The Visit… Dearest Diary.

Back in the now far off chilly dull grey month of February, After a rare and somewhat impromptu visit to my Doctors surgery, Debbie and I sat in our favourite cafe sipping a well earned reviving cup of coffee. Catching up with each other, plus all our news since last meeting up, After which Debbie mentioned maybe we could schedule a wee trip out somewhere soon, Of course this was dependant on the weather improvement,. We really never do set anything in stone, both of us quite comfortable with “the whatever”!, just pencil something in hoping for the best., keep in mind, that we rarely know how i,m going to feel on any particular day, or if indeed something may crop up suddenly for Debbie, (a real social whirl is our Deb, tires me out just listening to her exploits😁…One of these spare of the moment plans included a trip to Mrs Smith’s Cottage… Now I had no idea who this Mrs Smith was, or indeed if she was expecting us, infact even where her cottage could be located, but I leave these things to Debbies more than capable hands, she’s the Navigator, on-board entertainment organiser, dare I say it captain of our ship, in our case her tiny Nissan car😁…

Over the weeks that would follow the weather remained much the same, the sky covered in a thick oppressive slate grey blanket, from early dawn to dusk,. As the days went by, if I’m honest it crossed my sleepy mind, more than once, that maybe Deb had perhaps forgotten about our impending trip out, (Nooooooo chance), Debbie rarely if ever forgets anything 😁,. That following week I received the awaited Text from our entertainment coordinator, informing me Friday morning at 11:30 was D day😁.. that Friday morning After a couple of mugs of extra strong, honey laced inspiration, I decide maybe I should make some sort of concerted effort with my appearance,(goodness knows it takes longer these days😁)for it’s not often i,m allowed to socialise with real live people,. But as tiring and confusing as it can be for moi, it’s equally vexatious for them🙄😁 ,….I didn’t want to let Debbie down though, she had been so excited to show me around the little cottage, it becomes rather infectious you know, So after a long shower, I dug out a still in the packet new t shirt for the special occasion, spritzed with my favourite perfume, ready! Or at least there about😁 …

…. Just a week prior to this i had “the annual” flat inspection🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄, as you may know by now I find this not only somewhat invasive, but it sets my anxiety level running free and rampant, (love that word rampant!!!!!😁…. hereafter begins hours upon hours of totally unnecessary, ney uncalled for deep cleansing, where upon I usually end up creating even more bloody mess than I began with…I do this to myself, every time🙄, it culminates in the inspector being in the flat, less than five minutes, making lots of approval sounds, before telling me how lovely and clean everything is,(you get it is). I feel somewhat like it that proverbial pat on the head, what a good girl Treez!, If I had any real energy remaining after these shenanigans, I would go and fetch them a ball and wag my tail😁, just as well I don’t though or I’m certain sure there would be an earthquake of epic proportions somewhere like Australia,🙄😁, No instead I belly flop upon my bed, not to stir for some hours… Even the lure of strong coffee cannot revive the slumbering blubbering wreck that remains, Jesse yells out cake!!!!!!! every couple of hours, if one of my eyes twitch I’m alive…🙄

So after this abhorrent six monthly invasion, I welcomed any escape,some distraction from a well planned outing, I had already made sure I had some cash in my wallet for said occasion, mostly for those sudden stops off at roadside plant stands, We say every time that we will avoid them at all costs, but we never quite fulfil this promise, Somewhat fortunate enough for the local plant sellers …I swear they hear in advance, (“Ethel Ethel go dig up some plants from the garden, i,’ll get the trestle table from the shed, they’re on the way” 😁, (I don’t know which of us is worse, but hey it’s all good for local economy right?, Just doing my bit.😁

Mrs Smith….

Friday dawned one of those most perfect of days, the sky a pale Periwinkle blue, cloudless, filled with that promise of early spring warmth, floating above in the air,. Showered, my make up done, coffee section of the day complete, I was ready for anything…..ok just a slight exaggeration there, but as ready as I get anyhow., I sat chatting to Jesse as we awaited Debbies imminent arrival, it was going to be fun, oh please let it be ok😁😁😁😁😁😁

…. The drive to the location was absolutely stunning, passing through some very pretty chocolate box picture villages along the way, neat yellow Lancashire stone bungalows, perfectly manicured lawns, bordered with spring flowers. ..Because of our rather late start, the first port of call was lunch, (we like to do things in order of importance) well it’s food, foods vital😁🙄, That was of coursw when we finally located the cafe, I’ve no sense of direction, Debbie knowing little of the villiage, just adds to the adventure though😁😁😁😁😁😁. Thank goodness Debbie had had the forethought to pre booked us a table, after exploring the wilds of Navenby we were both nearly emaciated and on our last legs,🤔, how does one have last legs I wonder? Hmmmm, that implies we have spare legs, neat idea😁… On arrival it was all very pleasant and civilised I must say, The cafe owner very welcoming to her immaculate premises, never batting an eyelid, when I explained my complicated restrictive diet requirements, no carbs, no sugar, or wheat, ..I was however served a lovely crisp fresh green salad with a tangy Balsamic dressing, (thoroughly delicious….it’s so refreshing to find somewhere that can meet my dietary weirdness needs😁😁😁😁, it took all the awkwardness out of what was to be a rare treat…

After lunch, it came about that the tiny stone cottage sat nestled within walking distance from our lunch venue, even for me !, Deb had planned it all to that last minute detail… On arrival, you walk through a tiny walled olde worlde cottage garden, filled to capacity with a vast array of colour and every hue, bright blue forget me nots, competed for space with orange, red, russet coloured sweet scented wall flowers, the tall spires of iridescent purple and blue Delphinium, Silene latifolia,(Campion) both the pink and white variety springing up where they could find a space, lupins,Borage standing shoulder to shoulder, with Lavender,… For a tiny front garden it was awash with colour, a tapestry of delight, wild yet incredibly beautiful, on walking in, I felt an Instant welcome, greeted even, I would be hard put to explain this experience, but I felt a reverence, a pause, hush, as if the garden was expecting us….at any moment it’s owner about to make her appearance….

The cottage itself doesn’t disappoint , A thick solid wood door thrown open wide, straight into a tiny gift shop, filled with any myriad of consumable items, jams, chutney, biscuits, sweets … Selves packed with notebooks, pens, pencils, tea towels, souvenirs, every inch accounted for…the thick walls held the warmth of the day bay, inside the light was dimmed, a stark contrast from the bright sunlight outside, After our eyes adjusted, you find yourself jettisoned into another time, era ………

The first room though somewhat cramped was complete, within it a heavy wooden table, set out for afternoon tea, upon the back wall a black leaded stove, highly polished and clean, you had the feeling this was Mrs Smith’s pride and joy, a kettle sat ready to boil at any given moment’s notice, From behind us one of the wonderful volunteers who cares for the cottage, Voices the patently already obvious, Mrs Smith’s tiny cottage had welcomed many many visitors through her door over the years, She had been the hub of her community…

If time travel existed, the most die-hard amongst believe, .. as you stood within those walls, it’s a strange sensation, kind of like visiting your grand parents house, Open fires, lead light windows, wing backed chairs which you sank into, an exquisite embroidered white table cloth, covered in pansies, silky roses, and tiny sprigs of colourful flowers, beneath the table sat a toy box, complete with spinning top, Kaleidoscope, a puzzle and wood blocks, just awaiting tiny hands to be amused within its contents,

Upon a coffee table, sat before the Marley tile surround fireplace was an open letter, Written to One of Mrs Smith’s many friends, this we were encouraged to pick up and read…it was the genuine article, handled not only by it’s original author but hundreds of curious interested hands, a beautifully descriptive missive relating to her 100th birthday celebrations, the telegram from her Majesty the queen, gifts and visitors….I felt a bit like I was invading her privacy, but not enough to want to sit in one of the comfy but slightly lumpy winged back chairs and read every line…you couldn’t help but not feel that connection with the past….everything was as it had been left, trapped forever in time…I hate to keep using it, but paused …. Only waiting for its owners imminent return.

On the same table, a small brown photo album lay open, filled with black and white pictures, capturing unique images of family, friends, the cottage, it’s garden and trips abroad, for we learned Mrs Smith was very well travelled, even venturing to London, Scotland alone…she was quite the Dame, far braver than i, she had lived in that small home right up until her 102 birthday, where after a fall meant she needed relocation to a care home, this amazing woman had cared for her home up until this point, climbing a steep ladder each night to go to bed, I wouldn’t even attempt the climb, but it left me filled with admiration for the amazing lady that did, we left with booklets, recipes for cookies, souvenirs from the gift shop, and smiles upon our faces, I found myself really liking Mrs Smith as we had learned had everyone who walked through the front door., Well enough from me for the day, have a good week folks and take care of yourselves💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛😊🌻