England in the spring – food for the soul…..

So many of you readers will know that I have been in England for the funeral of my young nephew – Craig Billingham. It was a sad affair of course – but very touching to see and hear what a well loved person he was. The cycling club he belonged to walked in front of the hearse as a guard of honor….

I left the north of England where he lived on Thursday afternoon- the day of the funeral and travelled back on very busy roads with my other sister Jane and her son Sam. When we got back to Northamptonshire and their home we decided to take their dog for a much needed walk. They live in a lovely rural area and we drove to a favorite dog walking spot that they have.

This was the picture I posted on Instagram – such perfect English woodland on a beautiful sunny evening

I took some pictures of the beautiful countryside and posted one on Instagram – and a friend who may not have even known the circumstances made the comment that the view was food for the soul. How totally apt and perceptive. Thank you dear Oliver Kita for verbalizing so concisely what I was feeling. By the way – Oliver makes chocolate that really feeds the soul !

May blossom was everywhere in the hedgerows ……

England in the spring – when the sun is shining- is such a beautiful place to be. The countryside is lush with blossom and spring fresh greenery and I was constantly aware and remarking on how beautiful it is – it is many years since I was there in the spring and it truly was food for the soul. That is a concept that we all need to pay attention to – no matter what our circumstances are – our souls and spirit need constant nurturing and we generally do not pay enough attention to it. For me I probably most often find it in nature – of course here in Eleuthera I do find it on a daily basis walk Rudge on the beaches – but it is a great exercise to acknowledge and be more aware of the situations where this happens.

Ducks on the duckpond – the quintessential English village scene….
And I couldn’t resit a picture of this chap !

Finding the humor in everyday life and watching out for the cosmic jokes that the universe plays on us also for me work to feed my soul and of course the literal act of feeding ourselves with good nourishing special food is a daily reminder that we need nourishment in many forms.

This is a wonderful small independent bakery in the village where Anne lives. It is run by a family – the son and daughter are in their early twenties and are the mainstay of the business – just look at their beautiful mission statement – it was a joy to be there if only for a cup of coffee….. I wish them every success and I am sure that will grow and grow…..

Music , reading and cooking for friends are other ways of enriching our daily lives – well for me anyway ! Finding music that makes you get up out of your seat and dance around is a great way of lifting the spirits – although me singing along to it out loud probably only lifts Bob’s spirit by making him laugh at how weird it sounds !!

So getting a picture with Elvis – even a cardboard cutout – was a fun interlude in a supermarket in Darlington !

OK so this week’s exercise for you is to find and acknowledge what feeds your soul – and if you want to share it then please do……

Bob and I are now off in Florida where he is getting the first of 2 cataract operations – if seeing well again doesn’t feed his soul then I don’t know what will…….

Me with my niece Stephany – Craig’s sister and her two sons Oscar and Bramwell…..
My sister Anne with Craig’s daughter Hannah…..
The funeral had a no dark clothes policy necessary – and Bob’s tie certainly cheered a few people up… he is Anne’s husband and has been a wonderful support to her through this dark time.
And of course no blog of mine is really complete without a couple of pictures of food – right ? So here is my breakfast on the day I flew back from Heathrow Airport – that old classic poached eggs on avocado toast – it was perfect !
Just look at these savory twists from Born and Bread – the bakery in the village where Anne and Bob live. I know it is SO unlikely that anyone reading this would find themselves there – but sometimes it is just good to know that these places exist !

12 thoughts on “England in the spring – food for the soul…..”

  1. So sorry about your nephew. I agree that grief cannot be normalized.

    -Daniel

    PS Is it me, or has it been several decades since your last Yorkshire Pudding food porn pics?

  2. Kathy, This was a lovely post! Sorry for the sad occasion, but, always love photos of jolly old!

  3. Eileen and Ian

    Kathy, please wish Bob well in his cataract operation. We hope that his beautiful eyes can see more clearly afterwards.
    Love, Eileen and Ian.

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Kathy Colman

Writer, Interior Designer, Foodie, and Wife to Bob. Living in Eleuthera, Bahamas

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