Pages

Saturday 19 October 2013

Simply a moment - 16th October 13



Hugh’s away on business. I’m alone. I don’t mind, it’s quite nice for a change. I wake up when the radio comes on. Normally I’d stay in bed for an extra five minutes, but as Hugh is away I’ve more jobs to do, so I jump up and go straight into the shower.

 I’m dressed and downstairs by 6.50am. The cats need feeding and their litter tray emptying, but first I need to make my coffee so that it can cool down enough for me to drink. It’s only instant coffee, but the smell as I pour on the hot water wafts up and I inhale it gratefully. The litter tray does not smell quite so pleasant! Poop is scooped and deposited in the dustbin. The cats wrap themselves around my legs as I pour the food from the sachet into their bowls. Arwen stretches up the side of the cupboard – she is so tall when she does that, her paws nearly reach the draining board. She meows at me – ‘I’m being as quick as I can’ I tell her, the first words I have uttered out loud this morning. The cats gratefully tuck into their food.

I glance out of the window – it is still dark, but there is a pink glow starting to appear in the sky. I decide to eat my breakfast before going outside to feed the chickens. I place my bowl on the scales and weigh out exactly 33 grams of Shredded Wheat Bitesize and then splash some soya milk onto them. I carry the bowl and my mug of coffee over to the dining table and open my Ipad to catch up on the news on the BBC website whilst I eat my breakfast. The radio is playing music in the background, but when the traffic report comes on I listen carefully to make sure that there are no incidents on my route to work. Finishing my breakfast I take the crockery over to the dishwasher and load it up. I take my vitamins with a glass of water and then decide I can’t put it off any longer, I need to feed the chickens.

I put on my clogs and open the back door. It is chilly outside, but the sky is lighter. There has been a heavy dew and the garden is covered in cobwebs all glistening in the early morning light. I forget about the chickens for a while and grab my point and shoot camera to take some photos. I glance at the outside clock – 7.25am, I had better get a move on, I should be leaving for work! 
I thrust the camera into my pocket and grab the watering can and walk up to the log store to collect a cup of layers pellets. As I approach the chickens in their run they see me and start running up and down excitedly. I fill their water bowl from outside and then open the door to pour in their food. They rush to see me and peck hungrily at the food I scatter onto the ground. I shut the door, leaving them to enjoy their breakfast and move to the nest box to collect the eggs. There are two this morning, one is still very warm to the touch, so has only recently been laid. I walk back down the garden enjoying the morning peace and quiet before I have to get into my car and face the rat race to work.

I am joining in again this month with Alexa’s meme Simply a Moment. Alexa invites you to ‘stop, take notice and record’. Do hop on over to her blog – she writes  beautifully and always has a lovely layout to go with her moment. You will also find links to other moments recorded around the globe.

9 comments:

Missus Wookie said...

I like quite mornings before the rush of work - hope your day went well and you enjoyed those eggs :)

alexa said...

It has been lovely to follow you around in your morning routine as it gets light ... I am intrigued by the accuracy if the measuring of your breakfast cereal! And a stunning photo off the dewy cobweb. Hens clearly need quite a lot if looking after ... Thank you so much for letting us peek into your day, and enjoy your atmospheric writing :).

Sian said...

This photo is perfect for your post today - who doesn't want to stop and look for a moment when they see a cobweb like this!

Alison said...

You manage to squeeze quite a few. chores in before you head off to work,
Alison xx

WendyB said...

Sounds like quite a calm (before the storm) start to the day. Fantastic that you keep chickens, I love truly fresh eggs.

Miriam said...

I loved following you around this morning, I miss my cat. I have always loved chickens, I visit my friends, there's just something about them, I would love to have some. Maybe one day. Your photo of the spiders web is absolutely beautiful.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

I enjoyed reading your piece this month, Becky - especially the part about your chickens. :o)

Sandra said...

A nice way to spend some time :) it's been fun joining you

Anonymous said...

What a great cobweb picture! It's been nice hearing about your morning routine. You've reminded me I need to get back to weighing my cereal.