Legless in the Lakes (Day 2)

Twinkly Hayes Garden World

Let's face it, it was going to happen sooner rather than later so it may as well be today.  You can't consider a week long visit for a non-hiker without a trip to a garden centre, so today we kicked off with garden centre number one.  Garden centres, you know the places; vast buildings choc full of clothes, pets, food, scented candles, toys, games, sweets, gadgets, gizmos and, at this time of year, lots of Christmas decorations.  Not sure where those people seeking things of a horticultural nature go, but the modern "garden centre" probably isn't it.  Long time readers will know that, given the choice, I would normally opt for a day spent listening to fingernails being scraped down blackboards than a day spent shopping, but needs must and all that. So, in the true spirit of the season "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to Hayes we go".

At this time of year the place is impossible to miss; a vast empire of twinkling lights, fake snow and Christmas trees, but the parking is easy and the cafe well stocked with assorted goodies.  Never underestimate the enormity of the emporium; it takes several days to explore properly, in fact I'm pretty sure I spotted Rannulph Feinnes & his party preparing for their next antarctic expedition by navigating around the Edinburgh Woollen Mill with only a sextant and a few tins of Pemmican between them and oblivion.

Am I the only person that always feels utterly inadequate when visiting a garden centre?  To start with I meander along aisles of green and verdant house plants sitting smug on the shelves and silently mocking me as I pass by, perhaps I should wreak my revenge and buy one, that'll teach it.  In my house I'd give to 3 weeks, 4 tops, before it's a shriveled wreck begging to be returned to whence it came or dispatched without further ado to meet it's maker with dignity.  And, however well prepared I am, I'm always, apparently, one season out of sync.  Just as I'm thinking it's OK to be getting to grips with chrissy decs and the like I find that they're now "so last week" and it's time for me to be planting spring bulbs.  After a lovely lunch we made our way back to the car park past a group of people cursing friends, neighbours and Christmas in general as they bought "Joy to the World" and "Peace to all Mankind" table decorations...

Slippy slidey Grasmere.

Deciding we needed some fresh air I ran through a list of nearby towns we could visit:  Ambleside - too hilly, Bowness - too busy and too hilly, Grasmere - just right!  It's not just hiking that needs to be considered when exploring the lakes with someone with mobility problems; the gradient of the towns and proximity of the car parks to the shops needs to be considered too.  So off we toddled.  For those reading this at some point in the future let me remind you that today, 3rd Dec 2012, was very cold with a little ice and slushy snow kicking about in the mid lakes area.

We were soon at Grasmere and I have to say I was most disappointed to see that many businesses hadn't bothered to clear the pavement in front of their shop/ cafe/ hotel.  My mum is a determined soul but can't take the risk of slipping over so although Grasmere was perfect from a topographical perspective, it was hopeless from a "Dancing on Ice" perspective.  Considering the vast number of elderly visitors that area of the lakes receives every year I was more than a little surprised.  After a little driving around we found a quiet corner to park in just a short walk from the wonderful Herdy shop, but we dared not venture any further, at least not on foot anyway.

My fav view of my fav fell. Was a wee bit cloudier than
this today.

Given the poor conditions underfoot our final leg today was a drive along Thirlmere, a right fork along Back Lane to the foot of the beautiful Blencathra, a sharp left to Keswick and loop back down Thirlmere to Ambleside arriving late enough to enjoy their spectacular chrissy lights. It was a lovely day but it was a real shame that we couldn't venture far from the car unless we were indoors.  I've a feeling there will be another garden centre involved tomorrow, so I'd better sign off now and fortify myself with a large, and possibly gin related, nightcap.  And, if you've got any suggestions for places we could visit, please feel free to add them below.

"Depends what the weather's like."

Paulo Coelho

That was my smart alec answer when someone asked what I'd be doing on my first day of freedom from full time permanent work and, to some extent, it's true though as with all things it's never quite that simple is it?  I may be free of the constraints of a permanent work contract but we are sadly not free of the constraints of a mortgage, or petrol, or food...  Turning into a couch potato was never on the cards because a) daytime TV is an abomination and b) well, there's no need for a b) is there?  I think a) says it all.  Jeremy Kyle holds zero appeal and I've never seen an episode of Loose Women; I really don't feel as if I'm missing anything.

I've been mulling over the mindset of those of us who launch into the world of self employment and I reckon we're 1 part confident, 1 part ambitious, 1 part bonkers and 1 part scared, but we use that fear to drive us.  For many people the fear stops them doing stuff, for us it drives us to do something different because we're scared of different things.  Speaking for myself I'm scared of routine and predictability, I'm scared of not having a go and I'm scared of getting to my old age and wondering "what if".  I also think our definition of "comfort zones" is quite different to other peoples.

At my leaving do on Friday evening I was asked about how much work I had lined up.  I replied (truthfully) that I was pleased because I had more than enough work to pay the mortgage until next June, which I thought was a good thing; in my experience freelancers trainers don't usually get to book much further ahead than that.  The 2 people I was talking to looked horrified "But what about July?" they asked.  "Well, I'll be working on that next year" I answered, though I could tell it didn't appear to do much to convince them I wasn't 4 parts bonkers.  In some ways I can see their point, you see we don't have the luxury of a second salary propping us up; true, we have a modest amount of savings but as soon as we start relying on those we're in big trouble so our goal is to keep the savings safely in the bank for now and pay the bills through hard graft, and it's looking good so far.

"If it's sunny, head for the hills"
Beth & Steve

The other thing in our favour is our desire for a modest, but happy, life.  On Friday the conversation turned to "what would you do with £1m?" to which most people replied that it wasn't enough to completely change their life because "after you've bought a new house and a couple of cars there wouldn't be an awful lot left".  For us it would be way more than enough - pay off the mortgage, buy a car that goes and stash the rest.  Also, it's not that I don't want £1m, but I'm pretty sure that lots of money could stifle creativity, at the moment the need to to keep a roof over our heads is a pretty powerful motivator - seems Maslow may have had a point afterall.

So, after all that, what did Day 1 hold in store for me?  The thinking behind my flippant answer above was that if the weather was nice we'd be able to head for the hills and if it was tipping it down we could crack on with developing the website and writing stuff.  Turns out it was tipping it down so lists were made and meetings were held, and pretty good meetings they were too as it happens; I caught up with an old friend, swapped writing and tourism tips and and made plans with those lovely folks at The Herdy Company to write some content for their website.  Suffice to say that Day 1 was a good day, even if it was raining; so here's to paying the mortgage, and eating, in July 2013.  Cheers!