The Surprise Walk

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

When I was staying on the east side of England recently, while I visited my daughter and grandsons, I had decided to take lots of warm clothes because it is generally colder, windier as well as flat, compared to the west side of England. Those cold winds tear in from the North Sea with nothing to protect that side of the country from the onslaught.

I annoy my daughter by telling her that the West is generally protected because of the Gulf Stream and of course all the hills. 

"You and your Gulf Stream," she says!

Anyway the first Monday that we were there, it turned out to be really sunny even though it was coldish.

Deb told us to jump in the car and said she would take us to a local beauty spot.

The boys had been sitting in front of the computer all morning and the thought of going out in the cold did not appeal.

We tried coaxing, cajolling, shaming ........ everything we could think of to get them out of the house. It was only the threat of no more computer games the next day that got them to put their noses out of the door.

After much moaning and groaning, by the boys, we all piled into the car.

We travelled through lovely scenery and after quite a lot of driving.......... Deb admitted she was lost. I spied a nice canal with long boats and barges, so we stopped to take some pictures.

We noticed a tow path running by the side of the canal, so we decided to walk along the path.

The oldest grandson moaned and groaned and protested some more. However he soon realized that there were things of interest to see and gradually the moaning stopped and he picked up a long stick and off he set, whacking at the grass alongside the path.

It really was a lovely walk and there were many small boats tied up along the canal, which went on for miles, by the look of it.

After the boats, we came to a rugged patch and it was questionable whether I could make it over the slippery mud. We were all laughing but, as I pointed out, I am not able to swim and was slithering about on the edge of the water. However, I am sure anyone falling into that cold water would soon die of hyperthermia, even if they could swim.

The scenery was fantastic and we walked and walked until we suddenly realized that the clocks had gone back the night before, and the sun was getting really low in the sky.

The thought of walking through all that mud in the dark was a bit daunting, so we reluctantly turned round. I had picked up a stout stick by then to lean on in the tricky places and I also began to pick some huge leaves. When I got to the muddy patches, I put the leaves down over the mud and my feet didn't slip.

Deb thought it was really funny, but this really stopped me from sliding.

By then the boys had gone on ahead suddenly enthusiastic to do their own thing and were waiting at the entrance to this place, by the car.

They had had a really good time, in spite of everything they had said previously.

Once we get them away from the computer they do have fun. It is just the thought of going out in the cold that stops them from wanting to leave the house in the first place.

You can see how dark it was getting just before we reached the car.

When we returned home to the West, later in the week, it was really cold! Gulf Stream or no Gulf Stream!

These photos were taken by me and used for Photostory Friday. Hosted by Cicely and MamaGeek.

Wordless Wednesday

A Walk In The Countryside.

I recently met up with my sister in law, Gloria and we walked along an established cycle path that goes on for miles, but we stopped after an hour or so and walked back again. A round trip of about seven miles. It was a beautiful Friday, which happened to be my day off. It was a dry day with an autumnal feel about it. The scenery was lovely good old English countryside.

My sister in law has recently had a return of breast cancer, after twelve years. She is a very brave person and is often in pain but she is not one for complaining. She walks along this cycle path at every opportunity that she has and she holds down a part time job in a care home. She is married to my brother, the paramedic. (Remember that post I recently wrote about him?)

I don't normally swear, but this cancer really has begun to get me down and the way it affects not only the sufferer who has it, but also their families who are also drawn in to it. I know many others have to do battle to cancer too and statistically one in three will get it at sometime in their life. I sometimes imagine fate to be a large pointer somewhere or other out yonder, saying, "Eeny meeny miney mo,  You two escape but YOU must go!" I am sure that it has  nothing to do with God........... its just the way that the world is made and ****ing bad luck if it happens to you.

Get back to the subject, Maggie...... the cycle path.

We walked a good distance, stopping now and then for me to take photos, when we came to a bridge and a lot of gravel on the side of the path.

Gloria surprised me by saying, "This is where a man pushed me off my bike when I was young and he groped me and I fell on all this gravel. Here are the scars that I still have."

What an evil creep! He ran from the scene and cycled off. I supposed she considered herself lucky that he didn't do worse. There was no one else about.

I reacted by asking her if she felt vulnerable these days when she walks down this path by herself and she replied that she wasn't going to let some pervert stop her from enjoying herself. She also remarked that if he did it now he would be in for a shock as she'd had a mastectomy! She is a brave lady to be able to laugh at herself like that. We both laughed as we imagined the scene.

We noticed there were gaggles of school boys walking along the path in the same direction as us. At first I thought they must be playing truant but as there were so many of them I reckoned the whole school would have to be doing it. There were far too many of them. I risked asking three young lads what was happening? I was obviously eyed with suspicion at first. Was I a school inspector or a child molester? However, a blushing boy of about thirteen told me that the school was on an organized hike. Didn't see any adults in charge for a long time. Trust us to pick such a day to come here. Gloria told me there were usually lots of older people about and apart from the risk to life and limb from mad cyclists, racing very fast and not ringing a bell (if they had one) who think they own the place, it was usually quiet. In fact the cyclists are very quiet and sneak up behind in a dangerous manner. Isn't it illegal not to have a bell? Not that there is any one to bother if it is.

After a while some boys  stopped us, "Excuse me," said an angelic looking lad, "There's some rocks just along the path, mind you don't trip." We thanked the boys and Gloria muttered that she felt like slapping him round the face! Did he think we were so decrepit that we couldn't walk along the path in a straight line? The rocks were well off the path. Or maybe the school had asked them to help some old person and they had to report at the end of the day what they'd done.

Gloria and I suddenly fell about laughing at the thought that we were so old that we couldn't pass a few rocks without stumbling. We laughed so much that we both realized we needed the loo. Well it was all that laughing and our advanced years and apparently sagging bladders! There obviously wasn't one for miles around. Of course a bloke could just go behind a bush with no problem. My friend Hetty, was once out with me when she just had to go.......... so she went and squatted behind a bush without a care in the world. A gang of kids walked by laughing when they passed us and they had obviously seen her. I must write about Hetty one day. Another brave lady in a completely different way.

Back to the cycle path.

We walked gingerly after that, with mincing steps and tried hard not to laugh or think about our urgent need.

Eventually we came to the end of the walk and were within easy reach of some public loos. (A rare sight indeed, these days.) Too bad they were overflowing and out of order. Oh well....... we had waited this long, so we got to Gloria's car and drove to her house. She dashed to the downstairs loo and I raced upstairs!

We then had another good laugh and sat down to soup, crackers and cheese and a huge pot of tea.

Yes, an enjoyable day out, lovely scenery, good company and lots of laughter. A relief from the tensions of life! Did I say relief!!!!!

Visiting Bristol.........

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

People either love Bristol or they hate it. You can shop till you drop and this is the newly built shopping precinct that we recently visited, called Cabot Circus. Noted for the glass domed roof. It is a huge shopping area and this photo doesn't really do it justice.

If you like posh shops then this one came from London. I always think that Bristol comes second to London, but I guess many people will disagree.

Bristol is steeped in history and this is the theatre on Bristol City Centre. It is very old. Many of the top ballets, plays and musicals come to this theatre.

Bristol has a history of the sea. There are many walks along the waterfront and the old buildings have been modernized. The bridge has been named Pero's Bridge, after a slave who had that name, when Bristol had a part in the slave trade.

There are many tranquil parts of Bristol, lots of parks and open green places to rest a while. Just like in London.

Harry and I love to visit all the lovely places in Bristol, when we can.

For those of you who might be confused.......... we are at present staying with our daughter on the east coast, nearer to London! 

These photos were taken by me for Photostory Friday, hosted by Cecily & MamaGeek.

Moving On.

Harry and I seem to be travelling to Victoria Coach Station and beyond rather frequently, these days. We are going again to our daughter's and will spend the whole of the half term there.

Many people are kindly asking how she and the boys are getting on, since the death of the knight. Judging from my last visit and from my phone calls, Deb seems to be strong. She has her good days and her bad days, which I should imagine, is normal under the circumstances.

When one loses a husband, there is a whole mound of complicated paperwork to fill in. There are bills coming in and delays in the payments and concessions that are due. Well I won't go into details because that is too personal, but believe me, it all adds to the stress and I am very proud of the way she is handling things, so far.

The youngest boy, aged ten, who we call the brown haired boy, seems to be coping very well. However, I feel he is shelving his feelings and shrugs off any hurt. He seems to be getting on with his life.

The fair haired boy is angry, very angry and kicks at everything as he walks outside. This twelve year old is the one most like his father in looks and personality.

While I was staying last time, he had developed school phobia, choking on his breakfast in the mornings and being reluctant to leave the house, even though Harry went with him to the bus stop.

This boy prefers to sit outside the school office than to go in to his various classes, though things have calmed down a bit since we were there last. However there are still difficulties.

He is waiting for a test for autism. His appointment is for some time next month. It will be good to know how best we can help him whatever the tests reveal.

I think I first suspected that he might have a tendency to Asperger's syndrome when he was about three years old as he always played by himself in his own little world, rather than with his playmates who were totally ignored. He was not a cuddly sort and he avoided eye contact. He did not always respond to questions, though clearly this was not out of rudeness. He always talked for hours about trivia, whether anyone else was listening or not.

However, some things do not fit in with the expected pattern, as he has always played well with his brother and he does make eye contact when asked to.

School started to notice that he was 'switching off ' rather a lot during lessons and going into a little reverie. It is more noticeable now that he is at secondary school and his work is falling behind. He has one or two friends and on the whole, people are very kind to him.

When we left the last time, the fair haired boy clung to me and I said, "We do love each other, don't we?"

He looked at me and nodded and I told him we were coming back soon at half term.

So I'm not sure that he does fit the Asperger's pattern completely, but there seems to be a tendency there. However, it is not extreme like the boys I have worked with in the special school.

Maybe every one is on the spectrum somewhere.

The day of the funeral was warm and dry, which helped to make it less terrible.

The church was packed, not only with Deb's friends and acquaintances, but also with many supporters of the Knight. There was no doubt that he was a very clever man and he was very respected at work, so it was not surprising that many stood up and gave a verbal tribute to him. It turned out to be a celebration of good things and nothing negative was said at all, which was only fitting at a funeral. However, some of us secretly wondered if it was the same person that we had known.

All the family put individual flowers on top of the coffin, before it was lowered into the ground. The boys were very, very brave, but I shall never forget the look on their faces when this was done. It really got to me and the impression of it will stay with me forever.

The opening in the ground was extremely deep and the vicar was nervy because my two small grand daughters kept running towards the edge, to search for the flowers that they had placed there earlier and now seemed have to disappeared forever. Sam had to grab their clothes to stop them falling in as they didn't seem to be aware of any danger.

It was good to meet up with long lost family and friends afterwards and to catch up with the new people as well. Soon the day was over and most people left, a few at a time, some to travel many miles home.

Thank Goodness we didn't have to go till some time later in the following week. There was a slight feeling of desolation, but it didn't last long. There were things to do.

The garden is very large, the lawns too big. Shrubs needed to be cut back. Harry and I got to work in the garden over the next few days, clipping and cutting. We cut all the available lavender, bundled it up and wrapped the long stems with cord and took the harvest to the grave. The Knight would have appreciated that as he loved his lavender.

I will miss the blog while I am away and wish I could take my laptop with me. We already have too much weight to carry, so will have to make do with books.

I will try and borrow my daughter's computer if I can get the boys away from the games they have on there.

However there will be plenty of chopping and cutting to do.

Back in eight days! 

The Jane Austen Season

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

This lady granted me permission to take her photo on my recent excursion to Bath. As you can see she was dressed up in a Jane Austen costume!

However, she wasn't the only one! There were several young ladies dressed up in costumes, one of them Japanese, but she went scuffling off before I could ask her for a photo.

Well, its not surprising that so many Jane Austens are about in Bath, as there is a Jane Austen Centre there. 

I have added a link in case any one would like to find out more about this wonderful authoress and her connections to Bath. Press here .

This is my story and this is my photo for Photostory Friday. Hosted by Cicely and MamaGeek.

Wordless Wednesday

I ran into this Roman Soldier the other day! Looks a bit effeminate though!