Signs of Spring

Hello Lovelies, 

though the past two days have been horribly grey we were blessed with a good amount of sunshine earlier in the week. I've  been walking local footpaths and absorbing the winter colours...for it surely wont be long till all the brown turns green........

I've actually really liked the colours of winter this year. I've loved the bare tree silhouettes, and marvelled at the colour of the lichen which really stands out when there is not much colour to be found.
Is it yellow, is it green? I haven't really tried to give this colour a name.......

The weeping willow has a similar, if paler, version of this colour too..........

There's not much colour in the little bit of woodland here....but oh, that light, those shadows......

Further along my walk I did come across some colour by the footpath steps. Such a sweet touch to plant bulbs in the woodland here...with the sun shining through it's petals this one positively glowed.........

I love to see a blue sky backdrop, making this favourite church of mine look extra pretty.......

In the churchyard this little stone statue ( covered in that brightly coloured lichen) caught my eye.........

Back home the sun was still shining on my kitchen windowsill....

I love this time of year for the inexpensive flowers and plants that bring spring indoors....

50p primulas from the supermarket.

I couldn't resist moving my daffs into the lounge when I sat down for a cuppa and some crochet......

I'm really enjoying working up another baby blanket in winter colours. Of course mustard had to feature........

Look, it's exactly right for the eye-catching Lichen.......



There are quiet a lot of "Temperature Blankets" popping up on instagram. Have you heard of this idea? You choose colours to represent the different degrees and work a row or a square for each day. It's an interesting idea. There's a pinterest page of examples HERE

This is not a temperature blanket, but it's certainly seasonally inspired. Cool blues and frosty whites. Wintry grey and muted green...........

( and mustard for the lichen of course)

On Thursday we also enjoyed sunshine on our group walk. Which was a relief after two cloudy and muddy weeks.

The wintry countryside looked pretty in sunshine........

Aaaah, fresh air and a view, lovely.........

Still no sign of leaves on the Oak trees........

After a couple of miles we stopped for coffee in a playground. The leader had made brownies for us all. They were delicious and I'm sure they tasted even better for being eaten outdoors in the sunshine and washed down with coffee from a flask........

It seems every churchyard is filled with Daffodils at the moment.........

Along the canal side the reedmace was shedding the fluffy stuff so beloved of the birds for their nest lining..........

I loved seeing this original canal bridge in great, restored condition......

Lunch was a picnic sat on this Market cross.........

This gorgeous old image is borrowed from HERE. It still looks exactly the same and we took photos of the group from the same spot :0)

The sun still shone and the old cottages looked so charming.........

After lunch there were more easy, flat miles.......

 pretty locks to admire...........

and bridges to stand on and and admire the reflections.........

In the last village we walked through I loved this house sign.....1 Rosy Row ....wonderful :0).......

Here's cute Rosy Row.......

And here's another charming old home......

Crossing the stream the water sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.........

And the group climbed the gentle hill towards the end of our circular walk.......

we were parked near this fairytale castle. It looked perfectly romantic in the hazy light.........

In the fields below it's elevated position newborn  lambs charmed us.......

The perfect sign of spring.......

One of the group said if there were a T.V. programme which was an hour of just watching lambs gambolling in the fields she would sit and watch it. I think I would too :0)......



These twins were well away from their mother. We hoped they would not stray too far.........

and thankfully as we left they ran off towards the flock........

It was a perfect end of winter and eve of spring walk. And today it is officially spring....yay.
Happy Equinox Lovelies.
Jacquie x

Reconnoitring A Walk

Hello Lovelies,

it's a funny word that, isn't it.....reconnoiter.  It's not one I can say I have ever used myself.

 When I joined my walking group they would talk of " doing a recce" and I didn't understand what they meant.

It turned out it was just going on a walk they were thinking of leading, to see if it was suitable and where it was best to park, what the hazards are etc.

The walking group I'm in is very organised. The members take turns in leading walks and they always do a recce. Often more than one. Myself and a friend are going to lead our first ever walk this autumn. It's nice to share the responsibility and to have someone to do a recce  with :0) 

Last summer we did a walk in this area , with the hope that it might be suitable for the group. It was delightful, but at 7.5 miles long, it was a little short. So last week we set off for Derbyshire and tried again.

 The first sight of drystone walls always makes me smile.......

Not to mention hills........

looking towards Thorpe cloud .

Here we were walking on part of  the long distance walking path  The Limestone way.........

Where occasionally cheery Daffodils added to the pretty scenes........

It's sort of "part hedgerow, part wall country" as you can see here..........

I loved the old stone barn we passed........

After a couple of miles we arrived in Tissington. It's an impossibly picturesque spot.....

Can you see all the old boots filled with succulents?

There are always white ducks on the village pond..........

And such atractive homes.......

After walking through Tissington we headed across country ........

Towards another pretty village Alsop en le Dale...........

As we climbed the hill out the other side of the village the clouds really began to gather.......

Looking back towards Alsop

But it wasn't actually raining and we were happy to see much clearer sign posts than had been here last June.........

Yay for yellow tops you can spot from a long way off.

In the distance we could see our next destination....

But there were a few more squeeze stiles to negotiate first.......

And they certainly are a squeeze.

Much easier was the new bridge across the ditch.........

In Parwich we were greeted by more gorgeous stone cottages.........

By this point we had walked about 5 miles and it was lunchtime. It was also raining so we sat in the bus shelter to eat our picnic :0).........

There was some sort of work going on by the pond here, but we didn't stop to find out what it was.....

Instead, after lunch,  we walked down a lane between cottages......

And through a field that contained a lively and rather naughty pony........

I think we will have to find a way to avoid him when we bring the group!

As we got to the next valley the sun briefly broke through........

I love the little brook here and the spindly tree by the bridge.........

The climb up the other side of the valley is steep. I think this photo gives an idea of what it's like.........

It's a good idea to take your time, to stop and look at the view.......



One and a half ( hilly) miles later we were back on level ground.......

Walking past mossy stone walls........

To rejoin the Tissington  trail..........

It was a relief to walk the last mile or so along this easy, flat  surface .........

One thing that had been missing from our day up to this point was much birdsong. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the rather exposed location....I'm not sure. But happily, just before we got back to the car I did manage to get a sight of a sweet robin........

Our walk was now 9.5 miles long. Hurray. Just the right length for the walking group.
It was a good recce and I think we are both feeling a bit braver about leading a walk in the summer. Derbyshire still looks lovely on a cloudy March day. I'm very much looking forward to returning.

Jacquie x