No musings in August 'cos I decided to go on strike. Well, everyone else seems to be joining that bandwagon!

However, there is very little impact on the general public by my action, or inaction - other than I didn't update my blog. Perhaps you're not so amused by them? Perhaps you're already bored by my infrequent ramblings?

But to quote a phrase I hate, 'It is what it is'. For all that I am a retired old biddy, a useless eater, a grumpy, opinionated, unpolitically-correct pensioner with unspoken, but not unthought of stuff (probably equivalent to modern day hate-speech) about the disrespectful ablutions of folk in campervans, or the ignorance of cyclists, or even fellow motorists, on single track roads - despite all that, I still believe I have a contribution to make.

And being on strike doesn't mean I've side-stepped my normal activities in favour of plonking myself in front of daytime tv, dunking Rich Teas.

I still spend hours creatively thinking about ideas for artwork; I still pick up fledgling birds before they either get hit by cars, or hit the back of Hebe-the-dog's throat; I still scare & see-off murderous crows from attacking their victim; I still attend to Hebe-the-dog's needs and restrict her hankering for things she thinks she needs, but clearly doesn't (in my opinion); I still listen to the fears and general moaning of my friends (sorry friends!) and try to leave them happier than before I've met them. In short, I'm still operating much the same as usual.

Except...

I'm restricting the time I spend doing the above. Enough is enough. Everything is on hold. I don't need any distractions. The coming of autumn needs my full attenton. I need to begin Stage 2 Winter.

To explain: us hardcore native northerners have no respect for lazy southerners who sunbathe away their summer, eyes shut, flat on their backs for hours on end. To us, summer means more daylight and early starts. More time to get ready for winter.

'Cos there's a logstore to fill, kindling to gather, veggies to plant and fruit to gather and then preserve and bottle, to fill up that store cupboard.

Summer is busy-busy with an urgency to it. There's little time for frivolous notions of lapping up the sun, seated. Or, for tinkering with and admiring, pretty plants in the garden. And, let's face it, sometimes summers here are counted only in a couple of days, strung together randomly!

So, Stage 1 Winter is complete: my logstore is filled. I'm onto Stage 2 Winter: bottling.

So, August saw the start of my liqueur making for winter. Two mixtures are already steeping: Blackberries in Brandy, and Fennel flowers in Vodka. I'm waiting for the rosehips to ripen a bit more before I start on Burnet Rosehips in Brandy.

Foraging and freezing berries for Hedgerow Jelly is underway. I'm just waiting for the elderberries to darken and plump up a bit more. Likewise for rowanberries & rosehips. Then the mix will be ready to prepare: blaeberry, blackberry, damson, bird cherry, hawthorn, elderberry, rowanberry and rosehip. It will be a delicious dark jam with immune-boosting properties.

I'm also kneedeep in diy projects. It's good to keep busy. The Deil makes work for idle hands and all that! I'm in the middle of wallpapering.

I was just going to refresh one bedroom. Changing colours can be so uplifting, don't you think? But the trouble with wallpapering, I've found, is that in choosing a design to use, I see several more I'd like to try somewhere..anywhere. Sometimes I believe I'm a pattern junkie! Several rooms have been reimagined many times over.

So, all in all, you can see how busy my being on strike has been. No time for friends, no art, no writing and even less time spent considering all the fear-mongering in the media.

Hopefully, come November, I will be sitting pretty beside my toasty log fire, surrounded by newly decorated, mood-lifting colour schemes, with a tot of a country liqueur in one hand and a jammy piece in the other!

Being on strike in August will surely be worth it!

Cheers!