Stealing away to reality ...

I cuddled babies, stroked pets and toasted crumpets by an open fire. 

Accompanied by fry-ups and gallons of tea.

It was good for the soul.

My beloved's hometown, Bolton, is a world away from London. It's not a picturesque village, but there are cottages, trees and open spaces a-plenty.

This is a place where people stop to talk to eachother; where, instead of high street brands, you find charity shops and wool shops and general 'knick knack' shops that leave me giddy.

More importantly? (although my quixotical self sometimes insists few things could be more important than yarn and treasures ...) Life, for the most part, moves slowly. Quietly. Without fanfare.

This is the kind of place to be when your heart is weary from the frenzy of the Big Smoke and you just.
  Need.
    To.
      Get.
        Away.

We slept on airbeds - his double one the centrepiece of the living room, mine crammed into the study - in the cosy cottage his mother and stepfather renovated not two years ago. They found it broken and unloved, and saw what it could be. Many affectionately rolled eyes and shook heads.

But now? It's a home like no other.

A stained-glass star hangs in the window that looks out to where birds come to feed. Grandchildren, pets and local artists adorn the ledges and walls. A wooden dresser displays green-flecked crockery and birthday gifts.

There's the country table where the family so often gathers; the floral sofa and armchairs everyone retires to to soothe full tummies with a warm brew.

Mabel, beloved mongrel, stretches out in her corner. A bag of knitting sits by the fire. Upstairs, fairy lights twinkle above their bed. And on the nearby allotment, the earth is ready to receive the seeds that will that grow their way into delicious recipes all year long.

There isn't enough room to stay more than a few days. But give me airbeds and peace over a four-poster and a restless heart anyday.

And I hope I always feel that way.

At my beloved's sister's bungalow, the atmosphere is a little livelier - she's a mama to two under-3s :)

But this?

This happy chaos of gurgles and shouts and toys?

It warms my heart and makes me glad to be alive.

There's nothing like nose-kissing a chubby, smiling baby with wild-bloom cheeks and too-big dungarees. Like hearing his curly-haired big brother call me Auntie and slay the only-child-sadness that occassionally pricks. Like stroking docile cats who somehow doze quietly in the middle of the crazy ... until a tail is pulled or an eye poked.

Here, and at the cottage, you'll find simple pleasures. Laughter. Full plates. And best of all? A sense that life is there to be lived, not dreamed about.

One thing I have always admired about my beloved's family is their ability to accept their reality and get on with it. To make the most of what they have. Certainly the countryside is more peaceful than the city. And of course it's easier to find rest where there is calm and quiet.

But peace and rest are not exclusive to to the countryside. It took a weekend there to show me this.

I am no stranger to whimsy. No hater of dreams.

But sometimes? I get so lost in my imagination; in the I wishes and the if onlys. That I steal my peace and rest. The "frenzy of the Big Smoke" is real. But, often, I aggravate it.

I forget that it is possible to live a city life and maintain a country heart. That outside there may be frenzy but inside there can be peace. And the rest? I can make time. I don't have to say yes to everything. I don't have to let my feelings put me on a leash and drag me every which way. I can slow down. Now and then? I can even stop.

We are only guaranteed the now. This one moment is all we have. And not all of us can spend it among greenery.

Are you embracing your here and now? With all its simple pleasures? Are you awakening your senses to what is around you? Or do you constantly steal them away to a make-believe world that reality can never live up to?

Steal away to reality. Whether that reality is snow-covered countryside or a smog-filled town. Gurgling babies or a full-time job.

Live contentedly.
   Peacefully.
     Make time to rest.
       Make the best of what you have been given.
         And remember to give thanks.

#227 A warm car - heating fixed by my beloved when all I requested was a little fan-heater to warm our toes
#228 Hot chocolate with marshmallows en route
#229 The wonder of a tiny cottage covered in snow
#230 The woodpile outside the front door
#231 Toasting crumpets by an open fire
#232 Mabel
#233 Sitting in the warmth and doing nothing in particular
#234 Sliding socked feet against the polished floor
#235 Debuting my Joules wellies
#236 Holding sweet babies close
#237 A blue-eyed cutie gingerly licking cake batter straight off the spatula
#238 Fry-ups
#239 A full mug
#240 Dressing for dinner
#241 Discussing faith long into the night
#242 Dozy cats with the softest fur
#243 Little butterfly-print dresses
#244 Baby curls
#245 Happy chaos that soothes the soul

PS: I just realised that I haven't been adding the 'Thousand Gifts' button. So, starting as I mean to go on, it's making an appearance today :)