#SoCS – the best laid plans and all that …

Generally, the Easter weekend in the Dean household involves walks in the countryside, picnics (weather-permitting) and a chance to wind down from work.

Yesterday, armed with stout walking boots and suitable clothing, we headed off to a lovely beauty spot in the North Yorkshire Moors, Mallyan Spout, a spectacular waterfall in a deep gorge. The last time we visited was during the drought of 2022. The spout was more of a dribble.

This year we hadn’t banked on just how much rain had fallen! The steep pathway down to the stream was awash with mud. Everyone was taking extreme care to get down… everyone expect our daft doggo. She as happily hauling Mr D towards the roiling water.

We reached the spout, spouting well, took photos and started to climb back over the slippery rocks when disaster struck. I slipped on a particularly wet rock, turned my left ankle, lost my balance completely, plunging into the freezing cold water and bashing my right knee as I ended up submerged.

Getting out was an effort. Dripping wet from head to foot, I realised I had to hobble back over the remaining rocks, squelch up the aforementioned mud slide, and worst of all, I realised I had scuppered the picnic plans! Normally I’m such a genial wee person, but not then. I turned the air blue with every painful hobble.

Fast forward to today, I’ve been examined, X-rayed and nothing broken. Ligaments are torn though. I’m learning to use crutches and learning how to sit still! Ah well, might as well make the most of it and do those little handcraft jobs I’ve got piled up in my work box.

Thank you to Linda G Hill for hosting the Stream of Consciousness Saturday challenge. Click here to see her rules of engagement.

JusJoJan 31st – the last post

… for JusJoJan 2023. Due to family and work circumstances, I’ve managed to miss a chunk of blogging. So, consider this a mega-blog to make up for it. You may need to engage your endurance, exercise some patience while you’re reading (this post wanders a lot), and make sure to set up your ideal amenities for your persoal comfort.

Meanwhile, as I write my last seasonal JusJoJan, I am reminded to express my gratitude for your friendship, sympathy and support throughout recent events. The Dean family will dust themselves down, take our canine pupster for a good long walk in the fresh air and hope to be back on form again soon.

Looking further ahead, I can already see Mr D’s plans for my retirement… he would like to keep me busy with DIY and furniture up-cycling. I like the idea, but if he even thinks about buying me a paintbrush for my birthday there will be hell to pay… mostly on his credit card!

And with that, I am down to one last word, Phantom. What on earth to do with that? Be grateful that pupster has been spayed so she never has to go through a phantom pregnancy? Or book tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera when Mr D and I are next in London? Who knows!

Oops! Just when you think it’s all done, there’s one more word… periwinkle. This word conjures up two memories. The first one is of me as a small child on the beach, combing through tidal rock pools, collecting periwinkles in my beach bucket and then being sad when I had to let them go at the end of the day. And the second memory is of Mum on my wedding day. She loved periwinkle blue and managed to find an outfit, shoes, hat and handbag, all in matching periwinkle. The colour suited her perfectly. It was my favourite ‘posh do’ outfit and saw a few more weddings after its first outing.

And with that, we are done. JusJoJan is over for another year. I’d like to thank all the word suppliers (see this post for the full list and links) and our host, Linda G Hill. I don’t know how she manages to be so organized!