I went for a walk in the rain...

It was dusk and I needed some solitude so I set out up the hill.  It started to rain but this didn't deter me.

I saw so much beauty, a few examples of which I will share.

 

Miscellaneous waffle about my week.

I couldn't really think of anything to write about today so I thought I would just type!  Lucky you, reading it!

I've not been very impressed by the government's idea of sending back year 1 and Reception children to school first, along with year 6.  Year 6, if it really is advisable for anyone to go back already, as in it won't start an increase in cases and is guided by science, I think is a good idea, they are old enough to be able to distance from each other and they do need to be introduced to their secondary schools etc. Also, it makes sense that the older the children are, they should take priority because they have less years in compulsory education to be able to catch up on the time missed.  The younger the child is, the more time they have to catch up as such, in my humble, probably not very well informed opinion anyway- if that makes any sense. I wish they had told us the rational behind asking the youngest ones first- why?  I teach year 1-6 every week and I experienced what it was like with them trying to distance from each other, trying to keep good hygiene etc.  Years 3-6, even year 2 to a lesser extent were very good with the distancing, with the taking personal responsibility for washing hands, not coughing, holding each other accountable etc but when I taught year 1 (I have three year 1 classes to teach), it was a total nightmare- I explained about needing to avoid touching faces, washing hands and not coughing, not putting fingers in their mouths etc and going to wash their hands. As I'm sure their own class teacher did.  However, the whole lesson with all three classes, my nerves were honestly in shreds as the constant finger sucking, coughing without covering mouths, touching each other, sneezing, picking noses.  Surely it's worse in Reception (who I don't teach)?

I accept that it is a really difficult, unprecedented situation for the government to be in and the things they have to balance, and there is no 'right' answer- even war time was different to this.  I am very anti-Tory and very anti-Boris, and it is very hard to predict what is going to happen and the impact but I honestly don't it's a good idea sending the little ones back. Send year 5 and year 4 but I'm just not sure about the littlest ones. Give me a good reason why and I'll be happy to be enlightened. 


Really been enjoying walks and cycle rides. I've not done one every day but I have tried to drag CBC away from his working from morning to late evening on school work to go for a walk or a cycle.
On Saturday, I told CBC we should go for a cycle ride.  He agreed and we dressed in cycle clothes

It was a really nice day for it.  We cycled to a village not so far from where we first lived when we were married and on the way, we stopped for a moment in a village where CBC had seen a house he liked- he wanted to see if it was renovated yet.  Next to that house, was a tray of tomato plants in pots saying, "Free, please take!".  I had a little old paper bag in my mini rucksack so I couldn't resist and grabbed one. CBC was incredulous that I was going to set off on a long cycle with a tomato plant in my rucksack. "Oh ye of little faith!" I retorted.

We ended up in the village and took a photo near a pub we really like that is doing takeaways via email.  By the time we'd reached here, we were rather hungry (we have a habit of setting off at lunchtime) so we ended up grabbing a sandwich (in plastic-free packaging!) and  bag of crisps in an empty Budgens and cycled off out of the main village to go and sit in a football pitch that was covered in buttercups since it hadn't had football being played on it. It was utterly beautiful!

By the time we'd cycled home, it was 34 miles in total. That's the most I've cycled in one go in about 8 years! We'd done 15miles a few weeks ago so that was a big hike up.

I opened a text on my phone from my friend (who lives in my childhood town but is currently staying not so far from me at her fiance's house as they wanted to be together, so she took things there before lockdown, knowing what would happen. She said, "Have you been cycling today?"

I replied in the affirmative and asked how she knew and she said she'd spied me cycling up a hill as they were on the way back from her flat checking on post!

On Sunday, the weather had turned sour but I was keen for us to get out so I insisted on a walk and CBC agreed we could do the other main part of the Roach valley way.  

It was very chilly and windy but it was brilliant to find the other river and get out and about.  We took sandwiches and crisps with us and ate them in the corner of a field, by a woods, miles from everywhere.  Once we'd reached the river, we only saw 4 people (who were a group) in the entire 9 mile walk.  Our feet were fine this time!

I kept thinking again how lucky we are to have so much interesting and empty countryside near us!

I went for another walk on Tuesday night after worrying about being in so much and not getting exercise- just my regular walk, whilst chatting to my older sister on the phone.

I wanted to make an effort because we seem to be at our computers writing really, really time-consuming lesson activities for our pupils and doing training for all hours. On Wednesday, I believe it took me 5 hours to write my year 3 lesson!!!!!life,

Yesterday evening, I managed to coax CBC away from his sofa-desk (it was already 7pm and he was still working) to come for a walk with me. We did the first walk I'd had tried in lockdown and ended up buying fish and chips from the chipshop for dinner as it was too late to be faffing with cooking by the time we got back.  We were lucky as they were empty when we got there.

CBC took this picture of me in my second field of buttercups of the week

Here's what I wore!  The ubiquitous rainbow skirt and I found this lilac beret I didn't know I owned!

I eyed up the horse manure in the fields, wishing I'd bought another sack and shovel like I did last time I walked here!

One sad bit of news is that the beautiful Ceanothus tree in our neighbour's garden is no more!!!

These were the last pictures that were taken before it was cut down to make way for the room of this horrid new shed.

It was teeming with bees and birds the day before.  All that remains of it was the branch the neighbour lopped off for me into the garden which I timidly asked for which is in a bucket and in a jug in my kitchen.

The seedlings are all doing well in the utitilty room.  The cucumber, squash and a few tomato plants are now massive and really need to be outside planted out, but I was worried they'd be killed off by the remaining frosts so they are all cramped in the utility room. Some of my peas have got flowers on them outside which is exciting!

We are not friends with the fox in our garden who dug up all my rocket plants and my rhubarb and my new Bergamot plant and the Alliums.  

Our attempts to thwart him by surrounding the raised bed with a cage of canes clearly didn't work as he seems to give zero foxes and just strolled through and dug up the rocket;

The next night, I laid long poles and trellis over the bed so he went and dug elsewhere in the side beds and turfed up my rhubarb and alliums

The subsequent night, I put strategic watering cans and pots in front of all the places he previously dug.

The next morning, CBC discovered the Bergamot had been dug up in the double height raised herb bed.

This is some tenacious fox.

CBC has been sent out to er- sprinkle around the beds to see if that deters him!

I woke up this morning with a really achy feeling on the left hand side of my head at the back, like I'd smacked my head hard on something. It feels really strange! I have no recollection of doing anything though...

Oh well, for someone who didn't know what to say, I clearly seem to have been able to waffle on for a long while.

Good luck if you made it to the end!

A beautiful Autumn day in Coggeshall.

Last Saturday, CBC and I decided to go for a walk somewhere. There was no particular plan,we set off in the car and ended up parking the car in Coggeshall (not so far from Kelvedon)

After a nice lunch and a parking ticket (grr), we walked from a certain point.

The beginning of the walk was accompanied by the sweet aroma of wild orchids (I believe)- they flanked the path of both sides quite densely. 

 After a while we reached a stretch of fields- the sight off those beautifully ploughed lines is one of my favourite things about the countryside.  It reminds me of that line from Wordsworth's Daffodils, "They stretched in never ending line, along the margin of a bay."

 A small patch of Michaelmas daisies greeted us at one end of the field, blinking their white lashes upon golden eyes.

 Fluffy, green gloved plants pointed the way forward.

 Much speculation ensued over what crops were newly growing here.  I suspected Sprouts.

 The light shone beautifully upon those green laced fields.

 The map showed some sort of Gardens.  Marks Hall or something of that ilk.   We walked the outskirts of it.

 A grove of olive trees welcomed you to the gardens.

 We skirted the borders of the gardens and continued into the woods.   This beautiful plant reminded me somewhat of Bindweed but with greater variety of colour which made me feel more benevolent towards it than I would have done were it that notorious scourge of gardeners.

 A final avenue led into the woods alongside a deer park.  Many scampering squirrels were available for viewing- the deer were somewhat less forthcoming.

 An elderly tree with a heart cut out was bathed in sunlight from various angles.

 The final destination was a small Airfield where we stood and watched some small planes coming in and being tucked up for the night.  It was time to turn round.

 As we watched, we discussed the route back to the car- several suggestions were mooted but the Sunset was due in 30 minutes and we reckoned after Civil Twillight, Nautical Twilight and Astronomical daylight, we would only have an extra 45 minutes.

 The sky became an evolving artist's canvas and we delighted at its appearance at different intervals.

 The light reflected onto these hay bales.

 That sky of dazzling gold!

 It was quite a sight.

 The hues subdued as time progressed and we found our way.

The final view I leave you with is of this dreamy view.


The walk from Coggeshall was one of general happiness and freedom- CBC and I really enjoyed each other's company in the solitude of the countryside.

xx

Whitby-Wanderings- In search of Falling Foss

It is a while since I shared the last installment of our half-term holiday in Whitby and the North-Yorkshire Moors.

The day following our walk in Whitby and Sandsend, we decided to take a walk to find the Falling Foss Waterfall in Little Beck.

We parked outside the Village Hall (they ask for a donation) and walked. It was a bit muddy at first as there had been rain recently. Luckily the day was bright and fairly warm.

As usual, I spotted and took an obligatory shot of the furry moss I see on walls!

The beck ran alongside us although we didn't notice it hugely except that it meant our route meandered considerably.

We saw a small fall but knew it wasn't that which we sought.

CBC scrutinized the map trying to find which way to go.

We found this interesting cave which seemed to be under tree roots. I tried to take a few pictures of CBC but he looked plastic in all of them! How much does he look like a mannequin here!?

The path steepened and we gained some more perspective.

Although there were a few muddy patches, there were some excellent walkways which suggests this is a popular route.

As you see, we constantly meandered around over the path of the Beck.

Suddenly we reached this interesting structure- a hermitage.

After looking inside the Hermitage, we emerged back into the Sunshine.

It was rather difficult to find how on earth we could reach the Falling Foss. We could hear it, but it seemed tricky to reach it.

Finally, we found ourselves near the Falling Foss tearooms and there it was.

It was very picturesque round there, despite it being Winter still.

After chatting to a local dogwalker, we continued across public footpaths and bridleways towards Little Beck again.

I remember my joy at seeing these Snowdrops, now, alas old news!

It was a very enjoyable walk, one I'd recommend if you were able to visit AND I am sure the Falling Foss tearooms is a delightful place to break your journey in the Summer!

Have you visited here?
xx