Marlow to Henley -on-Thames

What a most marvellous week!!! I know it's been very very HOT and I mean HOT HOT HOT, but we surely must be thankful for all this lovely sunshine and the warmth on one's skin and the amazing blue skies that last all day and into the evening when they change to pale turquoise after 9 pm and gradually darken after 10.30 pm......BLISS!!!

Last weekend the forecast was rain but we had sunshine and I fell asleep in the garden and turned very brown, so much so that on Monday several people asked where I'd been on holiday.... Such a lark to be able to reply: nowhere this was just in my own garden at the weekend!! Of course we have had a hot house, with kids sleeping with fans on either side of the bed and windows wide open..... The dogs have been going stir crazy becuase we can't walk them until after 9pm it was just too hot. Even then on Tuesday it was still 28 degrees C at 9pm!!!
Just like a night in Southern Turkey in May, but this is Oxfordshire.
Bedrooms stayed at 26 degrees and my car reached 39 degrees C after being in the sun 9 am- 3 pm. Morning school runs were at 24 degrees C and rising and we could not walk home as the kids thought it was too hot at 3pm in Thame high st. ( 32 degrees C and above)

Today's forecast was rain again and again the BBC were wrong: we had blissful sunshine for most of it and by afternoon it was hot again. My weekend treat came in the form of a pasta machine and I spent the morning cycling into town to buy the ingredients and then made fresh wholemeal and egg pasta: thin sheets and also tagliatelle: EXTREME FUN!!!

We had agreed as a family to go for a walk and Marlow was chosen as a lovely riverside walk, but it took 2 hours for the kids to get ready and then there were tantrums and sulks until at 5pm I gave up waiting and consoling/bribing to go walk the dogs by myself.

5pm it was when I left and after the 30 minute drive I arrived here: lovely sunny Marlow. Roughly 25 degrees C in the sun but there were lots of shady spells, some shade on the walk and an occasional breeze. I LOVE love love the THAMES PATH and we have now walked some sections at Oxford and Henley recently so I wanted to explore a new bit( new for us).

After a bit of a walk a break to give water to the dogs: I carry water bottles for them as well as myself and a bowl for them to drink out of. Lucy always sits while I take photos too, but Pippa is a bit less patient.

The view on the right, on the left is the river Thames. Into the sun so you can't see the hills and the trees and the sheep, but imagine the lovely golden creamy tufts of tall grasses wafting in the breeze. The seed-heads are a lovely lace pattern against the sky: delicate and intricate . They undulate towards the hillsides, a sea of waving feathery fronds.

I see families on boats, families walking, families at a picnic, couples fishing, cuddling, reading, walking lots going on . Lucy gets lots of attention and many ask what weird dogs I have, what are they? Wirehaired dachshunds are quite rare in these parts you see.

We walk a long way and come to a lock: Temple Lock it is called. There is a weir too and more houses have appeared. Then on a beautiful high wooden bridge which arches gracefully over the Thames I take these photos I think I am close to Henley now. This is looking back towards the lock and the 3 shots should be joined together at their sides, they go from left to right.

YEP so this is the middle one.

And this is the right -hand bank.

Now I have turned around and looking Henley way into the sun again I'm afraid.Right-hand bank on the far right.

Straight into the sun: left-hand bank.

We turn back and the dogs, who are tired and hot, run into the Thames for a paddle at the nearest opportunity of an easy beach access.....

Lucy gallops in and splashes about with great abandon.

Both still on leads due to the attraction of: the greater crested grebe,geese,swans,ducks, rats etc etc they are hunters after all. Lucy is here under the greenery checking out a hole in the bank:

Does Moley live here? Mum looks on indulgently.

AAAAH the peace and tranquility.....

Lots of boats actually but this was a quieter moment.

At this point Lucy has stuck her head under water and is looking like a drowned rat but hasn't found Ratty yet.

Yes it really is Dachshund-in -Thames.

Almost back at Marlow again. It's now after 8 pm and cooler but still very pleasant, but both myself and the dogs are hungry( I had an onion baguette for lunch at noon and nothing since) so we pop into Marlow town . I have Tomato Kettle crisps and buy the girls a beefburger at Wimpey.....''Yes that's right : can I please have it without the bun and uncooked and as quickly as possible as my girls are tied to a tree outside''......Can you hear that whining? That's the puppy.

One last look at the river... No we're NOT going back in at this point: time to go HOME!!!

Tribute to Lucy and Sydenham Walk- SAT 16.5.09

Here we are on 16 May and I am having a fresh baked baguette from those half-baked ones you finish in your own oven? Yummy! I bought them for Izzles as she loves them especially to start her ''finished SATS'' weekend on the best possible footing.

Mind you she'd promised she was going to sleep all weekend as she was soooooooo tired.

IT'S LUCY!!!!!11 weeks old today and looking at me with her head to one side: What are we going to do today? Poor thing was quite blinded by the flash judging by the size of those pupils....
She has big BROWN eyes by the way, NOT these blue ones which are caused by the flash.

Plan was to ''pop'' into town to choose some new specs for my updated prescription and then come home to CROCHET crochet crochet..... as the forecast was heavy rain.....

So here's my blanket ready to go : just have to decide on the next colour.... Izzles wakes up and says: this mid pink mum, but it's a colour I haven't yet used so it may look odd suddenly appearing halfway in? Or thr royal blue but that came after red the last time so...which one?

I go sit in my chair to ponder this....Very a la Lucy? From the chair I see the garden. And I'm in my pyamas just like Lucy said in her blog yesterday that she would be too- see this IS a Lucy tribute as she gives me soooo many good ideas! And always cheers me up!www.attic24.typepad.com . IN the garden - the sun came out- I discovered these!!!Clematis :sooo lovely and PINK and stripey!

Then JJ calls: the post has arrived and a magazine has come for me: whoopee!!!! This is a subscription that happened by accident: I had 3 for £1 and was supposed to cancel after that , but the payment went wrong and then the 3 came much later and there was a fuss and then I forgot when I was supposed to cancel and and and : now it's too late and I LIKE getting it anyway... Even IF there is hardly ever a decent crochet pattern in it, or even if there's only 1 is it VFM?

BUT I say to JJ: I like reading all the articles: the news, the letters, the new yarns... ooh they can be sooo scrummy...!!! He says: BUT but but you agreed to curb your magazine addiction...?!

And I say: well at least I'm not buying 2-3 kntting ones AND 2-3 sewing/embroidery/textile-y ones anymore am I?

Here it is and I like the cover cardigan BUT I don't really like knitting, nor am I very good and I'm VERY VERY SLOW. ( the scarf started a year ago is still only halfway- the coat it's designed for will fall apart before I finish it...have decided to add crochet ends on either side and finish it that way much sooner!)

AND THEN then : ooooh! I'm shouting and laughing and showing my kids and even seeking JJ in the shower- nooo let's not go there....- My letter ( e-mail) and photo are IN IT!!!

It's NOT colourful but very practical: it's when I added a crochet border to my daughter's school trousers- those grey- well worn hence the creases!!Very popular with my youngest- ones in the photo on the left.

When that excitement had subsided I chose my new specs and JJ and co came to help me decide as it's so hard to see when you try on specs without the prescription lenses one needs- so you stare at a blurry vision of yourself and there's this huge sticker on one eye and then you are supposed to be able to tell if it suits you????

I did find 2 pairs I loved at once but they were way outside the budget and eventually we did find some that I'll be happy to wear at work ( sensible black and white) and a fun ( BRIGHT MAGENTA!!!) pair for after work and these were BOGOF's.

AND THEN the day got even BETTER!!!!

We all went together on a walk from a village we have never visited in all the 12 years we've been here. OS map in tow of course! These are the pictures.....From Sydenham to Thame Park.

Pippa is loving this. Lucy had to stay home ( she was asleep) as she can't walk outside yet until Monday 18 May.( 2 days to go!!!!)

Wide open spaces: WOW. But why is the grass so pale? So yellow?

With Pippa on a short lead we walk among lambs and their mums.....

LOTS of lambs!

Funny lambs.

They stop and stare. We stop and stare back.

Then the weather changes.....

Still dry but windier and colder and Miss youngest is having a tantrum ( aged 9???)

I can just see the big house at Thame Park.... but we have to turn back. Miss Y is having a hissy fit and declares she HATES walking,lambs,mud,wind,us definately us......

Until we come across the horses.... She LOVES horses. ( but this is on the way back)

We see these but I don't know what they are and neither does JJ. Anyone out there know please??? Very tall. Blue pendant/ pendulous flowers, large leaves. At the top the leaves stand up like a pointed crown....Very striking.

Missy has cheered uo since the horses and HAS to be pictured with the biggest Dock leaf I have seen. JJ has a story about dockleaves and the days before toiletpaper was invented which I'm sure is his own invention to amuse the kids- or is it?

We have a lovely drink in the local pub: the Crown and then go home to bake ( and EAT) COOKIES!

JJ promises a lie in, followed by church, lunch and another walk for tomorrow: I can't wait!

THIS IS what weekends are for !!! Not the endless catching up on household chores and ''to do'' lists that we usually struggle with as working parents....

Walk by Moreton on Sunday 10 May 2009

Thanks to Lucy at www.attic24.typepad.com I have been inspired to make a new resolution!
This is to walk a new walk every weekend- weather permitting- using my new ( BIRTHDAY!!!) OS map and to do this with the dog and the family if at all possible.
Lucy 's in Yorkshire and has such wonderful outings and stunning scenic photography that I was inspired to seek our own local scenery and greenery. I want to reflect and record our little corner of Oxfordhire/Buckinghamshire

This was last week and we've just got back from a walk today but as life's been so very busy busy busy with SATS etc I am gradually catching up again.....

This was 5pm on Sunday last week when my youngest refused to move and JJ very kindly offered to cook the dinner if we would walk the dog: WHAT an offer!!! How could I refuse?
( Cooking is not my favourite pastime- especially NOT the quick family evening meals...)
Izzy started with blowing the above- far above- dandelion and making a wish.......
When she was very little she asked me once where the mummylions were and did they look very different from the daddylions?

Then we spotted a butterfly: a ........ and I just HAD to capture it on camera- not as easy as it looks actually as it flitted about a LOT! teehee HERE I DID capture it TWICE!



Onwards past a neatly ploughed area where a few years ago among many cabbages Pippa used to dash about as a pup, we called them her mad puppy dashes, she'd run in silly circles among the cabbages , then run back but drop and hide behind them just before reaching you. Then wait and jump up only to dash off in another circle...

And oh, oops got my finger in this one, SILLY me....

What will grow here next time we visit?

And it was windy and dry but with an AMAZING sky: LOOK!!! The sun popped out for the occasional 5 minute visit but mostly there were these massive castles in the sky: cloud city scapes...

This oak tree was just soooooo GREEEEEEEN, and also I want to draw the squiggly wiggly outer lines of those leaves. In out in out and and shake it all about....green fingers.....

Where'd they go? Pippa and daughter had walked on into the wood. Not so obvious here but there was this eye catching RED tree in the middle distance.WOW.

Come ON mum, this is a walk remember?

Pippa chased a few squirrels but luckily gave up when they ran up the trees and jumped from tree to tree- such fun to watch! Pippa was NOT amused. They were too quick for my camera with it's 7 seconds minimum warm up time....

After extracting Pippa from a mudbath ( she went straight into the shower when we got home) we walked across this field: curving to the right and with Izzy worrying about bulls....

I love this: a glimpse of a path but no more: a hint of mystery: WHAT lies beyond the gate?

There were no bulls and the cows just watched us pass by, Pippa behaved herself and ran past too. Then looking back we saw they had calves! The sweetest looking jet-black calves - on the far left in the photo they moved from a side view to walk away from us.

That was it : a lovely short circular walk from Thame to Moreton and back across the fields to the TLC.

BLISS.