Finding time to relax is tough in one of the busiest of weeks

I had originally thought it was just old age creeping up on me, but having faced a few unwelcome facts, decided that total exhaustion for 95 per cent of the time probably wasn’t quite as it should be.

I therefore made an appointment with a doctor at the local surgery. I always feel a bit guilty about this as I know they are frantically busy and I am of the generation that doesn’t want to bother the doctor unnecessarily.

The staff at the local health centre are really nice and I cannot praise them enough. Even if you are feeling low, the dogs still need walking and I rarely have a day when I do not get out for some reason. I went to a rehearsal on the Monday evening and even did a little gardening on the Tuesday before heading off to see the most charming young lady doctor who then asked me to go for tests. That evening I went to talk to a quite delightful group of ladies at Driffield, the Garton Ladies Club. On my travels round I get to meet some fascinating people.

The next morning I went up to York Hospital, had a chest x-ray and then drove over to my good friend in Scarborough with some cushions I had done for her. While I was there we took her beautiful cat to the vet for her yearly jabs. The vet there is a lovely gentleman from Portugal and he certainly knows his stuff. He was so good the cat was purring with happiness by the time he finished examining her. She was so calm she hardly sang at all in the car returning home, as she had en-route. Then another friend in Scarborough had saved some fencing panels for me and I loaded them up in the car before setting off on my return. On the way back I tried once again to find Danes Graves but chickened out when the road down which I was driving became a dubious track and as the weather was not great I didn’t fancy walking too far. I stopped off at a farm shop just on the outskirts of Driffield and bought some ingredients for a good winter stew, and then when I got back managed to walk the dogs. Then I drove my young lodger (and two motor cycle tyres) up to a motor cycle genius at High Catton, where he is going to fit tyres to the motor bike and fettle it up to be a reliable machine.

What I had originally planned to be a quiet day had become very busy and so I determined that the next day I would relax a bit. My friend rang most concerned that having let her cat out, it had declined to come back in.

Thursday actually started quite well but by the afternoon I had cabin fever and took myself off our local garden centre and got some bird food, and then moved on to a wonderful nursery where, having sought advice, I purchased a mulberry tree and a very spectacular variety of Spindle bush, always a favourite plant from my childhood. I was relieved to hear that the truant cat had returned.

I have noticed quite an increase of song birds visiting my garden. I saw a chaffinch, a pair of green finches and wrens, and a coal tit, in addition to the regular visitors. As I have been out and about I have noticed a plethora of birds of prey, form buzzards, a peregrine falcon, the many red kites, a kestrel and a pair of merlin hunting over the countryside. I love to watch them and often pull over if I get the chance to do so.

On the Friday, I walked the dogs early in the morning, and we had a wonderful couple of hours with the dogs charging ahead and then coming back to make sure I hadn’t sneaked off before them dashing ahead again. I did some shopping and then planted the two trees and some hawthorn hedging that I had acquired. I began digging in compost to my vegetable patch, and planted a rosemary bush in the herb bed.

On the Saturday I had a commitment at Beeford. I have never been there before and on the way I found a really beautiful waterway at Driffield, and then I drove through charming villages. Returning home at lunch time, I intended to do some ironing, but first sat with a cup of coffee, and woke up much later!