Monday 24 August 2015

Back to Work?

I had meant to take only one week off from social media and blogging while our visitors were here but I needed another week after they'd gone as I was completely out of work mode! That's not a problem since I believe regular breaks help us to unwind and refocus. It took me until yesterday to start organising and sorting all the bits and pieces of necessary admin and such like so I could begin to feel in control again.

We had a really lovely week with my sis-in-law and her husband and it was a good excuse for us to revisit some of our favourite places. I always manage to get new photos, even though I'm never in any of them, which is fine by me except when I'm looking for an up-to-date photo of me for an article or someone's blog post.



As well as Loch Lomond and Luss, we went further south to Ayrshire one of the days, then across the River Clyde to a wonderful farm estate, Ardardan Walled Garden, we discovered recently which has an excellent cafe. I love the fact the animals are all around for children to see (and adults like me). There was quite a noise from the long hen house where the the occupants clucked in and out and wandered freely around the open space. I loved the Kiwi pig who kindly looked up so I could take a photo!



It was sad to see our visitors head back to North Wales, although we love visiting them down there and hopefully we'll see them again soon. Meantime, I'm still a bit behind with writing projects and especially the newsletter which I hope to remedy soon. Somehow, I think it's more important to get out and about being inspired by nature and interesting places, some of which will no doubt end up in another story or novel.


Hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer!
Rosemary

11 comments:

Teresa Ashby said...

What beautiful and interesting photos - I particularly love the pig, but I've always had a fondness for them :-) xx

Joanna said...

I'm glad you had a great time, Rosemary. Like Teresa, I especially love the gorgeous pig, who looks as if he enjoyed posing for the camera. All your photos are stunning - I love the sunflowers - and I agree that getting out and about is brilliant for inspiration. I had a day by the sea recently that has really helped to resurrect a sagging storyline. I hope youe enjoy the rest of the summer. xxx

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Thanks for your kind comment, Teresa - I like pigs too and this one looks such a character!

Thanks for the lovely comment, Joanna - you're absolutely right about getting out and about. Your day by the sea sounds ideal!

Nicola said...

Lovely photographs, Rosemary. We must think alike and have started back to work on the same day :) The last time I visited Loch Lomond was when I was about 8 years old (oh, such a long time ago). I remember running into the water, tripping and scraping my legs on the pebbles. We stayed in a lodge overlooking the Loch. It was lovely. Rained the whole time but we didn't care :) Thank you for sharing and for evoking fond memories. Glad you had a lovely break. Enjoy your week 'back at work'.

Anonymous said...

Truly smashing, your blog post reads like a People's Friend article, Rosemary, they'd love that, thanks for sharing with us, and glad you're back to the writing.

Carolb said...

Looks like you all had a wonderful time, and I agree getting out and absorbing new experiences is valuable for recharging the batteries.

I like the neat patch of Sunflowers. :-)

Write an essay for me said...

Kiwi is just too cute! :)

It's great to take vacations every once in a while, it lets you completely forget about all errands and routines and just quietly enjoy our lives

Wendy's Writing said...

I used to feel guilty about taking breaks until I realised it actually made me more productive in the weeks after. It's so easy to stagnate. I shall be off to Greece soon and hope to switch off completely.

Maria said...

It's good to take a break, have a recharge, fill the idea mill up again.
Love the picture of the piggy.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Thanks for your lovely comment, Nicola. Our children used to love paddling in the loch a long time ago! Glad you had a good holiday.

Thanks for that, Suzy - what a nice thing to say!

Yes, I love getting out and about, Carol. Thanks for commenting!

I think Kiwi is cute too! Thanks for commenting.

That will be a complete break for you, Wendy - enjoy!

Thanks, Maria - it lets us see interesting things too, like piggy!

Julia Thorley said...

That piggy pic needs turning into a jigsaw, or at the very least a birthday card. Splendid stuff.