on recycling.  Saying goodbye to the horses in the field next to our caravan... Beginning the climb into the mountains of the Jura... So many stunning gorges... And quirky villages... Great to get off the beaten track, after 2 days of motorway driving... It might not look it, but it's a long way down! On the other side of the mountains, we hit Nyon on Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) & headed to Lausanne. Very nice... After avoiding Lausanne city centre, we moved on to Montreux - following one of many electric trams... And eventually c

Hello! Can't believe it's a month since we last posted... Since then, we've had a fantastic holiday - a road trip through France, into Switzerland, Italy & Germany. We returned home to a broken desktop computer & a laptop that wouldn't work properly, but Hugo clicked on a couple of things & here we are! We have tons of photos & videos to share, the weather was incredible from the moment we set off, the scenery was breathtaking, the mountain passes were terrifying, but it's been an amazing adventure! Kay & Sime xx

We recently watched this film on the  Films For Action  website. We joined a permaculture group over 20 years ago with the idea of finding land together to create an educational space to grow organically, unfortunately we never found the right place & the group dwindled, but we often wonder how different our lives would have been if we'd gone ahead. This film reminded us of Scarlet & J at  The Finished Article , they too are growing in their front garden & also have an allotment in the north of England. It's all very inspirational! Kay & Sime xx

After publishing Saturday night's post, I heard a commotion upstairs & on investigation, found Bebe standing in her doorway with a broom in her hands - the broom is part of the barrier Sime sets up every night to discourage Bebe from going downstairs &/or venturing into our room during the night. It usually helps her to feel safe too, as she can get quite anxious about being on her own in the dark. We have a nightlight on the landing & various laminated signs - arrows to the loo, info on where she is & one asking her to go back to her room & that we'll see her in the morning!  The council social care department are going to let us try an electronic prompt device, on which we can record our voices & it will be triggered if she attempts to leave her room, so as she reaches for the door handle - our voices will kick in asking her to go back to bed... Clever! Will keep you posted on this, as we're quite intrigued! Anyway, back to Saturday nig

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. ”  ―  14th Dalai Lama How do you wake up? We start every day with a cup of herbal tea in bed & since we stopped having guests, we have the luxury of a kettle in our bedroom. Our alarm goes off at 6:30am during the week & we can just reach down to stick the kettle on. Three minutes later, we have a pot of one of our favourite teas brewing - nettle, fennel, licorice, cinnamon, ginger or tulsi ... We usually snuggle up for a while longer, until it's ready to drink & then enjoy our tea quietly for a while - listening to the birds tweeting outside our window. By the time the pot's empty, we are usually wide awake, chatting, laughing & we've talked through everything we have to do on that day. We can't drop Bebe off at daycare until 10am, so it's nice to get going gently... By 8am it's all systems go, but we ar

We are having a chaotic time, but Sime is convinced everything will be ok & amazingly, we do seem to be ticking things off our list. Our extra work seems to be going smoothly, but Bebe is going through a sleepless phase, which I'm finding tough, as I always wake when she's phaffing about - Sime just sleeps through it all! During the winter months it was very windy here, so we got into the habit of leaving Bebe's radio on overnight, as she would get quite anxious when the wind was noisy. In a bid to try & get her to sleep, we have now removed the radio & the lamp that we would leave on through the night & have replaced it with 2 nightlights. We've also replaced the low energy bulb in her bedside lamp with a  LED 6W cold-to-the-touch bulb, as she tends to put tissues in the lampshade, which of course is troubling with a warm or hot bulb. Bebe also has had a habit of opening & closing her drawers throughout the night, which has started to really

We are off on a European road trip soon & are feeling quite excited! When we first organised the trip - we visualised a gentle run up, a slowing down of work & an immaculate house... Instead it has become chaotic & the complete opposite!  We have taken on extra work & can't believe just how crazy life has become (of course those of you who have read our blog for a few years will know this is pretty normal for us), but we had hoped this time would be different... Not only is there work, but there's Bebe in the mix... Little does she know that we will have to take her with us to do a couple of jobs at the weekend, yes we are going to be working every day until we go away with little time to organise Bebe's clothes (which need labelling, as previously - lots of her clothes have gone astray), then there's all her medication to be ordered... Our sleeping bag needs washing, stuff getting together, food for our journey (not so easy when you live &

On Sunday we took Bebe for her second visit to Melinsey Mill . Last time it was quite cold & we sat indoors by the wood burner, but this time it was a hot day, so we sat outside by the pool. We discovered the place while exploring the area, shortly after moving to Boswinger 9 years ago. It's a water mill, tea room, craft centre & nature trail rolled into one - we love it & have shown our appreciation by filling in their visitors' book with silly comments over the years, as well as sending lots of our B&B guests there! Rick & Jackie own the quirky mill - Rick makes things with wood, willow & stuff. Jackie runs the tea room cum pizzeria (they have an outdoor pizza oven for summer evenings).  Hans Hideout. Rosie's Barn. We took Bebe on the nature trail... On which there is always something to see... There's a wasp's nest in this teapot... In the Teapot Archway... A day off