Sunny days

We have finally had a bit of sunshine this week so I managed to get  a couple of pictures without a grey sky, yesterday and today.  I went out early for dinner with friends last night so  I'm posting that picture now.

This was from a distance so hazy due to zooming in on a non powerful camera,  nice to see the horses in the fields.  There is a field nearby with alpacas so I may have to wander over and take a photo of them one day next week.

This one is from my walk today I was under the cover of trees so it appears darker than it was.

 Other than getting out with the dogs and doing the food shopping I've not been up to much today but I have decided that from this week I will be saving my receipts from my food shop.  Just to get a clearer idea over the course of a year and also because I am fed up of hearing how our food prices are going to go up so I thought I would monitor it myself.

I don't really buy anything in bulk, I wonder how much could be saved this way so I am going to look into that. I keep the food shop pretty reasonable but there is bound to be somewhere I can improve, I don't have a big freezer so it can't be too much frozen stuff but otherwise I'm curious.

Planning a Walk

I have just come back from my walk with the dogs and yet again I have had to carry three dog bags this time for about 2.6 miles before reaching a bin. Ridiculous! Of course I want to tidy up after my pets but  where have all the bins gone? Just about every time I go out I find this and it doesn't matter which route I take, unless I am passing through the park or by the school there are no bins.  The sad thing is in one particular area by the side of the road I saw dog bags on the floor as if people had given up after miles of walking. Obviously they should not be doing this but they have picked it up so my thinking is if there had been any bins around this wouldn't be happening.

The reason I know how far I walked before encountering a bin is this little website I found Plotaroute.com this is really handy because you just drag your route on the map and it tells you how far it is, you can estimate arrival times and so on.  Quite handy I think, I have found that two of my regular walks are just over three miles and thought they were a quick whip around as I walk quite fast.  It is good to know I am covering more ground than I realized and that when we do longer walks it is better still.
Here is my picture for the day, I had to put the dog bags down to take it but be assured I picked them up again and carted them around looking for the elusive bin.

I do hope it is not going to be thirty days of dreary skies although the light in this one is a little better.

There is hope for lighter days to come, there is something growing in this field, the daffodils are all coming up and it has been quite mild today so hopefully the days will be brighter.  I am finding everyone is in need of a rest and the dark days don't help.
 I have been watching an Icelandic drama called 'Case' it was good but a bit dark as most crime dramas are, I watched the last episode of the first series this week but they left it so there can be a second series.  I am finding the  book 'After You' a bit dull otherwise I would have finished it by now.

Peace and Joy

That title sounds a bit like Christmas doesn't it? Well don't worry we are not there yet, it's just that I read something earlier that really appealed to me.
'When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.' - The Dalai Lama
How wonderful, and it is basically taking responsibility, of course it doesn't mean illness or unavoidable accidents but the every day thoughts and actions that can tilt things this way or that.

My picture for today was an orchid that has just come into flower again that I keep in my kitchen...

Now orchid from what I read is lovely, beautiful and calm and the colour yellow, wholesome, honest and pure. I just thought the picture quite fit the quote although I already had the picture for the day.

I always think it is good to remember all the little things each day that bring you joy rather than all the things that wind you up, I am very grateful but some days it is hard not to grumble.  Considering the quote above I think I will pop it in my bag and look at it whenever I am feeling out of sorts.