There is peace to be found in slowing down for a while.
Tim and I had a plan last Saturday and we ditched it over our first cup of tea, deciding not to go out and dash around running errands as soon as we were up. 'Later' was Tim's wise suggestion.
It is so quiet here and we know how blessed we are to have this haven.
Tim headed outside to potter in the workshop and I got my baking things out. Tim's Grandma used to make rock cakes and I wanted to have a go. I stood at the kitchen counter, rubbing butter into the dry mixture as I looked out across the trees and listened to the birds. I could feel Tim's Grandma with me.
In hindsight, I made the mixture too wet and in the oven, my craggy mounds spread into flying saucers. We stoically tried to eat a few and then over this week have had great fun watching the squirrels perform gymnastics as they visited our garden, before disappearing over the back fence holding their cake prizes.
This sparked a desire to foster more moments of slowing down, and we have bought different types of flour to have a go at making bread. Standing at the kitchen counter, watching nature through the window, accompanied by our old Welsh clock ticking on the wall, as we knead dough is peaceful.
🩷
There is an old WWII movie called “Castle Keep” and in it one of the soldiers “drops out” of the war and becomes a baker / bread maker because he found it so peaceful in the little town his troops were in … there is wisdom the kneading of the dough
There is nothing like ditching plans til later! I seem to be doing it all the time and it is keeping me sane. Nothing gets done unless it is really urgent or it is something I have the energy for. Good luck with the bread making! I can't knead any more so I have a bread-maker. The results aren't as good as hand-made but at least I know exactly what ingredients are going into it. We all have cooking failures! My gravy yesterday ended up as thin as water despite copious amounts of cornflour. Goodness knows what went wrong! :D
Hugs and kisses xxXXXxx
I think I corrected it to John
What a lovely post on the joys of slowing down. Can't say I will make bread but it does sound relaxing. Hoping you and Tim have a peaceful weekend.
Everyone is always in such a rush, often over the most trivial things.