… while I gather my words. 
Isn’t it interesting how we are always having to re-configure our lives. Life is like a tide, it is always on the move either going in or coming back out but always on the move. We have to move with it too or we drown. God, what an exhausting thought. 
Some people learn to float, some learn to swim. I prefer a little of both. Today I am going to purposely float (at speed) through my day gathering my wits and thoughts about me as I adjust back to being without my own family again.
All is well on the farm. Molly still has eleven babies. She is much better and Tahiti is still waiting but is due in the next day or two I should say. The cows are milking nicely and the dogs are lying under trees unless otherwise instructed. Sheila is still beautiful though all of the Hereford pigs lost most of their hair in that last bout of hot weather. Sheila looks like an enormous bleached seal.
If I do get the day I have ordered I will have time to sit with the piglets again and get more baby photos for you.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
43 responses to “Catch a breath”
Husband and I at a crossroads too, I’m afraid. “Should We Stay or Should We Go” keeps running through my head like an ear worm. Age in place or move to a “facility”. We, however, aren’t even remotely floating anywhere.
That song made a huge impact on me at one of those crossroads you mention. It is a big decision but you are right – it is one best made when you are young enough to handle the logistics of it. It would be fun to shop around a bit – just for the hell of it – let us know how that goes -c
These days I do a lot of floating… it’s such a gentle lovely reflection. I used to swim all the time and forgot about the benefits of floating. However, now that I don’t have much choice in the matter I am rather enjoying the floating part. Just so long as you do keep moving, however, because once you stop you die!
I simply love the photo of you, your two adoring dogs and your big fat glorious pig. Well, truth is, I love all your photos but that one really strikes a chord of how I visualize Ms. C., the lady farmer. Enjoy a few days of floating… I expect that will come to a stop when your next woofers arrive — in a week or so, is it?
Hope you have a lovely day too! ~ Mame 🙂
Yes, soon I think but for the life of me I cannot find my diary – and I NEVER lose it so it must be here under the rubble somewhere… c
I, too love that photo, it reminds me of myself at feeding time. Kind of like the pied piper with the goats and the pig and the chickens and the ducks all toddling along behind.
Breath Miss C, It will help make the floating easier. I am at that strange place of belonging and not. My brother and partner were home in Ireland for three weeks from Australia, and I spent most of that time down there in the real Ireland… to be close to them. Alas I developed an upper respiratory infection and struggled on a little too long until they left and I came home. This week has been rather hell but I am taking it easy. Just floating and letting sleep take over.
PS: When you are looking for your safe place, see if you come across mine, I put some paperwork there and for the life of me, I cannot find it. Looking forward to floating pics of the piggies tomorrow.
From your first words, I could feel the bitter sweet sadness at the end of a visit from faraway favorite loved-ones. I like to think of it as trying to be like water.
“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.” Lao Tsu
And so you are my friend…
Methinks the tidal flow is what makes life interesting and worthwhile. I am a lifelong swimmer in every stroke, but have learned when to float and thoroughly enjoy . . . like you am my own hardest taskmaster 🙂 ! But unless one bends one may break!!
Off topic: Have just has my breakfast in bed watching the Olympic final of Women’s Rugby-7 – Down Under can be proud: Aussies v the Kiwis: sorry, Celi but we got the gold and the New Zealanders, many of Maori extraction, the silver. Absolutely thrilling tho’ I fail to understand why any woman would play such a rough game of continuous tackles and scrums and lying 4-5 atop one another struggling for the ruddy ball!! A great sight in Rio anyways . . .
And bronze for Canada! All 3 teams going into the Olympic history books – so exciting! But I’m with you Eha, I have no idea why anyone (male or female) would want to play such a rough game. Not my cup of tea, except from the sidelines.
Chris S in Canada
*smile* Sorry to have left your bronze ‘off’ my record: you had the prettiest gals anyways!! With but 23 million of us in a country so vast, I guess every success counts and it was nice to have the Aussies and Kiwis ‘fight’ it out! . Am a bit ‘mad’ at the moment: have just watched our swimmers have not such a good night and learned that swimming in Rio BEGINS at 10 pm and goes well past midnight to fit in with the US TV schedules !! Remembering that results often depend on hundreds of a SECOND a little unfair methinks for those who normally finish their sessions at that time . . . . ‘money makes the world go round’ . . ??
I hope you have some rest time in there.
Not today as Tahiti is running straight into labour now – but maybe in a few days?
Your gift Celi is that you can say the words theat are in our hearts but we can’t get them into our brain until you say them.
I was going to write “Yes, catch a breath.” but I see Tahiti is in labor. Good luck tonight. May the delivery be as smooth and uncomplicated as possible. Maybe then you’ll be able to catch that elusive break.
And I hope you have a lovely day too .. Always hard to see the family go
I missed this one yesterday and after reading today’s, it was quite an eye opener. You were catching your breath for the onslaught of today. It’s so hard to be away from family. Fall is coming early here. Maybe you will get a break soon…
I’m so glad you mentioned your pigs losing hair in the heat. My big gilt looks like she’s nearly naked and I was concerned something was wrong. They do look a bit like seals in that condition for sure! LOL
Yes! Manu has begun to lose his in clumps – I feel I should offer him a scarf!
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