Fudge and foxgloves

Typical Southern Lakes landscape © Mellifluous Dark, all rights reserved

There were foxgloves all over the place in the Lake District. They are pretty flowers, bright strands among the green. (I have a vague memory of them being poisonous though, so didn't touch any.)

View from Western Lakes © Mellifluous Dark, all rights reserved

I was craving the break when it came. My head had been spinning with the amount of work I had to complete before I could pack and shop for our self-catering cottage. I was stressed so badly that my sleep was plagued with worry and teeth-grinding, which always scares me. I cannot let myself ever get back to my old, poisonous sleep-stress patterns. I am by no means completely cured of insomnia and when stressed, I gnash my teeth, wake with headaches and become crazed with exhaustion if it goes on for too long. I can control it by sticking to the regime. I have developed new patterns. It was so, so hard and I shall not be wasting all the effort I put in over the past 18 months.

Anyway, that particular week seems a long time ago now. In the past week, I've done some more work on my novel, which is now two-thirds complete and very dark in places. I'm not sure why, but when I write when I'm away and can let myself become completely engrossed in the story, the characters do things that surprise me. Something about the lack of email, internet and distractions gave me the chance to immerse myself in the characters' world. I found it difficult to write much when I had an entire day stretching out before me while S went walking up mountains one day (my knees don't allow such activities at the moment). But on the days when we went out early and came back in time for a cup of tea in front of Countdown (oh yes, we became middle-aged for sure)... well, on those days, I'd write a fair bit post-tea break. S, at such times, would go off and do yet more walking while I crafted my story.

Ullswater © Mellifluous Dark, all rights reserved

We visited several new places including Penrith (closed, as it was Sunday, and very cold indeed), Kendal (unexpectedly pretty, with a lovely chocolate shop that sold tasty fudge that I'd been after in Penrith), Ullswater (a peaceful, vast lake), and we went to some old familiars, such as: Hawkshead (which is always raining when we go, which means we have to stop for cream tea), Ambleside (pretty and busy) and we also found ourselves back in Seascale (a bizarre town with a very long horizon that gives me the shivers; it is near the nuclear power plant and has an air of desolation that seems to creep under your skin).

Lemur monkey © Mellifluous Dark, all rights reserved

And there was also the South Lakes Animal Park, which we thought might be just OK, but was fabulous. We wandered around in the cold sunshine (yes, it is possible) and saw plenty of animals, which were being bred to be released or were being cared for due to excessive poaching in their homelands. It was a very well-kept place and our only moments of unease were generated by seeing the big cats, beautiful lionesses, pacing up and down, looking as though they wanted to eat the people who watched. We didn't stay long in that area, preferring to see the free-running lemur monkeys and emus.

It goes without saying that we walked on the hills, though I was somewhat limited due to my ongoing knee problem, which is improving slowly. I got to the top of one mountain as the steep, winding road went quite a way up. S helped me over rocks as we made our way to the freezing summit; it was really very cold. I was scared to see the clouds coming in behind us and, when S said we shouldn't hang around, I was alarmed. The mountain is no place for the unfit or those who don't know it like the back of a hand. There's something sinister about clouds that appear from nowhere and follow like silent ghosts, surrounding you, blocking you from seeing your path home. I love views but do find the majesty of what nature can do (sea, wind, sun) quite astonishingly awe-inspiring.

We did some clay pigeon shooting, which I really enjoy, despite the man in charge being a bit too prescriptive. I think he thought I was incapable of holding the rifle still and kept interfering. I hit the targets when he refrained from standing up close and personal and let me get on with it. I should have told him that I do kung fu and am not averse to hard sports. Silly chap. Anyway.

So, back to reality. I did a clever thing, for once, and booked this week off, too. For the first time in years, I have two weeks off! But, being self-employed, I did get a couple of work-related texts from colleagues last week who seemed to have forgotten that I was on leave despite me drumming it in. To say I was angry was an understatement; my neck snapped into tension and I had to reply to tell the man to leave me alone and sort it out himself. I couldn't believe the thoughtlessness.

Yesterday, I had one work-related conversation but that was OK, as I'd made the call to put my mind at rest about something I'd slaved on before going on holiday. It was deemed 'compelling' by a new editor I'm working for – hurrah! Deeply relieved, I went to check out the sales, sit by the river for lunch and later watch The Edge of Love, which was average at best but was an impromptu stop at the flicks and not a bad way to spend the latter part of the afternoon. Today? Not sure... but I like it that way. The sun is shining in London and I have a diary that says only 'hol'. Great stuff.