Sunshine over the Meadows

It was such a beautiful, sparkly, sunshiny day to day that it was only let down by being so cold. Still, sunshine warns the cockles of one’s heart if not the exposed face and limbs. I had a walk over the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links this morning on grass, studded with frost and frozen hard. Sometimes it’s good to forgo the paths and tramp as the crow flies without getting shoes covered in glaur.

For a change, I started my morning with a bowl of pinhead oatmeal porridge. This is a first for me as I usually have muesli , but I have made porridge in the past with porridge oats. But this was the real deal - the oatmeal soaked overnight and a labour intensive 10minutes of constant stirring over heat this morning to produce a bowl of nutty tasting porridge.
I added a little bit of salt which is maybe not in the old fashioned recipe, and horror of horrors I put a little runny honey on the top. Had I been eating it with cream, I would not have debased it thus. It certainly stopped me feeling hungry for longer and gave me enough energy for a stint in the gym this afternoon.

Now I am engaged in trying to find a stash of cards sent by His Lordship to me over the years and which I saved before Christmas from a basket full of other Christmas and birthday cards received in the 8 years of living in the Dower House. Yes, I am a hoarder of cards, being reluctant to discard them, not only because some of them are beautiful, but also because they have been bought and sent with love and goodwill from friends. However, I finally got rid of them, all except for the ones I am now trying to find. It seems a lost cause and I’m beginning to think I binned them too by mistake. I’ll find it hard to live with that. I might have to enlist the help of Saint Anthony.