Wednesday 19 November 2014

Autumn Walks take 3 HAPPY exercise?

Finally we get to the walks I wished to share, the ones that were THIS week and therefore recent. In take 1 I did duplicate the walk I had already blogged in the Half Term post this year, but hey that's no problem is it? Except of course I should be reading or searching for papers for my research project.... I will now do so very shortly.
I had the most wonderful time dancing for four hours of John Drewry dances at Berkhamsted on Saturday 15th and then got up very early next day, JJ was up also, off to work but I thought I'd join a CWW walk starting at Princes Risborough and aiming at 6.5 miles....
Thought I'd see if I could cope and how it would feel? After all CWW walks are very rarely so local and a few days earlier JJ had said we go on a long walk just the two of us- with dogs naturally- but then he had a call-out and had to go to work instead.


So the idea of a walk was firmly established and I tought, hey I AM going to give it a go!
 Took a while finding the right car park- did not know before that there was an M&S in that town.
We set off and here we are, lots of walking through fields, past horses at Lacy Green.
Dry mild weather but a bit grey. Walking at a decent pace, able to chat a bit at first.
 Then when it got exceedingly muddy and therefore slippery there was a lot of concentration needed and a lot of looking at one's feet and choosing where to step?
 Lots of mud.
 Some lovely woodland scenes too, so many leave still on the trees and this on 16th November?
Finally could have been good views from the hill at Princes Risborough but a bit too foggy.
I did flag near the end and found myself quite tired and fed uo with staring at the ground to walk and with too little time to stop and stare and take in the lovely surroundings.

 The final hill was a staircase of steps and my right knee gave in, was tending to twist and very painful on the descent.

 I survived the 6.5 miles but not all of it was entirely enjoyable. The dancing the night before probably had an impact too.

 Just in case I forgot: Miss E carved a marvellous cat in her pumpkin this year!
 And we met up in Selfridges a few weeks ago in late October: Christmas decorations, such cute foxes. Since when are foxes Christ-massy?!
 And the passage to the roof top Chalet, but it was too noisy and crowded alas.
 So we resorted to red velvet cake downstairs....





 Such lovely golden horses but why cut off their back-ends?
Following day: 1st November we are back at Cuttlebrook.




 Later the next week: 4th November I saw this facade at the end of Oxford Street?!

And at home I had made the Christmas pudding and steamed it for 4.5 hours!
Lovely firm texture and now it's ready and waiting for us, parcelled up in it's new foil and baking parchment hat.


Spot the squirrel! He's there on a branch when I walked from Marston campus to the JHBB library.
 There he is!
 Then finally back at Cuttlebrook with the dogs again.




 trees all covered in ivy, almost surreal? Like a film-set .






Autumn Walks take 2


 Encouraging Pippa to climb the steep hill at the start.
 The view near the top: soooooo worth it!
 Lucy rolling around on the top of the hill: I have a video of this somewhere.
She does it every time.














 Pippa and Miss E in the distance behind us.
 Is Pippa ever coming? I'm fed up with waiting for my mum.
 We are enjoying the views while we wait. Pippa goes slow at the start of a walk but once past the halfway mark, tends to run all the way back to the car.

This time Pippa and Miss E are way ahead of us: why? It's the way home of course, we're more than half way!

 This is where Pippa saw a little rabbit on April 21st which is the last time I was here, she pulled abrubtly to chase the rabbit and I went over on my side, fell to the left onto the road and fractured my ribs on the left and my right ankle.
It was THIS rabbit hole that the wee rabbit was aiming for and indeed dissappeared down while I lay on my side. Never let go of Pippa's lead though!
As you can see though slightly uneven the road was quite flat and I still don;t quite comprehend how it happened. I have had bone scans now and do have slight bone thinning which is why the ankle broke so easily? In my 20's it would have been a sprained ankle.





Still smiling: all's well that ends well.

 
And finishing with a back view of that shrug I crocheted, it's just so pretty as well as comfortable that I am very happy indeed with it.
VERY HAPPY also to be living close to such lovely countryside with my lovely daughters, cherished husband, silly sausage dogs and having the time and resources to indulge in some creative crochet.
VERY HAPPY  and VERY GRATEFUL.