The Getting By - 27th Mar ‘24

Reflective mood today ….

Firstly, reflecting on the tumbling number of “Travels with Brunnehilda” blog readers. Like Rishi Sunek, I’m dealing with a popularity “free fall”. It’s a good job I only do this bloody blog as a cathartic experience as I’m guessing my value as an influencer is compromised by reader numbers in single figures!! Unlike Fishi though, I do know why my once mega popularity is waning …

These blogs are all the bloody same! So, to embrace this inconvenient truth, I’ve decided to go with it and just focus on the small, but hopefully meaningful, differences. Vive le difference!

Not looking forward to the trip: ✅

Weather forecast is absolutely sh*te: ✅

Hitched up expertly and quickly: ✅

Headed for Embleton Bay, Northumberland: ✅

Good journey up north - took 6 hrs: ✅

Stopped at Weatherby Services for a Pret: ✅

Backed expertly onto the pitch - 1st time: DIFFERENT

Set up in double quick time: ✅

Headed out to the gorgeous Dunstan Steads beach: ✅

Walked along the virtually empty beach as the sunset: ✅

Accompanied by just the one dog: DIFFERENT

My beautiful boy, Ben, passed away 6 days ago. Tilly and I were a bit dazed last week and didn’t really feel his absence. That’s all changed up here. As we enjoyed the waves, the air and the sounds- we both knew what was missing. There was never a dog with such a character and so many funny quirky behaviours. Tilly is trying hard not to show it but she is missing her doting, annoying, paranoid, loving mate. RIP Ben.

Anyway, back to the checklist:

Back to Brunnehilda for Sainos ready meals: ✅

Watched a couple of episodes of The Tudors: ✅

Squeezed in some trifle and Cadburys choc: ✅

Blogging in bed: ✅

I had a long chat with a fisherman on the beach. He fishes everyday on the beach for 5 or 6 hours. Sometimes he catches nothing, yesterday he caught 3 big cod! He was only a young lad (early twenties). He was keen to chat and clearly a little lonely. We showed each other the photos we had taken of the gorgeous evening sky. His were better than mine.

When I asked him why he came fishing (in the dark) every night for 6 hours on his own, he ruefully smiled and suggested that there wasn’t much else to do. Gave me something else to reflect on as I headed back to the car.

As I was walking on the beach, I could physically feel something different inside me. My heart felt lifted. I felt alive. This place is so so beautiful. 

It’s weird, even though we’ve lost something so precious and irreplaceable - the love of my life - I still feel blessed (not in a religious way!!). I have the most wonderful family in the world, I have good and loyal friends, I enjoy my work (what little I do) BUT … and in the magnificent words of Brandon and the boys, my life sometimes feels like “The Getting By”. Time spent with the kids and experiencing places like this make me realise why it’s so much more!

Jings, that’s a heavy start to a few days away?! It’s due to rain all day tomorrow so who knows what Northumberland has in store for Tilda and me?! 

As we were setting up this afternoon, we certainly felt welcomed and protected … in our Northumberland bubble!

https://youtu.be/H54pviSYbnc?si=E-hpTW0qnzuWPjpi