New route gets off to a wobbly start

THERE was the sparkle of frost when I set out this morning. Car roofs had those beautiful leafy swirls in icy white, and the windows looked sugar-coated. There was a refreshing nip in the air. All very nice and sort of crisply romantic, until you realise your mind’s wandering (as it does!) and step on to a slippy bit! Fortunately, I didn’t quite take a tumble – but the weird dance with waving arms and wobbly legs as I tried to hold my balance was not exactly the way to enhance any street cred.

It’s been pouring with rain ever since, so in some places the frost has morphed to almost lake-sized puddles. It's still battering the window now, at nearly 11pm.

I’ve been trying out some shorter routes lately. It’s useful to have a range of different walks, so that you can pick and choose to suit your situation. Sometimes you might just not be in the mood; on other occasions, you might be pressed for time. But if you have something that’s manageable, so you can at least get out and get moving, then that helps motivation as well as gives you exercise.

This morning’s route around residential streets turned out to be about 15 minutes – a little over a mile. Just what’s needed!  I have some longer routes of five miles or so, but obviously they take longer (especially if you build in warm-up and cool-down exercises – which are important).

If you have a lot on,  10 or 15 minutes isn’t too much to set aside, but is enough for you to clear the cobwebs and enjoy the benefits of a bit of fresh air and exercise – providing you don’t attempt a strange and frantic dance in the sugary frost before you even start!

Wet beginning after spectacular welcome

WELL, what a wet start to the year. I woke thinking how could I not go for a walk on New Year’s Day?  . . . and then looked out of the window! Thankfully, where I live, we’re not as badly affected as in some parts, but it was still not exactly an inspiring prospect, with buffeting winds, determined rain and sky a heavy, unvarying grey! A stark contrast to the kaleidoscopic excitement setting the heavens alight in celebration only the evening before.

We'd welcomed in the New Year with Jules Holland's traditional music bash on the telly, and watched the spectacular fireworks (click here for the London display, here for Sydney and here for a quick round-up from around the world). Hey, peach-flavoured snow and edible banana confetti in London as part of the multi-sensory experience, eh? What a sign of the times! Rather different to a lump of coal - and tastier!

Even with the unfriendly weather, I decided to brave the elements. I thought it would give me the chance to try out a shorter route that I could add to my 'menu.' I drove to our nearby park (I normally walk) and took one or two photos. In the back of my mind, I'd thought about possibly tackling a longer route while there. There were a few walkers - some with dogs - and hardy joggers, but I was pretty cold and wet even after just a few minutes, so gave up on that idea.

Wet welcome to the park.

I returned home and instead tried the shorter route 'around the block.' It took just under nine minutes and burnt off two carrots' worth of energy. A wee bit short, really, but still a walk. Perhaps I should have measured the energy level in edible confetti - might have sounded a bit more impressive.

Mind you, I think I'll have my walking endeavours cut out this year. Among the gifts I've received are the Wild Guide to Devon, Cornwall and the South West (from a friend) and the AA's 30 Walks in Warwickshire and the West Midlands (from one of our children). Is someone dropping a hint?

One or two walks to tackle in 2014!

Hope you've all had a delightful Christmas and have made a cheerful - though hopefully not too wet - start to the New Year. Best Wishes for 2014!

All that water makes it look as if this
willow really is having a good weep!

Watch the puddles! Some brave souls (below)
defy the elements to take a walk in the park.

Season's cheer on a cold and frosty morning

Festive scene in lights at a neighbour's house

I HOPE you're all having a nice festive break (even if you've had to go back to work on some days) and are looking forward to the New Year.

I confess I haven’t done quite as much walking as intended. You know how it is; there’s been family around and films on the telly, and food and the occasional drink and more food and  . . . well, you get the picture (basically, insert any excuse you like to remain slouched on the sofa tucking into mince pies and whatever!).

At the beginning of the week, I really didn’t feel like going out at all. Along with others at this time of the year, I was battling a headache, sore throat, cough etc. My voice was not so much ‘alluring husky’ as ‘irritating raspy,’ although at times I was unable to speak much at all; virtually silent, in fact – which some around here would count as a blessing!

But, as is often the way, once you get up and go, you actually enjoy it more than you thought you would. It’s the getting-up-and-going in the first place that often takes the effort.

I did a ‘power walk’ on my regular route that I know takes half an hour, but have since done a couple of more leisurely strolls. That’s the beauty of walking, you can take it at exactly the pace to suit your mood – and energy level – at the time.

How the environment changes with the seasons. A noticeable difference now, of course – at night-time, at least – are the homes bedecked with Christmas lights; in some instances, you can hardly see the houses for the glow! 

Santa's still glowing in some homes!

Early this morning there was a sparkle of a different kind, with a fresh coating of frost. Although it was nippy, it was quite refreshing, and gave a sense of season's cheer. The ground was extremely slippy, so you wouldn’t have been able to walk fast, even if you’d wanted to. I took a leisurely walk around a local park.

I didn’t record it on my cardio app (my last stats were for the 23rd). It was more ‘mooch’ than ‘march,’ and I stopped to snap a few shots on the way, so it would have been a rather odd read-out. I enjoyed the more relaxed approach.

As for my good intentions of doing more? Well, it’s nearly the New Year. I can always make some nice new resolutions and put my best foot forward, so to speak, with even better intentions for 2014.
Until then . . . another mince pie anyone?

This morning's view of the streets.

Overlooking a frosted park.

Early morning shadow and light.

Fence patterns in the frost.

No, I really mustn't. I've had enough . . . oh, go on then. Just one more!

Silhouettes, molehills and beacons mark the way

THERE was a nip in the air when I set off this morning, but it wasn’t unpleasant. I wore woolly hat and gloves, but towards the end had to take them off because I was too hot!

I didn’t leave as early as I’d intended because my mobile needed recharging: and I can’t do without my little cardio app that’s on the phone! I mean, how would I know how much fruit’s worth of energy I’d used? This morning I burned 228 calories – three apples’ worth! Yay! Three apples! That’s a bit more respectable than the tomato or two I notched up the other day.

The sun was a delight. As it rose the sky changed from a pinky blue to more of a creamy silver-gold, transforming trees into silhouettes as it did so. Not much fun for drivers at this time of the year, though, as it streams in through the windscreen at a low angle.

Tree silhouettes against the early morning sky

There were people up and about, dog walking, calling to the newsagents for their paper, or delivering them on their newspaper rounds; and the moles appeared to have been busy overnight, too. There was quite a long row of neat mounds, like buttons along the roadside. At least it wasn’t somebody’s garden! Moles can wreak havoc in a short amount of time, with their hills and tunnels (which can eventually collapse). Did you know that poisoned bait is sometimes used to try to get rid of the moles? According to Tom Clothier, a man who seems to know about these things, it doesn’t work very well because the bait is peanuts which, apparently, moles don’t particularly like? Well, I never knew that! In  fact, I'd never even associated peanuts with moles. You certainly live and learn when you go for a walk!

You see things differently when you're on foot rather than driving around in a car, especially at different times of the day. Even Belisha Beacons can take on a whole new perspective in the dark early hours; though beware if you try to photograph them at that time of the morning - you may get one or two funny looks!

A range of silhouettes - from the heavy to the delicate!

Molehills like buttons along the roadside

Fastest milk float in the West?

Worm's-eye view of a Belisha Beacon (above and below).

Adventure for body - and mind!

Setting out not just on a walk - but an adventure!

THINGS have been rather manic lately, with scarcely time to breathe let alone maintain a blog. I’ve been doing short bursts of walking but nothing to write home about, so to speak. But this morning I decided enough was enough and I had to get back into the swing of it.

I took my half-hour triangular route around the streets in our neighbourhood. After yesterday’s sharp early-morning frost, I was expecting it to be a bit nippy, but actually it was quite mild. There was a slight chill in the air, but you soon warm up once you get moving.

You can let your mind wander when you go on a walk, and on this occasion there was plenty to think about. Today is my wedding anniversary. This time umpteen years ago, my wife-to-be was sorting her wedding dress etc, while I was trying to fix our car, an old Austin A40 (Farina, I think) which had broken down. I haven’t a clue about mechanical things, but fiddled with whatever you fiddle with under the bonnet. I can’t remember fixing it, but must have done, because I made it to the register office on time, along with my best man (and lifelong friend) Rob Waterhouse.

Generous spirit

Also on Wednesday was my brother Dave’s funeral at Swan Bank Methodist Church, in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent (UK). Well over 200 people attended, including some of Dave's friends from his younger days. Sad occasion though it was, you couldn’t have wished for a better send-off. The pastor, Ashley Cooper, spoke from the heart, as he had known Dave personally, and wasn’t simply reciting from notes scrawled on a piece of paper. The congregation also sang with meaning and emotion. At these sorts of events, the typical singing is a low mumble at best. Not this time. I thought there was a recording or a choir. But no, it was the usual church-goers, giving every ounce of passion, harmonies and all! It was wonderful, and a real heart-felt tribute.

Dave had his difficulties, but was always positive, seeing the good in people and constantly planning his next ‘project.’ He was a generous spirit and an inspiration who touched many people’s lives - and was partly the spark for me to get back out and do some walking this morning.

Also at the funeral was my dear friend Christine Lapping. We hadn’t met since we were teenagers, and have only recently been back in touch. But the prolonged hug said it all! It’s surprising how you can just pick up where you left off, as if the intervening years had never existed. She’d also commented that I hadn’t put anything up on my blog for a while. So, there we are Christine, I do think of you – and here are some words and pictures!

Part of my route incorporated where I walked yesterday – at a much slower pace – with two of my lovely grandchildren, who describe it not as a walk, but as an adventure.

What a wonderful way to think about it. And my walk this morning was certainly that; an adventure not just in body, but also in mind - and spirit!

Pictures show two of my grandchildren on their woodland 'adventure.'

Finding treasure among the leaves

Deep into the forest.

It's all in the footwork. 

A long - and sometimes winding - road.

Warding off an invisible foe.

The homeward stretch.

Time for a quick play in the leaves.

Carving into posterity

JUST dodged the rain this morning. Went on my half-hour route, and the drops started to fall as I approached the finish point; although since then, despite severe weather warnings, it’s been quite bright for most of the day. The sun’s actually shining through the raindrop-covered window as I write.

The blogging’s been a bit erratic of late, because of other commitments, although I made a pledge to myself not to let the walking slip, and try to do at least half an hour a day. Not always successful, but once you miss one session, it’s easy to miss another, and another, and before you know it, you haven’t been on a walk for ages.

I have a convenient triangular route around residential streets that lasts almost exactly 30 minutes. It’s nice to set off with no plan and follow wherever your legs take you, but it can also be useful to know how long certain routes last. It makes it easier to plan into a busy day.

Plenty of puddles with all the rain. 

I followed the same route yesterday, but about three-quarters of an hour earlier. Surprising what a difference it makes: a lot darker, not so much traffic and no-one around. At 6.30am activity is already starting to buzz!

There are eye-catching changes in the scenery at this time of the year. It’s getting wetter – so lots of puddles – but, of course, the leaves are falling, so there are carpets of gold everywhere. There are plenty of acorns and conkers on the ground. Last weekend I also spotted an impressive ‘fungi patch' at the roadside.

I also passed an old outhouse on the roadside last Sunday, with graffiti carved into the sandstone. One was dated 1979. Another was ‘TT’ in 1951 and yet another was from 1909. 

The topic arouses strong passions, but the carvings on the wall seemed to carry historical resonance, and it was fascinating to think of someone in that exact same spot, hastily scratching their way into posterity, albeit anonymously, over 100 years ago. 

Van passing roadside fungi.
Below, close-up of the vegetation.

Old outbuilding at the roadside and, below,
graffiti scratched into the sandstone walls.

A carpet of gold as autumn leaves fall.

Walk around the workload!

A HEAVY workload doesn’t help with your walking! With increasing commitments, it’s been more difficult to get out and about. I’ve managed some smallish excursions, but it’s all been a bit erratic.

That’s frustrating, as I’m trying to make walking a ‘habit’ - part of my lifestyle - rather than a bolt-on extra. Apart from the health benefits, it makes you feel good and can help set you up for the day (if you’re walking in the morning). I had an especially busy day recently and got up early to ‘pound around the block’ deliberately to get myself into the right frame of mind the face the challenges ahead. It worked.  The walk gave me a boost. Note to self: plan better to fit in walks – even if they’re only 10 minutes! Think: Walk around the workload!

I enjoyed this morning’s effort. The overcast sky was a smudgy light grey and there was a light drizzle. I found this refreshing. I followed a new triangular route I discovered a few days ago. It’s all urban, so it’s along pathways and roads in a residential area, but it’s fairly quiet early in the morning and varied enough. It’s almost exactly a half-hour walk, give or take a few seconds. Having a route where you know the distance and/or time it takes can help. If you’re pushed for time, you know exactly what you can slot in.

The scenery’s changing, as leaves and fruit fall to the ground and the autumn sights and smells emerge.