It feels like suddenly it was my last week at the cottage, and I still had so many things I wanted to do. My fellow Workawayers were due to leave 2 days after me and they were feeling the same way. It made for a busy week.
The photo above is a bouquet I cut for the sitting room on Sunday morning of my final week; cutting flowers for the house and studio was a job given to me the first weekend I started work. Not a hardship for me at all. Liz noticed this bouquet as she drank her tea one morning and told me it had all the colors of the rainbow in it. It’s already a lovely room- the flowers just add to its charm.
When I finished work on Monday afternoon, I grabbed my backpack and caught the bus to Grasmere. I was determined that I would do the walk up to Easdale Tarn, a lake formed by a glacier. The day was cloudy off and on, and pretty cool, so it made for good walking up the track beside a waterfall.
I’d heard about this walk from several of the students in the cottage, but I’d missed going several times with others because I was working. It stays light til nearly 10 still, so starting up the trail at 5:30 gave me lots of time to go up and back in daylight. The sun came in and out the whole way.
When I reached this pool, a family coming down told me I was nearly at the tarn. It was up a ways further and the sun showed it off beautifully.
I pulled my sweatshirt back on while I ate my snack sitting on the grassy bank; the wind was stronger up there. The views on the way back down were magical.
The bus had stopped running by the time I got down. The final 3 miles ‘home’ go around Grasmere Lake. My legs were tired when I got back at 9, and I slept well that night.
I made 4 dozen scones Tuesday afternoon in a quiet kitchen I had pretty much to myself (cook’s day off). I’d asked Liz if I could make them since we needed something for breakfast the next day and I wasn’t sure how to make the bread they usually have. It was fun to practice what I’d learned with the students a couple weeks before. 2 dozen got eaten the next day and there are still 2 dozen in the freezer for another day. It was pretty awesome to be able to figure out the oven of the Aga.
The weather cooperated to allow a couple of us to get out in the canoe on Rydal Water, something I had been wanting to do. There is a lovely dog grave on one of the islands in the lake.
I got back up to Keswick for part of a day with one of my Workaway buddies to climb Catbell one more time. It turned out to be the warmest day we’ve had for ages. The heather on the fells was in full bloom.
It was a perfect day. We walked many miles and cruised back across Derwent Water to get the bus home.
Each week on Friday afternoon, there is a closing circle where the week’s work for students is celebrated and those leaving are bid farewell. Some people stay only one week, others stay for 2, 3 or more. Since 3 of us Workawayers were leaving, we were part of the closing circle. It was very moving. Tim and Liz, and all of the others thanked us for our work.
I took Sahara for one last walk around the lake before tackling my packing. We were having a big dinner and party Friday night but I wanted to be sure to get out with her. It was beautiful.
Rain returned Saturday morning as taxis came and went with various people leaving to make their trains. I managed to cut 2 bouquets for the house in between showers to ‘finish’ the job I would normally do Sunday. Finally it was my turn to hug everyone good bye and get into a taxi with tears streaming down my face. It was so hard to leave. The rain caused flooding and delays all along the train lines, but after changing trains 4 times, I made it to the airport for my flight to the Netherlands. On to meet Will and have a vacation with him before returning home; from the grey green of the Lake District to a houseboat in Amsterdam. More on that later.
Birdgirl’s travels 