Saturday 7 January 2012

The return of an unbroken and undead gardener

You can sunbathe on a mountain in December. (N.B. other deck chair flavours are available) 
A very hearty happy 2012 to you all. I am tardy, I do apologise, the shock of returning from grand adventures in the Alps sliding around on skinny planks of wood, that I returned unbroken and undead rendered me speechless. All the better for your ears and eyes I would guess! For a week wellies changed for a different kind of boots, although I did take and wear my posh wellies, well, why not they needed an adventure!
You'll be glad to hear I managed to pop in a few skiing cartwheels, which I really think may catch on, although their glamour and grace is rightly disputed. I have learned a few things. Mainly don't ski on a red run, avoid 'moguls' still no idea why bumps of snow are called that (Mongolian?) and drinking warm red spiced wine is perfectly acceptable in a cafe!
And, to eat my hat, I did not want a snowy adventure in my life, however, it was actually brilliant, I appear to actually enjoy slithering between divine french food establishments.  Out with my cafe life, Mr Flowers handed me my hat, humble pie and I ate heartily, apologising for my epic child like sulking prior to departure. Dearest I'm sorry, it was beautiful and fun. But, not cartwheeling avec skis down a red run, that was just plain silly. The land of bread and cheese, and tartiflette, oh how I utterly love you and they are worth eating a hat or two for.
And even more, never underestimate the rejuvenation which occurs being away from gale force winds and driving rain.  To not think about wind for a while and how it affects everyday life was utter bliss and to have a change of view for a while, utterly gorgeous! Trees!
Unfortunately, no real good comes from aeroplanes, aside the adventuring, they give you pesky diseases, having a rotten cold on return appears to be the price to add to air transport. But, I love travelling on planes and trains very much. And, stripey scarves are fab for tying your ski's together at the airport!
And finally chickens, children and dogs and gardens appear to be utterly blasé should you adventure off without them, therefore fret not, forget them a while and enjoy others indulging them. Polytunnels stand up in the gales or they don't, although others do succumb and there's no way of avoiding it. Thankfully this wasn't my tunnel but its metres from my house.............the same size and guage of steel - cover removed by the wind and frame buckled - very humbling. Nature is a cruel beast. But, we've always got hope. And this year I have the hope of non-windy gardening.

Happy 2012 to us all, may your cartwheels all land softly and your bread basket always be full, your rain fall in the garden at night time and the wind, be gentle and kind.

25 comments:

  1. So glad you are back and undead, and so glad that you did enjoy what were always the best holidays of my life, so sad my body cant cope any more but I can remember!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad to hear you enjoyed your holiday! I can't even imagine what a grand adventure you've had..The Alps! They seem very romantic to this west coast girl :) Cheers, Jenni

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like a fun holiday, happy 2012 to you and your family, can't wait for our holiday but we are off to a very hot place.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's a grand life and all that "Apres Ski"...you'll be fit and raring to go. I do like your sentiments although I'm not too sure about the cartwheels...
    Fay I hope 2012 is good for you and yours and the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hooray! Glad you're back, hope your hat was a tasty one!

    Glad children/dogs/chickens/gardens all fine too - more adventuring for you in the future! :)

    xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Glad you're back safe and sound and found everything ok when you returned. Your holiday sounds great fun, apart from the cartwheels, I hope 2012 will be calm and windfree for you and your garden.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ok, so you have inspired me to have another go at skiing. I keep being told that the fun is the slip sliding between eateries by a certain OH and so now that you have said it to I might just believe him. And anything that gets me a gluhwein is ok by me.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Welcome back to reality Fay. I had to do a double take on the sunbathers, you wouldn't do that in the Cairngorms.Happy new year and lang may yer polly tunnel bide up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hiya! I'm so glad everything went well (except getting a lurgy on the plane, very boo hiss). Cartwheeling down a red run, mind you, I wouldn't be so keen on that.

    Lots of hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  10. so glad you had a good time ... shame about reality rearing its head !! Keep safe in the wind xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Welcome back .....I missed your funny posts!

    ReplyDelete
  12. All the best for 2012 to you and yours and I'm so pleased you enjoyed your holiday.

    Pity you had to come home with the dreaded Lurgy though!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Welcome back - glad you made it in one piece. It's true, there is so much less wind in Europe (oops - 'mainland' Europe).

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks chaps! Nice to see you all too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy New Year Fay. I have missed your blog.
    Did you have the cover on the Polytunnel?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Glad to hear you have returned in one piece and had a great holiday. Pleased to see your polytunnel is in one piece.

    Hope you have a great 2012 and may there be less wind and more wellies.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You conquered Great Mountains, treacherous ski runs (in my experience they are ALL treacherous) and hot spiced wine! A changed woman you are, with all those romantic experiences inside. The garden plants will detect it, and grow better for you too. (Trust me on this, I'm a trained dreamer and home-schooled mystic...)

    ReplyDelete
  18. You made me wonder about the origin of moguls, so I looked it up and the ever ready (If ever dubious) wikipedia tells us it is probably German dialect for 'peedie hill'
    Though I believe it may be an acronym for
    My Goodness, Oh Shoot, Good Gracious, Uuuuuuuurrghhh, Lean hard ........... Someone call an ambulance!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh, Ness gardens how lovely of you to look, how lovely they are about peedie hills but I'm with you on the acronym!!!!! x

    Linniew - I am a changed woman - I was walking actually upright until my return to the isles then the leaning into the wind walk began again! I am informing the garden plants of your mystic ways and information - the ones which remain in the garden (Ie have not been physically ripped up by the roots, who would have thought - Ajuga repens actually COULD be ripped out by the roots - you live and learn) anyway I digress, the plants remaining in my garden, have informed me they will grow better for me. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Maz - no cover on it yet - thank goodness, its safely nestled in inverness in a storage facility - oot the wind! Happy new year to you too!

    Wellywoman and a happy new year to you and thank you I hope it will be an amazing 2012!

    Linda hope you had a great one! I wonder, did you catch the debate on Radio scotland before xmas on 'european' and the classic scottish responses of 'well europeans, well I mean you 'contintental' europeans'.......very enlightening - I particularly liked the references to our eclectic dress style.......

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anne a lovely one to you too - and a lurgy when home UNFAIR!

    Alistair - Lang may yer gairden bloom Loon.

    Hello squirrel family - I keep meaning to get back to frugaldom - my darn work (not complaining) keeps interfering - I don't actually mean to be funny, it just of sort of accidentally happens!

    Diane reality does that doesn't it! Hope you're good!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jan cartwheeling whilst wearing ski's isn't really to be recommended - at least the padding of the ski gear keeps you warm and less bruised!

    Alistair - can you imagine if anyone PUT deckchairs out at the top of the Ptarmigan at Cairngorm you'd get carted off in the funny farm!

    Cheri I think to be fair my comfort zone will always be green child friendly runs - I'm not happy outwith that - but maybe its also that the green baby runs - there are people (ie children) the same size as me!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Pauline happy new year to you too!

    Cheery I don't even think they noticed we'd gone.............ungrateful wretches.

    Janet I dont think fit - I think that the several pounds I put on IN France were largely kept down by the pathetic attempts at skiing - if I hadn't ski'd I doubt I would have fit through doorways on my return. A very lovely 2012 to you and yours too. x

    ReplyDelete
  24. Greenthumb a hot place sounds like heaven! Have a great one!!!!!

    Jenni - they were prettier than I imagined - and west coast is always gorgeous too.

    Penny I hope if you don't get on ski's again maybe a shot of sledging might be in order? That would be fun and not as hard on the knees!

    Have a just wonderful year all of you lovely folk.

    ReplyDelete
  25. And, I spy a few new readers in our midst - oh dear what have you done to yourselves landing on here - I wish you the happiest of 2012's and hope if you pop over to meet you all as and when the kettle, sofa and walking will allow! Thank you for your support and your banter.

    As many would say around these parts 'Lang may yer lum reek'

    ReplyDelete