March

We’ve recently moved to Devon and I’m sitting here in our rented house with the sun shining in, it’s impossibly quiet.  At night we leave our bedroom window open and hear nothing until the birds wake us up with their dawn chorus.  Gone are the sirens and occasional cars backfiring or motorbikes revving that accompanied our nightly slumber in the city.  I sleep deeply here and yet feel so tired.  I’ve never understood that.

I’ve wanted to get back to this blog for a long time and can’t believe it’s been over a year now since I visited this site but I haven’t felt much like writing about food lately, it’s felt too trivial to talk about gluten free this and that when there is so much happening that is raw and painful in so much of the world.  One of the most important things I did when we moved was make sure we updated our details so we could vote.  That Labour did so well in the elections is the one thing that has lit a spark of hope in me that change might be possible.  That so many young people turned out to vote feels like a positive shift for this country.  In the wake of the Grenfell tower disaster and recent terrorist attacks building a vehicle for change seems more important than ever.

Maybe it’s moving across the country (which hasn’t been without its challenges) or just a new found appreciation for the good in life but for better or worse I hope to return here more often.  I’ve saved you many political rants over the last few months.  I don’t quite know what this blog is at the moment but for now…

In March we gathered with family on the Isle of Wight to celebrate my Dad’s 90^th birthday.  There were cakes and candles and walks along the beach.  I think my Dad had a wonderful time, but then he always does, he is one of the most positive people I know.  A man who truly knows how to live in the moment, always enthusiastic about what is happening now, never regretting the past or fearing the future.  He continues to be an inspiration.  A few photos of the beautiful place where I was privileged enough to grow up and where my Dad continues to live his life in his wonderfully eccentric way.