It's that in between bit.

The first full week back at work never really feels right. It's that point in the year when you know that it is now 2013 but when writing the date you still find yourself writing 2012....and everyone agrees with you...

I am still buzzing and feeling great about what was a fantastic Xmas week and brilliant New Year. I had to take Kieran back to his mum New Years Eve, but he is back with us again soon and looking forward to being back at the cottage.

New Years day morning I got up and took the dogs out while Kasha struggled with the daylight in true vamp fashion.
Sweep has now discovered how to open the garden gate, luckily he still waits just inside for everyone which gives the other dogs a chance to catch up while also giving any sheep that have sneaked in a chance to slip out of the hole in the wall and back into the safety of the sheep field.
The dogs love a good runaround but we do have to keep them away from any livestock as farmers with shotguns really do shoot first and ask questions later.
We have had one of those 'busy' weekends where you really want time off but you have promised to do something. This weekend it was a promise to paint part of Kierans room so while he has been away that has been what we did.

After painting I managed to get up to see Dave the blacksmith who was working on a Saturday again. 
Dave is one of only 8 blacksmiths in the UK that is allowed to work on historic metalwork so he does things for many of the castles, historic building and historic organisations. It's always fun to go in there, last time I was in I was handling a 13th century winding mechanism (cranaquin) for a crossbow.
It has been a few weeks since I have seen him and there have been some changes down there.
Dave has been talking about doing weekend courses but he needed more than just the one forge. He had two others ready but not installed but when I went in today they were sitting in place ready, they just need the chimney vents in and that should be them ready to fire up.

Kieran has been talking about going into the forge and spending a day there learning how to make things, perhaps some time in the summer he will get a chance to do that.

I like the idea that the old village still has a traditional blacksmith and that he stands at a forge sweating, beating steel on an anvil and making things as they were always made in the way that it was always done.
It sort of feels right around here, Garrigill is like that strange nowhere space of time just after Xmas, it's a place that's old but new and seems to be sat in the middle. The in between bit.