When I was working full time, I used to go out on a Sunday afternoon to somewhere pretty, like a National Trust property or to the park or to the seaside. Then, when I went to bed that night with that 'Sunday Night Going To School The Next Day' feeling, I could look back on my day and relive it and get that sense of calm and happiness all over again. I could use the memories again when I was at work. If I had a particularly knotty problem or just wanted a break, I would think about the beach in Cornwall or the gardens at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. For some reason, it worked particularly well when I was in the ladies loo. Not very glamorous, but, a quiet, undisturbed moment.
This meditation by memory is something that my mum passed on to me. It is a wonderful and simple technique and I am very grateful. You would often find us both on a Sunday afternoon or on holiday drinking in the view and saving it for a rainy day. I think we might have looked a little bit special. Special needs too. But it takes all sorts.
The other nice part about this little trick is going out and collecting the memories. Now we have an excellent reason for going out on a Sunday for tea and cake or for spending that extra five minutes on the beach.
I have been collecting memories this weekend.
Baby and daddy and I went to one of my favourite places, Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk. The weather was beautiful and so were our surroundings. It was a chance to absorb some more fabulous views.
This is a flavour of my weekend and a look at some of my memories.
Wells-next-the-Sea is a beautiful Norfolk village, with a yellow sandy beach and a never ending line of brightly coloured beach huts. It has a little harbour, quirky shops, lovely cafes and relaxing pubs. Oh, and some of the finest fish and chips I have ever tasted. It is perfect. The only downside was our discovery that pushing a pushchair on sand is nigh on impossible.
This raspberry Victoria sponge was so delicious and such a wonderful yellow colour, we ate it all. It was courtesy of the Mermaids Purse. They have good cake!
We had a few minutes of grown up time while the baby slept in his pushchair. We used the time wisely and drank an expensive glass of Champagne. We were the only people in The Crown. It was four o'clock in the afternoon. Wonderfully decadent.
To round the weekend off, we stopped off for an enormous Sunday lunch on the way home. Fabulous veg, succulent beef, cauliflower cheese AND cabbage with pancetta hiding under the meat. Yum. Thank you to the Orange Tree in Thornham.
This weekend has given me some really super memories. I can save them and get them out to look back on when I need a little bit of calm and tranquillity. And, I have got the pictures to hand to remind me about it whenever I look at my blog. Bonus.
I can recommend meditation by memory, it gives added value to every trip.
Gorgeous photos, looks like you had a wonderful time! I also love how a blog acts as a way of keeping memories together (in fact for me it has almost replaced the baby diary/scrapbooks that I was making).
ReplyDeleteIt's so awkward that you can't take pushchairs on the sand! We live by the sea but around here it's all pebbles which are also impossible with a pushchair. I don't feel safe leaving the pushchair abandoned at the top of the beach.
I go through my memories when I'm lying awake at night and can't get to sleep. I'm lucky to have had some wonderful holidays and experiences to draw from, but even the simple ones are just as good.