Scots Barn Dance

It’s been so warm for at least a week now. I haven’t slept very well because of this heat and certain behaviour of nice ground-floor neighbours *sarcastic*. So whenever I can, I open all the windows hoping there might be a bit of a cool breeze out there peeping in. The temperature in my office studio has been between 28° – 36° and makes it hard to concentrate on projects that need to be done. I’m often distracted and end up doing other things like getting rid of clutter, reorganising and throwing out stuff. I did this all morning while I should’ve been working on a website but at least the room is all neat again and I’ve thrown out lots of crap.

I’m heading for Scotland Friday morning to visit my best friend IvS [she’s Dutch] and enjoy a party they’ll be throwing for 120 guests in the evening in their barn. Saturday evening I’ll finally see the military tattoo at Edinburgh Castle and a huge fireworks display right after. IvS offered to go there when I visited her in Pitcairngreen, seven years ago but I think I had a bit of a cultural overdose back then since she already paid for a three days tour around parts of Scotland to see some castles, churches, the smallest distillery, the Wallace monument [summit of Abbey Craig] some wonderful [golf]sites and towns near the coast and a lot more.

I’m so looking forward to staying with her, they invited me so many times and I don’t understand why I didn’t go sooner. Last year after the break-up they wanted me to stay there for a while but I had too much on my mind back then to be able to relax. They moved from their cute cottage in 2002 to a wonderful huge old farmhouse, where they keep chicken, sheep, three dogs, a few hens and their neighbour’s cows on their land to mow the grass. So I’m off soon to relax and enjoy nature, a wee dram, long walks with the dogs, jokes about anything expat related and my friends’ company in general.

Bliss… One day I will move here and keep some goats, I’m such a dreamer but I know this one will be real… Below is where I’ll be staying [I’m showing you while walking around the house *hehe*]:

The house in the distance and Mac running towards me, crazy dog! [there’s two more ;) ]

The house on the left, all the bedrooms

The entrance

The stables

All their land on the right side

The office and studio on the left above the stables [partly shown] and dining room on the right

The dining room on the left and the kitchen behind it on the right

The kitchen

The vegetable garden and the children’s playground in the distance

Two Dutch wild women…

Reflection

Last Monday I was on the phone for two hours with my aunt in the Lowlands, she is my friend, my ‘mother’, my mirror. We always seem to have deep conversations about life and lessons to learn. That day I tried to explain to her what was going on here in London and while I was telling her about goals, dreams and realities she suddenly made me realise how much I’ve achieved over the last year. How I was thrown in at the deep end, how I nearly drowned struggling and how I slowly start to get back on my feet… I had to let go of a million things: personal things, most of my possessions and friendships, only to make room for new ones.

People tend to forget about you when you’ve left the country. Emails come in sparsely over time or even the odd reply seems to take much longer than usual. At first, friends, were a major reason for me to move back to the Lowlands if I feel I had no other option left. These days I realise it has become less important. It seems to be shifting: I couldn’t do without the friendships I have in London nor the ones online. I still value some in the Lowlands but I realise most don’t have a clue of what is going on here and it seems the interest isn’t there either. It’s life, people have their own path to follow and they’re slowly untying the relationship.

I understand because I’m in my own process of untying/tying and although I have accomplished a lot it’s odd how I still need others to remind me that I have. My aunt is a reminder and so are some of my [blog] friends. I’ve learned about different realities over the past year, my own and those of others but I’ve learned to respect one in particular. His taught me patience and gave me freedom to roam my creative realms, his made me grow and fed my hunger for knowledge. His showed me what contemplation looks like in all it’s different shades of beautiful blue. His taught me how to ignore poisonous words of others.

His gave me comfort, support and the most beautiful gift, a new reality… I have been quiet for days because I couldn’t find words to describe this feeling, I’m not even sure if I want to. Sometimes things are beyond words and don’t need to be written down to become real, I know what’s real and what isn’t. Sometimes reality stares you in the face and you suddenly become aware of it’s wonderful colours. It doesn’t blind you that particular moment because you choose and wish to see the beauty in it’s perfect reflection. It’s when you find yourself speechless, in stunned silence and almost in tears but with a huge smile on your face.

So it’s best to just be quiet and contemplate and since I love the wonderful smell of fresh baked bread in the house, I decided to bake a nice garlic and rosemary focaccia for lunch today with a plum tomato and feta omelette. Cooking is a way to relax to me and find my balance. I’m practising to get the perfect result so I can give in return one day what others gave me earlier this week, I think I came pretty close to ‘perfect’ ;)

I wish I could include aroma with a picture ;)

Garlic & rosemary focaccia with a plum tomato and feta omelette