Who has a bucket list? I don’t, but if I did, then I discovered that feeding an alpaca would’ve been on it. Weird I know, I didn’t even know feeding alpacas was on my imaginary bucket list but apparently it was, and I discovered this by feeding an alpaca this week.
Orkney has an alpaca farm and it really is a lot of fun. The visits are set up for children but I had a great time being an over grown kid and feeding the animals. As well as the four alpacas you get to feed the many ducks/geese/hens as well as goats and pigs. Then we are all treated to amazing cakes and a cuppa. I would highly recommend this place to visit if you are in Orkney. It’s a great morning out. If it’s not on your bucket list then put it on.
Last Sunday we said out goodbyes to Tech Support after delivering all his belongings down to him. He’d officially left home the week before when he’d flown off to an induction day at his College, but with us taking all his things down and heading back up the road without him made it feel really final and marked a shift in seasons of our life. Living in Orkney is great, but that stretch of water can feel like great distance. I had managed to stop crying a couple of days before our final parting but driving off the boat and back to our home without him made me feel sad again. SO many mums have shared with me their empty nest experiences and it’s been a great comfort to me, so thank you. I know he will be fine, and as the week has gone on, I’ve felt a lot happier too. There’s adjustments to make though, like buying less food (not the usual fifteen pints of milk he would usually pour on his cereal!) and not going off my head that he hasn’t recycled. But we are settling in to a new routine now and it’s ok. As we were leaving Orkney Beef remembered a long ago photo of their hands. Orkney Beef has huge hands, last Sunday’s photo shows Tech Support is catching up.
Summer is over readers, marking another shift in seasons. How do know this? Two reasons. In Scotland the children all returned to school prompting an influx of mandatory back to school photos on my Facebook feed. I of course didn’t take one because a) I don’t have anyone going back to school and b) because I took one on their first day and thought that would suffice. Apparently not. Here’s my status from last year following several years succession of no back to school photo. Another in a long line of parenting fails apparently. Just keeping it real.
One thing I didn’t miss about this year’s back to school was the twenty million forms and permission slips I had to fill in and sign giving the exact same information I had given the previous years. You think I’m exaggerating don’t you? I’m not. It was annual head-but the wall hate job. Just ask my kids. I really don’t miss it, one change that’s worked in my favour!
The second reason I know summer is over is because this morning I was so cold I put on my fleecy onsie to potter around the house in. For those of you who don’t know, a onsie is basically a giant fleecy babygrow thing made for overgrown kids adults. They were in fashion (for wearing at home thank God) several years ago and one Christmas I decided to treat myself to one.
I had bought it for the sole purpose of wearing it on Boxing Day which is my favourite do nothing day. After what feels like a hundred years of planning and executing the delivery of presents and creating the perfect roast potatoes Boxing Day for me has always been about lounging around eating milk tray for breakfast, doing a jigsaw and reading a book. The long awaited Boxing Day arrived – I had shown great determination not to put the onsie on beforehand – and I took great pleasure in stepping into the new fluffy babygrow, (not thinking about if I might need the toilet in a hurry, that could be problematic) The day stretched out ahead of me and I was ready, smug in my delayed gratification. I needed to pop outside for something from the garage, when I slipped and fell flat on my back caking my entire babygrow in mud. It couldn’t be rescued with a dab of kitchen roll, this was a full blown washing machine affair. I think I possibly cried.
I’m not going to subject you to a picture of me in a onsie but I can admit to having the laziest of weekends. Sort of like a Boxing Day lazy. This is really thanks (? ) to feeling a bit under the weather and cancelling all weekend plans. I read a whole book, drank tea in bed and didn’t argue with the dog about sleeping on the duvet. Orkney Beef has been at work and Tech Support as you know is away. I had the house to myself and the rest and solitude has done me the power of good. Maybe the change in season isn’t so bad after all.
Have a good week everyone.
Norq From Ork 