Settling In

So Paxo and Pastime are settling in to their new home in the old stable and I'm settling in to the bunglow where I've been privileged to stay for the past six hunting/hound exercising seasons. In just ten days here it seems like I've seen most of the people I ever knew (and that's a lot!) between walking the streets of the nearby market town ducking into one little shop after another, following the horses and hounds in several nearby hill parishes and visiting several of the local pubs on weekend evenings. It's a good life here, especially between showers! It's not surprising that things stay fairly green all year....it rains most days at some point but the photographer in me responds with awe to the light which is spectacular at times -- perhaps it is that this place is so far north from most points in the USA - the quality of the light and the angle of the sun are quite different (at least it seems to be so - I'm no scientist!)

(Just a horse I used to know...enjoyed a good laugh)

Yesterday I went over to a holistic vet friend's home near a local scenic attraction and spent a very cozy afternoon playing old time fiddle tunes and singing a song or two with pals Nigel, Tam and John. Along the way we shared pleasant conversation, luscious french cheese, nice rum punch and a few good laughs. We tried some new songs and enjoyed some old ones, too and made plans to get together again soon.

After, Tam and I decided we should head down to the Crown for a drink which turned into a bit of a port buzz for me before I found my way back home. There at the Crown on a wet and stormy Sunday night (which I'll confess I thought would be absolutely empty under the circumstances) we ran into ever so many friends and neighbors and had a jolly good natter with Colin and Ann, Trevor, Elwin, Alison, Phil and many others about everything imaginable and a few unimaginable things, too. Just the night before I'd been out far too late at the Ox chatting up lots of my "hillfolk" friends.

As I sit here reflecting on the summer of 2006 and all the wonderful memories it presents I feel so fortunate to be looking back on good times with good friends. And here I am in the midst of more good times and good friends. I am indeed a lucky person who feels blessed to be "settling in" to what is for me an ideal kind of life among friendly folks who celebrate life and work at a much slower pace than that to which I've been accustomed. Cheers to the good life!

My summertime mate, Mister Pip (through the eye of a fish)