Early morning sunrise walk

So it is that I find myself here on my own again. Rik has had to go off to the UK to manage the massive job of renovating my Mums house in Devon as she is now, sadly, in a nursing home. We are planning to rent the house to help with the huge costs of it all! Nothing to be done and, thank goodness, we three sisters have Rik to organise and carry out the work with the help of his trusty band of experts that he left behind in the UK when he moved here. It was so good that they all wanted to work for him again, and it’s going well!

For me it has been a bit of a bitter/sweet reminder of the months I was here on my own before Rik finished up in the UK and came to join me, all be it, very different. We now have an established farm, animals to look after (Aimee, bless her, calls it a zoo!) and a new, and very boisterous puppy. We also have a fully functioning rental cottage, soap making and craft courses running as well as an established garden to get on with. Lots to do.

When Rik is here, as he is a very early riser, he usually does the morning dog walk. He often tells me what I am missing by staying in my comfortable, warm bed - I do know he is right, but its hard to get up, I have never been a good morning person. Now its enforced, a military operation of timing and stealth! My alarm goes off and I creep out of bed, tiptoe to the loo, get dressed, all with minimum noise. If the puppy Ylva hears me she will go off on one, barking like a mad thing and that’s when accidents happen. She’s very good now, rarely having an accident in the house, its only when I’m too slow or she hears me and just can’t wait! Honestly, it really is worse than having small children.

The walk this morning is what has inspired this blog, Ive been here on my own for 4 weeks now and i’m almost getting used to the forced early walks, today - it was absolutely stunning. A very slight frost, mist in the valley and a spectacular sunrise over the Serra da Estrella mountains. Absolutely wonderful, I hope you enjoy the photos. Our river, the Rio Cobral, is really full as you would expect at this time of year. its beautiful and clear and we have already seen otters and herons this year!

just look at the sunlight filtering through the remaining trees and on the left, the Serra da Estrella mountain range just getting its first taste of the February sun.

Then the sun bursts through with such a fantastic force! nothing like I’m used to in the UK, its just seems to hit the land as soon as it can, bathing us in an incredible light and such power!

Then, of course, I get to return to this amazing house that we call home, it really is stunning and, although still in its winter livery, is warm and inviting - I love it! and cant wait for Rik to come home.