Easy breezy

It’s been a weekend of windy sunshine and doing just what we fancy.

Yesterday, Tom and I treated ourselves to brunch at a favourite cafe and spent the afternoon on a longer-than-anticipated walk across Yaverland and Bembridge Down.

Today, with tired legs and heavy rain outside, we had the perfect lazy Sunday, filled with knitting, baking and reading.

This pattern from Kate is proving great fun, much faster and simpler than the initial five-page pattern had me fearing. Its got me picking up my knitting far more often than I have done for months and I’m enjoying watching its fast progress.

I’ve found a banana bread recipe (adapted from Hummingbird Bakery) that Tom seems to love. Home-baked goodies in a weekday lunchbox remind me of being a kid and always go down better than the Kit-Kats we settle on when I fail to bake.

I’ve taken my time reading Roger Deakin’s Wildwood. This morning I was transported to the wild walnut forests of Kyrgyzstan and this afternoon I was lost in the blackthorn and crab apple of English hedgerows.

It’s easy breezy weekends like this that make that early Monday morning start a little easier.

Woolly layers

There may be talk of ‘milder weather’ afoot, but I’m a cold-blooded soul, who is still layering up for warmth. I am addicted to these base layers from the marvellous Howies. Their fab colours make me feel a little less like an old man in thermals. As you may know, I’m a big fan of wool, and starting with thermals just means I get to load up on another layer of my favourite fibre. I certainly needed it on our long walk on Sunday. It may be bright, but it is still very windy out!

Local love: Briddlesford

Briddlesford has long had a great little farm shop. It’s a welcome stop for supplies mid-bike ride, and has plenty of yummy goodies and local produce. What with the good thing they already had going, I was excited when I first heard of their plans to open Bluebells Cafe. And they didn’t disappoint. The distances people travel (by Island standards) to come for a bite to eat here is testament to it’s greatness.

Today, we travelled here via Combley Great Wood. Tom and I are both reading books on trees and enjoyed exploring this unfamiliar spot. After a few wrong-turns and running back for missing gloves, we were pretty hungry. After all, half the point of a walk is the well-deserved cup of tea at the end.

This great little place gives me business envy. With good strong coffee, plenty of local food options and friendly staff, Bluebells is a treat. The polished concrete floor, woodburner and lush loos (yes, it matters!) just add to it’s perfect-stop status. This feels like local business at it’s best.
We never found the missing glove, but we did go home with full tummies and plans to return soon.

The road home

I’ve just returned from a week of work Up Mainland, commuting daily by motorway. What a difference from Island roads! Such a crush of moving metal, with an unfamiliar view of miles of straight tarmac ahead. A thirty mile journey is no more that a quick zip down the road, and the soundtrack is more Beastie Boys than Beasts of Seasons. The ease and speed were a treat, but I was glad to return to Island roads. Their winding eccentricities and routes formed over centuries of natural pathfinding offer daily variety. The light through the morning mist is never the same twice, and the many lanes make a different journey home possible every day of the week. These small, slow roads have changed my perspective of distance, making 10 miles a sizeable journey, and a trip to another town a serious proposition. Some bemoan the inefficiency of it, the ‘Island Mentality.’ But this is part of the charm of the place. It slows you down, makes you enjoy the journey, and reminds you that the car is only one of its many users. Tomorrow I’ll be off enjoying it on two wheels.

Simple

I’ve enjoyed clearing the house of the yuletide explosions of fairy lights, gingerbread men and pine needles, and have welcomed in the new year in all its slate-clean glorious grey. Tom and I took a wander to the far East of the Island this morning, and admired the end of the land..

Up on the top of windy Tennyson Down, it was chilly enough to justify Christmas jumpers and I revelled in the ravelry, as is my usual habit.

We stopped for a simple cup of tea (and mighty slabs of cake) at Dimbola Lodge, catching the last day of the fabulous exhibition of local artist Liz Cooke. Between the chilled shelves laden with cakes, are glass-fronted cabinets of beautiful old camera equipment, while upstairs is filled with the big eyes of Cameron’s 19th century portrait subjects. This corner of Freshwater Bay is a beautiful spot for a simple January day.