12 Reasons I ♥ this Walk

Hello Lovelies,

This morning was the perfect autumn day. I headed out on a circular walk that I love. One that I have shared many times before on this blog. 

 As I strided along I thought of all the reasons it is so special to me ......

1 :: It's straight from home. No getting in the car and driving. Therefore no cost, no pollution and no added time. 

2:: It's the first "proper"walk I did when I got into this hobby a few years back. And I think the first longish walk I did in my first ever pair of walking boots. For those reasons alone it will always be dear to me.

3:: It's a good chance to be  mindful. There are no distractions just seasonal beauty.

 4:: It has "surprise views"...well they are not really a surprise to me these days...but it's still lovely to wonder what the view will look like at different times of the year and in varying weather conditions.

5:: It's empty of people. I hardly every see another soul on this walk. Having a job which is very communication based and full of people means the solitude is so restorative. I like to be quiet.

6:: It has hills. Not very steep hills but enough to give elevated views and enough to make you out of breath if you march up them. Being physically fit is so important to me. I feel blessed with good health and I am of the "use it or loose it" mindset. I want to be able to do this for many years to come and I feel better about getting older if I make an effort to hang onto my fitness.

7. There's a village half way round. I like to have a break from the wide open on a walk too. I love to wander past cute cottages and be a bit nosy :0)

8:: There is water. Possibly not as much as I would like. Just a few streams to cross and walk beside. I love walking by water. I love the reflections on still water, the sound of running water and the extra light it gives to a landscape.

9:: It has lots of trees. Mature trees are such a joy aren't they. I love that there are many different sorts on this route and it's wonderful to see the deciduous ones change throughout the seasons.

But I'm always thankful for the evergreen as a contrast...and a sign of life in winter.

10 :: It has shelter and a rest stop. It's a long enough walk to feel I deserve a little sit down here. And on a windy day it's lovely to shelter by the church wall.

one of my favourite things is a picnic. In the summer I walked this route early and brought my breakfast. That is a special summer memory. Today it was just a biscuit, but it tasted so much better for having worked up an appetite.

11:: It has clear, easy paths. Away from road noise. Just the sound of birdsong for company.

12 :: It has views towards home

The village on the hill that has been so kind to me and my growing family.

And when you reach it there are things to make you smile

It's just two hours ( 5 miles) of putting one foot in front of the other. But physically and mentally it means SO MUCH to me.
I hope you enjoyed the autumn views. Thank you for joining me lovelies.
Jacquie x

Weekend Moments

Hello Lovelies,

Just popping by to share a few pictures of things that made me smile this weekend.

1. Saturday was cold and rainy, but I got up early anyway to do my supermarket shop. I love the empty car park and the empty isles at 8am, and leaving just as it starts to get busy.

Finding an Amaryllis Kit in the supermarket really made me smile and as soon as the food was unpacked I potted it up. Look it's already trying to sprout. I just love growing these flowers in the winter. To see it's fresh green shoots and big bright flowers during the winter is a real joy......

2. Yesterday morning then saw me baking. Lemon Drizzle cake. How I enjoy pottering in a warm kitchen on a miserable day.....

 

THIS  easy recipe

3. Thankfully today we woke to sunshine. Time to go for a walk. There were new wreaths by the little church when I passed. Not a happy sight as such, but it's such a pretty setting, especially on a sunny day.......

This curly horned sheep also made me smile...and the pheasant.......

4. Back home I laid out the squares I've made for youngest's blanket. 120 five round granny squares. I'm going to sew them together as I like the solid look this gives....like I did for THIS blanket...which is still a favourite of mine

 

I had planned to make it 10 X 12 rows, but that looked a bit short and wide. So I've changed to to 9 X 14. Just need to make 5 more squares now........

 5. Cake on a pretty plate this evening. I just love these little plates I found in the charity shop a few weeks ago.

It was a good weekend, full of time to enjoy the simple things. That always makes me smile.
I do hope the week holds this same...for all of us.
Jacquie x

A Quiet Walk in the Woods

I'm using up the last of my annual leave at the moment. When I asked for today off I didn't realise it was Armistice day .
It was a beautifully sunny morning and I knew wanted to get outdoors. Heading for the woods while there is still some Autumn colour seemed a good idea.
The light was misty and magical, the shafts of low sunlight illuminating the still, cold, damp air.
I loved all the pops of red in Rose hips and Hawthorn berries. When I got to the Beech glade the colours were just as stunning as they were in Padley Gorge last week. I wandered around there for a few minutes trying to take a photo that captured the beauty of all those rust coloured fallen leaves.
Further along my 5 mile circuit I was dodging puddles and trying to photograph finches. Now the branches are becoming bare I can see the birds, but they are still generally too fast for me.
At 11am exactly I stopped by a gate for two minutes, watched by a lone horse. I thought how my own 16 year old twins are blessed not to have been born a mere 100 years earlier. And how we should always remember the fate of so many mothers sons.
It was so quiet in the woods today, I only spoke to one dog walker and the riders of the two horses.
Returning home I smiled at the flowers hubby bought me earlier this week and made myself a sandwich for lunch.
I'm not sure if I have shared the poppy painting I did back in June here. If not, today seems like a very appropriate day to pop in in a blog post.
Jacquie x