Peace...

It's been a funny old day. When I went downstairs just after seven, to make coffee, I was surprised to find Ben still up. He explained that Rosie had been sick in his bed, and he'd made an alternative temporary bed in the TV room. I went upstairs to check on her and found that she'd broken into Chris's room and been sick on his bed too - so lots of washing. She looked very sorry for herself, and was visibly shivering.

It soon became obvious that Gemma was also ill. Although she hadn't been sick in the house she wasn't interested in her breakfast, had a high temperature and was generally very lethargic. I had been planning to take them for a lovely autumn walk on the only sunny day of the week, but that clearly wasn't going to happen.

I took Alex to Orton Pit, where he was going to spend the day scrub clearing. We arrived early, and then suddenly realised that we were at the wrong meeting place, so had to drive round to the correct one - fortunately we turned up with about a minute to spare! It was a truly gorgeous morning and I would have loved to be out with the camera, but I felt I ought to be home with the dogs, especially as Pete had gone to Cambridge.

I worked on my latest report while Gemma slept beside me. By mid afternoon Rosie seemed to have improved a lot, but Gemma had worsened although she did manage to go into the garden every time she felt nauseous. Just after three I went to pick Alex up - he was exhausted as it was the first task of the season and he'd used lots of muscles he didn't know he had!

Once he was home I decided to take the camera out for half an hour or so. Gemma was mostly sleeping and I thought the boys could look after her if necessary. It was very odd being out without the dogs - they're such good company. I stopped at several places but nothing felt right - the sun kept disappearing behind the clouds amd the wind was bitterly cold (and I forgot my hat and gloves again!) I ended up at the river and spent a little time just absorbing the scenery and admiring the setting sun - it's been so elusive lately. The river always has a calming effect on me, and this image seems to capture the peace I felt.

PS I've posted an alternative image in the Landscapes section of my Blipfolio - Autumn Field