Picky Bits

Life has its ups and downs and over the last year or so I've tried some new hobbies, and had a couple of set backs.

Mum introduced me to the first hobby of Japanese flower arranging, called ikebana. Ikebana arrangements are made with flowers, leaves, branches, and other natural materials and are meant to reflect the creator's personality and aesthetic awareness. They are often seasonal and should incorporate the principles of harmony, minimalism, and symbolism. The idea is to capture the beauty of nature and convey a specific feeling or emotion. Arrangements can take hours and thought is put into the placement of every item. The Japanese value the fact that the beauty is fleeting and temporary, and therefore special. I guess you could apply this to relationships, jobs, events and even life itself in a way. I intend to spend more time trying out new arrangements over the summer when I can find some lovely, larger flowers in the glen to use. What I've done so far isn't really very good and I aspire to create something much better like some of the beautiful examples I've seen online.

The first set back was when I noticed some cracks appearing in the plaster and render over the winter. It was odd becuase nothing at all appeared last year. I thought about changes we had made and realised that all the windows have been changed and this is probably a big structural difference, and the heat and cold will have created stresses in the house. The other thing is that it has been an exceptionally wet winter, which may be changing the ground consistency. I spoke to my dad and he said not to worry unless I could stick my finger into the gaps. They don't seem to be getting any worse, so I'll see if they close up again in the summer, then paint over them.

The next thing I decided to try was making my own Kombucha. My friend Richard introduced me to it on his last visit and it was delicious. The next week I noticed West Coast Wellness were selling in their roadside produce hut and bought a bottle. It tasted completely different and I decided to google how to make it. It seemed pretty straight forward with the right equipment. I mail ordered a scoby - a kind of starter, which arrived in the form of a slimy disc of bacteria, basically. Fermented foods are the latest fad of health foods and so I was sure this would be a great thing to introduce into my diet. The first batch was delicous! Kombucha is a Japanese drink of fermented tea which can be flavoured with herbs and fruits and is supposed to be really good for your gut microbiome. The problem is that if you leave it too long it's like drinking vinegar, and my scoby produced so much that I couldn't keep up with it. I never got another batch quite as good as the first one and eventually gave my scoby away. I might try again in the future with a smaller batch. I have settled instead for a regular batch of homemade ginger beer. Whilst it is technically fermented it is also full of sugar but so delicious!

Then, in October I spotted three Highland cattle in a field in the glen. They're really beautiful and quite inquisitive compared to the usual bunch. Then about a month later, a tiny calf appeared. Absolutely adorable and a delight to see each time I passed. I was also pleased when I saw a herd of cows being driven up the hill behind the house. It's nice having them around - or so I thought. Until a few days later when the herd wandered down to the perimeter fence. I watched them for a few minutes but started to get nervous when they squeezed along side the fence between the wire and the gorse bushes. Then, the inevitable - one reached over to eat the grass in the garden and ... snap! Two fence posts broken. OK, they were past their best, and it was time for a new fence, but I guess I'll have to do it sooner rather than later now.