So hey….I did it!!! Yesterday; Faversham to Sittingbourne along the Saxon Shore Way ððð 9 hours. 30.06 km. Holy moly what a long day. If I add on the distance from home to the station and back, I can add on another 2.5 kms. The last time I walked 32km on any one day was 4 years ago on the Portuguese Camino in Spain…destination: Caldas de Reis. I swore to never do such a long walk ever again ðĪŠðĪŠðĪŠ Hah. I’m very comfortable with 16kms, so this is a bit of a stretch, but hey, it’s done. Now I can concentrate on the next section; Sittingbourne to Rochester….
I’ll do a proper write up in due course, but for now, what I really wanted to tell you about were all the abandoned boats I saw along the way; boats of all sizes, their rotting carcasses littering the creeks.
I wondered why they were abandoned? Who abandoned them? What were their names before being dumped, and why have they been left there to rot.
They are beautiful in their various stages of decay, but how sad. I’m sure they were beautiful craft at some time, sailing proudly along the channels, brightly painted, flags fluttering in the wind, decks alive with chatter.
And now, they’re lying there, forlorn and forgotten….too sad. This post is to honour all boats that get dumped and forgotten. In order of appearance, these boats were seen in Faversham Creek, Oare Creek, The Swale, Conyer Creek and Milton Creek.
I’d love to know their provenance and how long they’ve been lying there….
Long may they rest in pieces and provide food and homes for the fishes.
Extra image of previous two boats from a different angle.
I’ll try get my post up as soon as I’ve caught up with the Thames Path posts, the Pilgrim’s Way posts (2 years ago ðąðĪŠðĪŠ) and the initial stages of the Saxon Shore Way I’ve already walked. ðĪðĪðĪ Thank you for your patience ðð
And yes, after walking 30 kms, I’m feeling every. single. one. of. my. years. ððð but lots of vitamin C, Aloe Heat Lotion paracetamol and feet up…I’ll be right as rain…ð
I’ll say it right up front…I live in a stunning part of the world. The town itself is a bit of a rats ass and some days I despair at the human race, but the seashore….now that’s another story.
I set off quite early this morning to join my family for tea and buns and spend a few minutes with my BooBee before he went to school. I’m not sure it was such a good idea coz then he didn’t want to go ððð
The other reason for such an early visit is that my daughter, who is a photographer and videographer had arranged for me to be ‘interviewed’. She’s working on a project to record the grandparents life stories for posterity and so that future generations can know who we were.
It’s such a good idea. My Mum died when she was 52, I was just on 29 years old at the time, the oldest of her 4 daughters, the youngest just 13. Although we spoke a lot and she told us stories about her life, now that I’m older I have so many questions, that will never be answered.
My daughter is keen for us to leave a record of our lives, and so today we started what will be the first of I guess 6 interviews…1 for each decade.
The questions she asked were simple, but good and some of them really generated a lot of emotion… occasionally surprising even me. It took just on 2 hours and then I walked to Broadstairs to get my vaccine card laminated and some photos printed.
It was a sublime day…blues skies, fluffy white clouds, sunny but with a stiff breeze and warm. I was overdressed for a long walk.
Ramsgate beach looking towards Broadstairs Looking back from Dumpton Gap
The tide was still high when I left at just on 1pm, but receding. This meant I had to take the high road and walk across the clifftop to Broadstairs, but coming back I pushed the boundaries a little and walked along the beach to see how far I could get – I’m delighted to say that I managed to walk just about all the way back from Broadstairs to Ramsgate with just one tiny diversion to avoid some still high waves.
A new bench has been added on the cliffs near Dumpton Gap – a sad little memorial Broadstairs Beach Raided by the Vikings Viking Bay Milky white from the chalk Which country am I in??The tide was receding, so I pushed through from Dumpton GapLooking back from the promenade at Ramsgate A fishing boat returns to harbour trailing a swarm of seagulls
The walk was so beautiful and for all the world I could have been in the Caribbean. It took me just over 2 hours there and back and approximately 12kms.
I had a brief stop off at home for a cup of tea, and then I went to fetch my BooBee from the childminder and take him to the park. He rode the whole say up high on my shoulders, sat ever so still and chattered away about the day’s events.
Daddy met us at the park and took him home after some running about. I picked a few dandelions that had gone to seed and I showed him how to blow them so the ‘fairies’ could fly away. ðĨ°ðĨ°ðĨ° what a joy.
Now I’m preparing for tomorrow’s walk from Faversham to Sittingbourne along the Saxon Shore Way. I can’t pin the distance down and the sites I read had different distances….9 miles or 17 miles…take your pick??? so I’m just going to go and see how far I get. I’ve checked for railway stations in case I need to cut my walk short, and I’m hoping the tide isn’t too high along The Swale, or if the tide is high, that the pathway isn’t affected. If it is, I could have a repeat of my last walk along The Swale, albeit a different reason.
I was clean when I left home ððð
The weather forecast is good…hoorah.
I guess I’ll find out tomorrow ðĪŠðĪŠ
Oh, and I also started writing up another stage of my Thames Path walk…I’m getting there.
I had to go for my 2nd covid-19 inoculation today, so to give the parentals a break, and especially Mummy who is beyond tired but needs to work on her business, I asked if I could take the Jam with me to Deal….so straight after his gymnastics class, Mummy rushed us to the station. We cut it awfully close to the time and had to run like crazy through the station, down in the lift, raced along the tunnel where Granny yelled at someone at the top of the stairs to tell them to hold the train….up in the lift, onto the platform and onto the train…..10:25:10 – the train was due to leave at 10:25 and they held it for us LOL Thankfully I had bought the ticket in the morning or we would never had made it.
And we were on our way to Deal. He was ever so excited and talked non-stop about the beach and the castle.
Snacking on the train
When we got there I went for my jab first and he came in with me and watched them stick the needle in while I gritted my teeth and tried not to flinch LOL…..actually it was pretty painless, just a small pinch. But he got a sticker afterwards and when we got home later, the first thing he did was tell Mummy and Daddy all about ‘Anny having an injection, and that he got a sticker. His memory of events is amazing.
After the jab we walked to the seafront and stopped off on the beach. I think he was surprised that it was all stones. I think he was expecting sand like we have at home. But he loves stones and proceeded to collect as many as he could. My fault of course because I’m always picking stuff up on the beach and taking it home…like sea-glass and bits of wood for our future projects.
half of Deal beach in the bottom of the pram
Once the bottom of the pram was suitably filled with stones, we walked to the castle, but unfortunately it was still closed. We were both disappointed. I guess we have to wait till May?
the castle was closed!!
pikcing up stones on the beach
lunch at the beachfront
adventure in Deal
We stopped off for lunch which he enjoyed, and of course we had some seagulls hovering around, so he shouted “go away that one seagull”….and eventually it did….flew off and we never saw it again. ð
From there we took a stroll along the ECP towards Walmer. He ran along with wild abandon, and then got tired and insisted he wanted to ride on my shoulders. So there I was, pushing the pram with one hand and hanging onto his leg with the other. It was terribly windy and walking into the wind wasn’t much fun.
But then I spied a wooden boat on the beach so we went to have a look and that kept him occupied for a while. Of course he unpacked all the stones, which I then had to pack back again.
moving stones from one space to another
sailing over the deep blue sea
riding a rickshaw
Afterwards I took some photos then we strolled some more but the wind was so fierce it was knocking him off his feet and I couldn’t keep up with him running helter skelter, the pram going off with the wind, and his bag taking wings and flying off. So I made an executive decision, popped him back in his pram and we headed back towards the pier.
He got really excited when he saw the sculpture of the fisherman and the ‘big fish’ Anny!!! so we stopped to have a look at that. He spotted some people sitting on a bench with Costa cups in their hands and immediately ran over to a free bench and said “hot chocolate Anny” – hahahaha branding works!! How could I refuse.
a big fish Anny – look how tiny he is….hardly as big as the fish!!
hot chocolate – never say branding doesn’t work
But first we had a run along the pier, but not on the level like normal people, oh no, he wanted to run along the benches that line the pier; so there I was, holding his hand with one hand and running while pushing the pram with the other, which he thought was hilarious. Oh boy, the wind was so strong I could barely cope, so once again…into the pram and we strolled into the town centre for the hot chocolate. He was pretty much ready to go home by then and kept saying “Mamie home….Mummy Daddy home” – which is his signal to go home.
So we did. Took the earlier train and thanks very much Jamie, he delivered a massive poop!! As we got to the station he said “Mamie poop!” Nice one!!! He hadn’t pooped for the last 2 days, and voila….he saved it for me! So there we were, on the train, changing his nappy. Thankfully he lay still or we could have had a disaster LOL And just as well the carriage was empty on our side….I’m not sure the other passengers would have coped hahahaha.
All too soon we were back in Ramsgate and on our way home. When we got there, Daddy had just got back from his driving lesson, and the Jam wanted to go to the park, so off we went.
He loves the park with all that lovely space to run around….swings, and the slide, the climbing frame, the climbing wall and the obstacle course. I taught him how to slide forwards…and smooossh face-plant LOL I refrained from walking along the chains this time LOL so he did the balancing and jumping and then home for bath and dinner. Thankfully Daddy carried him this time.
face-plant!!! LOL have to give him credit for picking up and carrying on…
I just got a whatsapp photo of him fast asleep….tired out after his big adventure.
Sunday I’m taking him to London to Spitalfields to see the bronze elephant sculptures; Herd of Hope – a family of 21 life-sized bronze elephants embarking on the journey of a lifetime as they migrate across London. Leading the herd is our matriarch, symbolic of the mother and family each of the infant elephants, in the care of the Sheldrick Trust, lost when they became orphaned. She represents our Keepers, our team and you, our wider family who help to give these elephants a second chance at life.Read more about the Sheldrick Trust and the Herd of Hope
I love travelling and I mostly enjoy my job; especially if the client is nice and we get along well together for the period of mu booking. I’m very lucky that my job as a Carer takes me all over the UK, although mostly in England now that I have my beloved grandson to spend time with. But I always enjoy coming home and it is a joy to be have my time to myself and to take my BooBee on outings; either to the park or the beach, or on a train trip.
Today was one such day…it was bliss to be able to just get up when it suited me and so I made the most of it and stayed in bed till 11am, drinking tea and faffing around on social media, and of course keeping a beady eye on my dogecoins!! When to buy? Or sell? That is the eternal question LOL Sometimes I get it right, others not so much!!
When I eventually roused myself from my cosy nest, I logged straight onto my computer to continue writing about my recent Thames Path walk….well I didn’t quite get that far LOL Instead I spent the rest of the day updating my budget spreadsheets, planning my future walks along the SSW, the ECP, further stages of WTP….and calculating the relevant costing. Oh and planning a trip to Malta for a week in November (depending on and further lockdown and covid-19 issues).
At about 5pm I walked over to the family for tea and hot-cross buns and then the 4 of us walked over to the park as requested by the BooBee. He decided he wanted to ride on my shoulders, and so for a short way we jogged along. It’s a good thing I can still carry him on my shoulders and it’s good fun…he loves it.
Riding on ‘Anny’s shoulders – isn’t his hair glorious!!
He had loads of fun at the park. First we stopped to look at the cherry blossom tree which was abundantly covered in blossoms, much of which was already carpeting the ground.
Anny & Mamie inspecting the cherry blossom treemy joyinspecting the blossoms
He is still so tiny. I often forget that he’s only just gone two, because he is so intelligent with extraordinary levels of comprehension and understanding, that he always seems so much older to me.
Then we meandered over to the climbing frames where ‘Anny (me) reverted to her childhood and decided to walk along the chains….and that ended as well as what you would expect LOL
Anny really should know better LOL
Then we went over to the swings where he made friends with another little boy, climbed the rock-wall, had a few slides…I showed him how to go down on his tummy. He really is up for anything, and is so trusting that we won’t let him come to harm. He got all sad when the little boy left and lay down on the ground to indicate his dismay…
so sad his little friend left ðĶ
Time for a quick family selfie
the joy of family
A storm was brewing on the horizon with big black clouds building, so before it started to rain we left for home….and decided to order in so Mummy didn’t have to cook. There was a marvellous thunderstorm with the accompanying thunder and lightening and so I played him some AC DC ‘Thunderstruck’….seemed like a good idea LOL and I gave him a headbanging demonstration. Not my finest hour….he looked on in amazement…poor kid; growing up with a loon for a Granny. He did however enjoy the AC DC – clever kid!!
Now I’m home, preparing for a trip to Deal tomorrow for my 2nd vaccine jab and I’m taking the BooBee with me to make it an outing for the day, then he and I can take a stroll along the English Coast Path and he can make that the start of his #travelswithGranny although we have had quite a few adventures already…
walking the English Coast Path at Deal
as a footnote, in case you are unaware: SSW = Saxon Shore Way. ECP = English Coast Path and of course WTP = Walking the Thames Path….but you may have guessed that.
One of my favourite and most prolific categories in Project 101 is visiting places named in the 1066 Domesday Book; a survey undertaken by William the Conqueror after he invaded England and defeated King Harold and his forces during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of Normans, Bretons, Flemish, and men from other French provinces, all led by the Duke of Normandy later styled William the Conqueror. Ref wikipedia
Usually I find that the towns and villages especially, have some way of advertising their links with 1066, either in the form of a village sign or remnants of their links are noted in a book or some historical objects.
Nettlestone, Isle of Wight
In the case of Stoke Gabriel, its a tree – a first! I initially noticed this on Google when I was researching the village prior to my visit a few months ago.
Domesday Book tree – alive before the 1066 Norman Invasion Domesday Book tree, St Mary & St Gabriel Church, Stoke GabrielDomesday Book tree
Of course as soon as I could, I made haste to see this for myself. Its quite extraordinary to be in the same proximity as a living, breathing creature that was already well established before the invasion even took place nearly 1000 years ago.
How you might wonder is it that much a thing remains….so
Domesday Book tree
Why does every churchyard have a Yew tree? The answer has to be that the early Christians built their churches on the ancient Druid and Pagan sites of worship and the planting of yew trees in modern churchyards reflects the early assimilation of the old religions into the new religion.
I’m guessing that because they live in churchyards they’ve survived progress by living on sacred grounds. I found a fascinating article about yew trees that you might enjoy, and from which I noted the information above in italics : why does every churchyard have a yew tree Their contemporaries were not as lucky…and as usual were destroyed by progress….
The longbow (so called because it is 6â in length) was the premier weapon of the middle ages and made from yew. The volume of yew wood needed for war archery from the early 13th to the late 16th century was far too great to be supplied by from trees grown in churchyards. After all of the yew stands in Britain and Ireland had been depleted, the English crown began to import yew wood from all over Europe including Austria, Poland and Russia.
Nevertheless, this marvellous creature remains to remind us of history and our mortality…whether it does or does not thrive on the bones of the dead is irrelevant, its here for us to enjoy and be amazed.
Domesday Book tree – arms spread wideDomesday Book tree, thriving on the bones of the dead â â
Some of the events this tree has lived through:
Domesday Book tree – it has seen historical events come and go
I followed the instructions, but unfortunately no-one was there to witness my endeavour
Walk ye backward round about me 7 times…
In fact the tree is even older than the church by a few centuries…
The interior of the church was no less interesting
Church of St Mary and St Gabriel, Stoke Gabriel Beautiful carving on the pulpitChurch of St Mary and St Gabriel, Stoke Gabriel Church of St Mary and St Gabriel, Stoke Gabriel, Devon
The church building was originally constructed in the early 13th century, of which only the Norman tower survives today. In 1268, Bishop Bronescombe of Exeter dedicated the church to St Gabriel, resulting in the name change of the parish from âStokeâ to the more distinctive âStoke Gabrielâ.
I often included the churchyard in my many daily walks around Stoke Gabriel and occassionally I forgot about adding kms to my virtual challenges and instead I just sat on one of the benches or under that glorious, ancient tree and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
And I shall once again include it in my walks when I return to SG later this month…
I love visiting old churches and one of the first things I usually do having started a new booking is visit the local church; they are rich repositories of history.
You will inevitably find beautiful interiors, occassionally you will find remnants of prior Saxon or Norman churches and if you’re lucky enough there many even be enough to feast your eyes upon. The stained glass windows are always wonderful and sometimes you may be lucky enough to find remnants of painted glass windows.
There has been a church on this same site for more than 900 years. The first record of a church here dates from 1154 in the rolls of a tithe dispute. Apart from the tower, construction of which began in 1440, the present church building dates from the late Victorian period, having been rebuilt in 1880â1 by Sir Arthur Blomfield.
Thankfully the doors were open, so mask on, hands suitably sterilised I entered. There were only 2 people in the church; the minister and possibly a secretary.
I quietly went about my business and enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere. Here are some images of the exterior and interior of the church and a couple of the churchyard
All Saints Church, Fulham Painted glass. The memorial on the left was for a 3 year-old ðĨšðĨšðŠThe forget-me-nots are stunning this year
Don’t you think they’re the perfect flower for a graveyard? Forget me not.ðððð
Alms Houses, All Saints Church, Fulham A heron fishing
I’m finishing off at this booking today and heading home for 10 days before I go back to the Devon booking for 2 weeks. I’m SOOOO looking forward to seeing my grandson and spending time with my daughter.
It’s a cold rainy day in greater London, so travelling is going to be challenging ââââðĪŠðĪŠ
Have a fab day folks, catch you on the other side. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my Thames Path posts completed while I’m home, I’m making progress but time is limited.
Yes!!! I did it again! Signed up for the next Conqueror Challenge! ðĪðĪðĪ·ââïļ
This one is set in Germany; The Romantic Road – awesome. The medal is of course, beautiful as always. ðð
Romantic Road, Germany – Conqueror Challenges
I just couldn’t get online quick enough to bag the number 1 vest, so I guess #42 will have to suffice. Damn!! ðĪŠðĪŠ I’m always ready, finger poised above the keyboard, card at the ready….but for some peculiar reason, I just couldn’t get the link to activate….but finally I got there.
ïŧŋThe Conqueror Challenges – Romantic Road, Germany 431 km
So here it is. Looking at the challenge map on the app, I can see that a number of people have already started the challenge. Wow. Impressive! I’ve got another 5 waiting in line before I can start this one, so probably only in 2022. But if I do enough walking I ‘may’ just be able to start this one in 2021….we’ll see.
I’m currently walking The Ring Road, Iceland alongside my Conquer 2021 challenge for my daily perambulations, and updating The Cabot Trail with my specified walks….like walking the Thames Path, and coming soon; continuing along the Saxon Shore Way. ðķðŧââïļðķðŧââïļðķðŧââïļ Got my latest postcard on The Ring Road yesterday
Ring Road, Iceland – Conqueror Virtual Challenge
I’ve got an extra 2 days at home in June before I return to this booking, so I’ll make the most of them and get some mileage in.
Anyway, in other news (and no surprise really) this is the 18th challenge I’ve signed up for!! Addicted? nahhhh
Not Just a Granny 
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