I went on a fairy hunt in Hoyle Copse during my break today…I met quite a few, although they are quite shy…
Their houses are a delightful mix of colourful designs. I’ve compiled a video for your enjoyment
Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, It's my life, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2021 | Tagged hunting fairies, magical woods | 6 Comments »
Just popping in quickly to share a photo from this morning’s sunrise.
I’m currently in South Devon, started a new booking today, but travelled here on Monday and spent 2 nights and a day in Paignton, with a visit to Torquay and Brixham and a walk along the South West Coast Path (more on that to come).
Meanwhile I went down to the seafront at 6am to watch the sunrise and I was not disappointed
I’ll write soon about the trip….
Posted in around the UK, cities and towns of the UK, Domesday Villages of England, england coast path, It's my life, project 101, seaside towns of Britain, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2021, walks around the UK | Tagged Cindy's Travels in the UK, Devon, english coast, English counties, English Riviera, Jurassic coast, Paignton, seaside towns of England, south west coast path, sunrise at the coast | 4 Comments »
What a joy it was to meet up with my precious grandson and his Daddy at the park late afternoon after I got home. His smile when he sees me is a delight and fills me with joy. After the swings and the slide we walked home and I joined them for an early supper.
This morning I took ‘Mamie’ (he refers to himself as Mamie ☺) to the beach.
First we picked up stones, then had a bit of a lie down, then built a moat (no Anny, not a castle 😁😁), then we strolled around the harbour, had a look at the war memorial, visited the lighthouse and sat on ALL the benches 😃😃 watched a sailboat go out to sea, stopped to look at the Coast Guard boat, Vigilant, then we inspected the Pilot boats, stopped to look at an interesting car and back on the bus where Mamie sat on the big boy seat ☺☺. Fun times
I came back this evening to babysit while Mummy drove Daddy to work. We played hide and seek (he loves being frightened 🤪🤪) built a puzzle, made dinosaurs and elephants, stars and a heart out of play dough. Then things got a bit crazy when Granny turned the play dough into a meteor…
Hysterical laughter followed as the ‘meteor’ flew around the lounge.☄☄
Then it was dinner time and he laid the cutlery on the table (very impressive for a 2 year old) had a yummy dinner and went for a walk with Mummy.
Afterwards its was into a nice warm bath with a big bathbomb and then we had the ‘fun’ of watching the Night Garden on ceebeebies. OMG it actually nearly put me to sleep. But he loves it, and it brings him down from hyper to calm.
He truly is the joy of my life and I am so grateful for his health and vitality. I’m now babysitting again while Mummy fetches Daddy from work.
Wonderful day 💙🥰 I love that he calls me Anny. Granny is still too big a word, but truthfully, I wouldn’t mind at all if he always calls me Anny…it sounds so adorable ☺☺
Posted in family and relationships, Fun Stuff, Granny and Jamie's adventures, gratitude | Tagged being a granny | 8 Comments »
Today I’m on my way….heading home.
Its really nice to be able to say ‘home’, even though it’s a room in a shared house, its a base and home – for now. Although it was quite suitable in the past to stay in a b&b or guesthouse between jobs, the security of having a base is so much better.
Part of the reason I enjoyed staying at b&bs etc was because I used to travel between jobs, but now my little 💙 lives in Ramsgate and I have a powerful reason to want a base to return to so I can spend precious time with him.
So today has finally arrived after what has, once again, been a very stressful 2 weeks. I’ve had 3 very stressful assignments since the beginning of the year and my goddess I’m tired.
I was hoping to start working again next week, but as has been the case in the last year, the agency do not have much work available. So I’ve accepted a position in Devon that only starts on 31st. Although this will have a slightly negative impact on my income, it does mean I have a good break and space to breathe.
I’ve started the process for claiming my pension, albeit insufficient to even pay my rent, it will give me a wee boost to save for my walking trips. I’ve not worked in the country long enough to qualify for a decent amount, but as the blurb goes….every little bit helps.
So talking of trips, crikey – after much rejigging my dates for my planned 🤔🤔🤔 Thames Path walk in April, and trying for the last 2 days to squeeze the dates etc, I finally got a decent looking schedule worked out, sat down last night to start changing the dates for the bookings I had already made, only to find that the prices are almost double in May. So that puts paid to that little escapade. Ugh. My head.
Back to square one as they say. I was so upset last night that I just shut my computer, used a few choice words at commercialism 🤬🤬🤬 and went to bed.
So over the next few days I’m going to go back to basics, cancel all the bookings I made for April since I can’t travel then anyway, do a new search. Thank goodness for booking.com where you can reserve a place, but have the option of cancelling within a reasonable time.
However, I am determined to do this trip….
Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, Holidays, It's my life, long distance walks - solo, project 101, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2021, walks around the UK | Tagged #walk1000miles long distance walking, Cindy's Travels in the UK, Country Walking, planning a long distance walk, walking solo, walking the Thames path | 6 Comments »
Every day I despair about the amount of plastic we are forced to use. There’s very little these days that doesn’t contain plastic in one form or another. Its even been found in the human blood stream and foetus’.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMcmuLgrB3f/?igshid=42b4wjsf4t76
I truly wish we could just stop already, but there’s too much money to be made, and not enough people are bothered.
Posted in Health, news from around the world, other peoples blog, plastic pollution | Tagged #plasticpollution, alternative materials for plastic, anti-plastic activist | 2 Comments »
I’ve often read about the health benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, for a whole host of issues. A previous client used to drink it every day.
So last week, with no particular reason in mind I impulsively decided to start drinking it myself 😝😝
The first morning I took just 5mls instead of the 15mls they suggest. Ugh. Vile. But I decided to pursue it and continue to take it, and increase it daily till I got used to the full dose.
So every day, it sits there on the counter staring malevolently at me till I pluck up enough courage to drink it. 👹👹 And then I spend a few minutes heaving as I try to keep it down 🤢🤢🤢
I have to question my sanity, but who am I to disagree with the ‘experts’…I’ll continue till I get used to the taste, or its finished, whichever comes first…then I’ll decide whether to continue or not.
Meanwhile does anyone know of a similar drink that doesn’t taste as vile 🥴🥴🥴
According to the blurb on the bottle…
Perhaps that’s why it tastes so horrible…1728??? Thats an awful long time …😁😁
So what are the benefits of Apple cider vinegar…
- is a natural laxative and it can improve digestion;
- lowers blood sugar levels;
- improves insulin sensitivity;
- increases satiety and helps people to lose weight;
- reduces belly fat;
- lowers cholesterol;
- lowers blood pressure and improves heart health;
- prevents and decreases the risk of getting cancer and slows down the growth of cancer cells.
I found this website that tells you more about the stuff 😑😑 but if only they could change the taste https://www.asweetpeachef.com/benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar/
Posted in Health, It's my life | Tagged baby boomers, Health, health benefits of apple cider vinegar | Leave a Comment »
Last week I ventured into a different part of Croydon than I’d been before.
There’s some super cool street art that I could see. Dome days I wish I had more time to explore. The top 3 images are of The Hospital of the Holy Trinity founded 1596. Wowww. K thought Croydon was a ‘new’ purpose built town, but no, it’s got history going back as far as 960AD!!
Posted in around the UK, cities and towns of the UK, Domesday Villages of England, project 101, Travel | Tagged Croydon, historic towns of England, street art in Croydon | Leave a Comment »
During my research of different pilgrimage routes in the UK and elsewhere, I came across this website http://www.greenpilgrimageeurope.net/ What interested me and encouraged me to read further was the mention of Canterbury.
Canterbury has been my final destination a number of times, it’s a fascinating city with an incredible history and I love visiting and exploring and especially passing beneath the West Gate at the end of my walks; Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the Way of St Augustine (In 597AD, St Augustine arrived on England’s Isle of Thanet upon the instructions of Pope Gregory to bring the good news of Christianity to Kent, as Queen Bertha was already a committed Christian) and The Pilgrim’s Way.
The 119-mile (192km) Pilgrim’s Way from Winchester to Canterbury has been trodden by pilgrims for more than a thousand years but the origins of the pathway date back much earlier, to 1800-1400BC. The route was probably used for trade but after the death of St Augustine of Canterbury in 604, pilgrims started coming to venerate his remains at the Great Abbey. Canterbury also became an important stop for pilgrims making the long journey to Rome; Via Francigena.
After Thomas Becket was canonised in 1173, his shrine at Canterbury Cathedral became the most important in the UK. According to Christopher John Wright, author of A Guide to the Pilgrims’ Way, Canterbury was ‘after Rome… the chief shrine in Christendom’, and drew pilgrims from far and wide. Henry II is also said to travelled this route – as part of his pilgrimage for atonement for the murder of Thomas Becket.
Pilgrimage is one of the fastest growing movements in the world, with more than 330 million people going on pilgrimage every year. The vision of Green Pilgrimage is that pilgrims leave a positive footprint on the earth, and that pilgrim places become models of care for the environment.
Besides being the final destination for the walks I’ve mentioned above, Canterbury is often the starting point for those enroute to European Pilgrimage sites such as Santiago de Compostela in Spain and the Via Francigena to Rome.
I love what they say about the 7 stages of pilgrimage
Number 7 definitely resonates with me; although I’m not a religious or even pious person and believe in evolution rather than creation, I relish the challenges I face and find that yes, in ways that I sometimes don’t even notice immediately, I am always a different person at the end of each walk.
For me it’s the journey as well as the destination, and my stages of pilgrimage are:
1. Discovering a new pilgrimage that venerates a Saint I usually have never heard of and then learning more about them.
2. Researching and planning the route; usually gives me a series of headaches LOL but it is definitely enlightening.
3. Since I usually travel solo, my interactions are invariably brief and with strangers, yet each brings their own little story and memories of so many of these interactions linger for years, and I still think of certain people I met.
4. Understanding the story is usually where I am totally honest; I walk these routes because I love walking, adventure and discovering new places. If I’m not walking for a religious reason, does that make me less of a pilgrim?
5. For me this was about finding my ‘Camino’ eyes. A weird term until you realise it’s about suddenly realising you ‘see’ the signs along the way without having to search for them. This I have found on all my walks.
6. I definitely resonate with this; there is nothing I enjoy more than just looking around me and taking it all in – hence the number of photographs I take, and why my kms are way more than the stated distance – I have to explore.
7. I’m not so sure about the ‘should‘ recognise, but I definitely do recognise the differences. Sometimes they are emotional, or mental, but without doubt they include physical. With each walk that I do, along with the challenges they bring, I find I am more courageous and less fearful of what difficulties I may find along ‘the way’. I have overcome, and will continue to overcome the challenges.
There are so many different pilgrimages around the UK and Rep. of Ireland as well as Europe, and farther afield in Japan that I would love to do. I have added them to my vision board….and sent a telegram to the Universe.
Posted in around the UK, cities and towns of the UK, Historical, Interesting articles, long distance walks - solo, my Canterbury Tales, project 101, The Pilgrim's Way; Winchester to Canterbury, Travel, walks around the UK | Tagged baby boomers travel, going on a pilgrimage, green pilgrimage canterbury, the seven stages of pilgrimage, Thomas Becket | Leave a Comment »
Hahaha, yes, after my blithe words yesterday about being pragmatic about plans changing…guess what??
Yeah…..that….can I bite my tongue?? 🤪🤪🤪
So after hours working out the route, checking the days/dates over and over to make sure they were correct and I didn’t miss any, calculating the distances to make sure the days are not too long, researching accommodation, then booking the dates, and double checking the dates, I got an email this morning confirming my booking but….
“Good afternoon,
Though most restrictions are lifted from 12th April, unfortunately for public who intend to stay in hotel for leisure are allowed only from 17th May. Till this time only key workers are permitted to stay overnight in hotels. Kind regards”
Don’t you just love a big old ‘but’? Although ‘butt’ would be more appropriate now, coz I’m kicking mine…😝😝
I understood from the government website that from 12 April Members of the same household can take a holiday in the UK in self-contained accommodation.
Couldn’t the government have been a little more specific and added “you may not stay in hotels “. For people like me 😁😁😁
Apparently hotels do not fall under that category 🤨🤨🤨 Who knew?? 🤣🤣🤣 I think I misinterpreted that little clause because I am fed up now with not being able to travel, and want to do my walk.
I know there are still Covid related issues, but seriously, the hotels and places like that are taking so many precautions and they are sterilising their premises and following guidelines for masks etc, that I think its quite ridiculous that we can’t yet travel locally. I get all the overseas restrictions and precautions etc, but the virus is invariably spread by close contact in enclosed environments, big crowds, or feckless people not taking precautions, and you’re seldom in close contact in a hotel. Especially the bigger chains.
So yeah, that’s my little whinge 😏😏😏
I have a headache 🤕🤕🥵 Ugh. I had other plans for today. Or maybe I shouldn’t use the word ‘plans’ for the foreseeable future.
I’m now in the process of reworking all my dates, because I have my actual work dates to reschedule as well.
Posted in around the UK, Holidays, idiot category, It's my life, long distance walks - solo, project 101, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2021 | Tagged a walk along the Thames pathway, baby boomers travel, Cindy's Travels in the UK, country walking long distance walking, its my life, walk1000miles, when planning goes awry | Leave a Comment »
I guess my previous Walking the River Thames post would count as Stage 1 since that’s when I did more research on the river and the route itself….
In which case, getting it down on paper (so to speak) would be the next stage; Stage 2…and that I have done! Hoorah. I spent nearly all my free time yesterday setting up the spreadsheet, doing further research on the actual walk itself and planning my distances. It’s a good thing it was raining heavily so I didn’t feel guilty about not getting out to walk.
I found 3 amazing websites by people who have walked the Thames Path and written about it, and conveniently also posted images of the walk. The usefulness varies in as much as they say how far they walked each day, approximately how long it took, transport links, but not where they stayed. I also found 2 official websites; the Thames Path is one of 16 National Trails in the UK – they note the trail can be walked over 16 days, so I’m happy with my 19, 1 of which includes the section from Erith to the Thames Barrier.
Planning the distance and number of days has proved to be quite tricky because a lot depends on accommodation available. And it is NOT cheap. So far my estimates are £1300 for 19 days. I could do 2 caminos in Spain for that!! The accommodation is outrageously expensive and I am going to have to do some further research. I did find some nice places on booking.com and what’s useful about that is you have a decent amount of time, for a small price increase, to cancel if needs be. I’m ever so pragmatic about things like having to cancel trips…because you know… Covid and things like that.
One of the most useful aspects though of walking in the UK is the transport links. Albeit very pricey, if you have any accidents it’s easy enough to get home. Also there are numerous little towns along the route, so I won’t have to carry my weight in water…LOL I remember in Spain the constant daily fear of running out of water… although it only happened once and I managed to convey my need for “aqua por favor” to a delightful little old Spanish couple, who reprimanded me soundly…although I didn’t understand a word they said, their tone and expressions made it very clear 🙂 But they filled up my bottle. It was one of those days when it was scorching hot and I sent my water bladder ahead with my backpack by accident…
So the spreadsheet is up, the dates/days are estimated, the travel costs are determined, the food costs will be like I did on the camino….I existed on fruit and sandwiches and occasional bowls of soup or omelettes, and the accommodation has been identified and priced (ouch) and 75% booked. I’ve mostly booked all the places I found via booking.com and then do a further search on airbnb. Either way, I have to make a final decision before month end on dates etc.
Also, besides the 1st stage from Erith to the Thames Barrier planned for 21/03, I’m also going to do stages 2 & 3 on separate days; namely 15/04 & 18/04 and travel back home. It will be cheaper than overnight stays and means I can take a few days break between each stage before the big push which will begin from Hampton Court on 24th. I’m also planning on spending the day in Hampton Court and hopefully meeting up with my family and visiting the palace on the 23rd.
Of course, like all plans, it is subject to change, but once I make the bookings, that’s it…..Cindy travels again. I’m really excited about this walk and also a little trepidatious because my body is 2 years older since I finished the Pilgrim’s Way (talking of which, I really need to finish those posts!!) and not as robust as it was 4 years ago when I walked the Camino. I haven’t hoisted my backpack onto my back for nearly 2 years!!! I think I’m going to travel light!! LOL
Be that as it may, I shall keep walking as long as I have life in me old legs. So I’ve listed the websites below that I discovered in the event they are of interest to you dear reader.
- I enjoyed reading about Jason’s journey, although he started at the source, and I was excited to discover someone else who had walked the Saxon Shore Way https://www.macadder.net/walking/thames_path/stage01.html
He also mentions Offa’s Dyke and The Fosse Way, both of which I’m interested in. Jason does mention the distance walked and his figures more or less correlate to mine…whew! I’m looking forward to reading all his other days; 13 in all. I was well impressed to note that he has done 28 walks!! That’s quite extraordinary. A couple of them are familiar to me, and a few piqued my interest. I guess I’ll just have to add them to the list LOL I mean who wouldn’t want to do the 1066 Country Walk, or St Swithun’s Way, St Michael’s Way or the Strawberry Line Path (I so love this one) – anyone say ‘cheese’?
2. Then there’s Brian’s Walks – he appears to have walked the same direction as which I am going to; from sea to source. http://www.brians-walks.co.uk/thames-path-cricklade-to-kemble.html Brian did this walk over 9 days so I suspect he put in some serious distances each day; as in roughly 35kms…which I do not plan to do. My maximum distance before it gets unbearable is 28kms, and I only have 2 days when I will walk that distance. His blog is amazing in that he lists his daily statistics (of which I shall make careful note).
3. With this site I was unable to find a name (perhaps as I read further I may discover it) but I loved the name of the blog http://www.tamesis-fluvius.co.uk/index.php I was highly amused by his comment “During the course of the two weeks, I took well in excess of two thousand photographs and a selection of them are included on each page“. Oh my goddess, if that doesn’t sound like a kindred spirit then I don’t know what does. 🤣🤣🤣 I am a demon when it comes to taking photos and I invariably only share possibly 5% of the photos I take on each walk. They did the walk over 15 days, so my already 19 days is not too bad.
I also stumbled upon what appears to be an ‘official’ website. https://www.thames-path.org.uk/thames_cricklade_source.html I found quite a lot of useful information here as well as transport links….especially for the upper reaches of the Thames near the source.
The National Trail website lists all trails in the UK and if I had enough time and money, I’d do them all…don’t you just love what they have to say about the Thames Path – it sounds so romantic…
“The Thames Path is a long distance walking trail, following England’s best known river for 184 miles (294 Km) as it meanders from its source in the Cotswolds through several rural counties and on into the heart of London. On its way the Trail passes peaceful water meadows rich in wildlife, historic towns and cities and many lovely villages, finishing at the Thames Barrier in Woolwich just a few miles from the sea”.
Can I go now please ☺☺☺
I’ll be following the Cabot Trail virtual challenge while walking the Thames Path coz its very conveniently 299.4kms which is almost the same distance…although I’m sure my kms will be more than what they suggest it is…294kms.
Posted in around the UK, cities and towns of the UK, conqueror challenges, Fun Stuff, Health, Historical, Holidays, It's my life, long distance walks - solo, project 101, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2021 | Tagged a walk along the Thames pathway, Cindy's Travels in the UK, conqueror virtual challenges 2021, country walking long distance walking, the river Thames in England, walk1000miles, walking the Thames path | 10 Comments »
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