Friday 13 August 2010

Paradise Lost

I expect that you are wondering what I have been doing with myself for the last few months. Well, I have been here in Paradise.


Earlier this year, I had noticed this sign outside a house about half a mile from where we live. It is not the name of the house, so I wasn't sure what it was all about. I had been intending to take a photo of the sign for some time. Eventually I remembered to take my camera with me so that I could take a photo of it. I made sure that I was alone on the lane, or so I thought, even though it is unusual to see company of any sort. As I pressed the shutter I heard a car behind me, turning into the drive of the house. The driver glared at me. Too late, I had my photo! The next time that I drove by the Paradise sign had disappeared. Now that I have had the chance to enlarge the photo I have noticed that it actually says Paradise Autos which was the name of a second hand car showroom on the outskirts of Chester.

Perhaps where we live is Paradise even if the sign has gone. I realise that we are lucky to live in a cottage up a country lane. When the weather is good, it is idyllic, although I realise that it may not be to the taste of everyone. However, I have been out with my camera and have taken a few photos of the area to share with you.

I have started with the view into the farmer's field from the top of the lane.


The next photo looks back down the lane.


Here are the dairy farmer's cows in the field at the end of our garden. Out of interest, it did not rain until about a week after the photo was taken. So much for the old wives saying that when the cows sit down, it is going to rain.

So far pretty idyllic, but half a mile away this is the scene.

The end of the nearby motorway. When the trees are bare we can see this from our bedroom window. So maybe it is not so idyllic after all and recently the idyll has been shattered from another point of view. There have been a spate of burglaries in the village. Our little community on the edge of the village had escaped the thieves until last Thurday when our next door neighbour was burgled in broad daylight. That evening the lane was a hive of activity. We had two visits from a uniformed police officer wanting to know if we had seen anything. Then early on Friday morning we had a visit from two female detectives in jeans and trainers. Not quite Barnaby and Troy/Jones.

Until last week life here has been fairly uneventful. However, there have been a few incidents which I shall write about in detail over the coming weeks. Happenings worth a brief mention have been written about below. As neither husband or I had to go to work the following day, we stayed up on election night to watch the results come in, going to bed at about 3.30am. Something that we had not done for several elections. I was laid low for ten days, at the end of May, with what I initially thought was a cold, but after six days decided that it might be swine flu. It certainly was no ordinary cold but six days in it was too late for Tamiflu, which I would not have wanted even if I had thought about it on day one. At the beginning of June we had few days holiday in Ireland. Two and a half weeks later found us on the road again. This time we were heading down south to Wimbledon for the tennis. And for the last six weeks I have been trying to get myself caught up with everything once and for all, while struggling with an infected cyst on my neck which has meant several visits to the GP and his nurse. Also I am in the middle of some protracted and expensive dental work. I seem to have been spending my life in doctor's and dentist's waiting rooms recently. I realise that I have been fortunate and have taken for granted good health and teeth that rarely need attention. I am too busy for all this hanging around in doctor's and dentist's waiting rooms and as Tony Haywood infamously said 'I want my life back'.

Over the next few days/weeks I shall try to visit and catch up with my friends in Blogland. I have often thought about you all and wondered how you are getting on.

18 comments:

Maggie May said...

Yeah..... you & me. I want my life back too!

I guess Paradise on earth can be anywhere that makes you feel protected and contented.
I am amazed that your life in the country has the risk of burglars . It is a risk we have to live with in the city but you wouldn't expect it to happen in remote places.

In many ways I feel I like the hustle & bustle of the city. We need to be near hospitals and it would be terribly complicated if we lived in the country trying to get the medical treatment that we need in major hospitals.
So I think much of it depends on health.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Michelloui said...

I think you should stick with the attitude that you live in Paradise--even with all the little icky things we have to deal with in life. The photos look gorgeous (well, apart from the traffic--but thats not right in front of your door at least!) and living somewhere like that must help when dealing with the icky stuff.

As for the driver glaring at you when you were taking a photo--why the heck were they publicly displaying the sign if they didnt want people to see it/admire it (whatever)?! It's cute, and a nice photo for this post!

LindyLouMac said...

Welcome back you have been missed. It was lovely to catch up with you again, although it sounds like the last few months have been a bumpy ride one way and another. You still live in a beautiful place though.

Rob-bear said...

I'm so glad you're back! I was worrying about what had happened to you.

You may live in/near Paradise, but you life certainly hasn't been idyllic for the last little bit. Sadly. But the pictures are grand.

Maybe a few trees to block the view of the motorway, and calm the noise. And I do hope you're finished with spending time in waiting rooms, waiting for yet more care. Sigh!

(I'd like my life/health back, too, but that's a very long story.)

Jennytc said...

Lovely to hear from you again. Hope you will soon be completely better and 'medic-free'. :)

the fly in the web said...

Lovely to see your blog again...and what a rotten run of luck with medical and dental problems. Still, it looks as though you're getting it all over at once and can then resume life as you would like it to be!

AGuidingLife said...

There is so much like it is here. My family are from around there and it always feels like coming home to me. Thank you for a lovely 10 minutes and a nice start to the day. Sorry you've had rotten health, the only way is up! xx

Holly said...

You've been missed!

Carol said...

It's lovely to have you back (told you we would all still be here upon your return!).

I'm sorry to hear that you've been having health problems...hope you are well on the mend now :-)

C x

Akelamalu said...

I wondered where you'd got to! You have certainly been busy and apart from the view of the motorway I would say where you live is paradise like.

Sorry to hear you're suffering ill health, hopefully it will all be over soon. x

CG said...

So good to hear from you again!! Hope you're fully restored to health soon xx

Thud said...

Makes me homesick..the pics, not the thieves!

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

Oh it is good to see you back CW - I have been wondering how you are and what you have been doing. You certainly seem to have had an eventful summer, one way or another. The pictures of your area certaily do look idyllic, as you say things aren't always what they seem so hope you all get back to peace and quiet soon. A x

Gilly said...

Good to see you back! Looks lovely Cheshire countryside there.

Sorry about all the Doctor and dentist visits. Sometimes life gets like that - if its not one thing, its another!!

Jennyff said...

Glad I kept checking to see if you were back and you are. great. Your post made me think about where I live and take a look round and like what I see. My own little paradise, thanks for the reminder.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Take good care, Cheshire. Sounds like you've had a rough time of it.

Thank you also, for your kind words.

Julie

Joey said...

Please feel better soon...

I miss living in the country, but it was not as beautiful as where you live.

I understand what you said in my blog.

Joey

French Fancy... said...

Oh I'm sorry to hear you've not been too well. All these little (well, not so little really) things can really grind one down.

Don't worry about not posting too much or doing the rounds. It's so hard to fit everything in - hopefully, once I find a job, I'll also be making my excuses.

Hope you are back in bloom very soon