I took this photo in my friends garden of Swiss Chard. She had all sorts of flowering plants in her steeply sloping sunny garden and I have kept my other photos. But this was my favourite. The reds and greens really zing.
14 years ago
Tag: Steep
Day out
After a long wait we finally went on our choirs boat trip. It was arranged for the singing for lung health group I am part of. It had been postponed due to a mechanical problem, but today was gorgeous, hot, sunny. Ideal for a canal trip on the boat Beatrice which is used to give people with disabilities the chance to get out on the water.
It was a slow journey, a bit nerve wracking because there were steep steps to got into the barge then uneven paths to negotiate to get to our destination a pub called the black lion at consall forge. We sat under an awning and sang a few songs that we have practiced for months. We didn’t have an audience except for a few people sitting on benches at the front of the pub.
Then I carefully picked my way back down the steep path with someone helping me as I was feeling very unsteady and a bit breathless. We meandered our way back along the river Churnet, entering a lock to get back onto the canal and back to our dropping off point. I was tired but I’m glad I went.
He used to climb
When he was young he used to climb
But I had no head for heights
He’d climb down cliffs
Or up tall pikes
While I stood by in fear
He’d disappear below my view
And I would cower in dread
Till he came back from his perch
On steps above the sea.
He never slipped, or dropped or fell
I was so proud of him
While I crawled on hands and knees
A victim of vertigo,
Atop the smallest hill!
Now he had fallen out of sight
Never to reappear
But I will wait and hope one day
I’ll join him safely, my fate?
June’s walks
My month of walking, the smaller circles are around 2000 steps, the medium ones 5000 and a couple of 7-10000. The big one was 15000?
Most of the walks were local, the hill we live on is steep and I’m walking more quickly so my heart points (energy used) has been good every week if not every day. I do feel a difference and I’m using the car a lot less which must be better for the environment. So I will carry on.
Hartshill Nature reserve
Although the nature reserve is on a steep slope, there is still a pool on it. The end with the bridge over it might be a dam. I don’t know the history of the place but there are steep steps down into it and in some areas what paths there are, are quite slippy.
I had to lean on my friends arm to get down one section, not socially distanced but I was wearing a mask.
Today was sunny with very warm temperatures, the warmest March day since 1968. Red admiral butterflies were flitting about in pairs and triplets. The bird song was loud and liquid. Buds were bursting and insects humming.
I did another five miles today, that seems to be my upper limit for walking at the moment. Tomorrows planned walk is about the same length!
Up and down hill
Up hill
Steep, hard to breathe
Step by step we struggle.
Into the sunset
Over the ground
Crawling up.
Now we turn around a corner,
Along a street
Looking at stars and planets.
Meander for a while,
Then up again
To the plateau.
Now home
Down hill
Short steps
Teetering down the hill
Steeper to start
Then slowly levelling
Home.
Tonight’s walk
Up the hill,
Legs stretched
Lungs, stretched
Looking back,
Catching my breath.
More to do,
Further to walk,
Down, then up.
Further each time.
Stopping less than before
Keeping going,
Surprised I can do it!
Exercised.
Walking!
A couple of hours and about four miles. Up hill and down dale. My feet hurt. I haven’t been that far for years. By the time I walked down our hill at the end of the walk my legs started wobbling underneath me!
It started as a gentle walk up our steep hill. Left along a slightly flatter road to meet (at a social distance) a couple of friends. Then we walked around the contour of the hill we live on. This photo is looking out over the Trent Valley across the school fields. Then right up the hill and saying goodbye to our friends. Me, my hubby and our friend we usually walk with carried on down a side street. Down hill, then up a pathway between roads, I didn’t take a photo but there is a high wall with a huge crack in it. It felt like it could topple and fall. We came out of the pathway onto another road. Downhill towards the old hospital site, past the local cemetery. We walked through side streets, past terraced houses, slowly wending our way towards home. We stopped off at a corner shop to sit and rest on a brick wall under the canopy of a large street tree. We bought ice creams to cool down and sat for a few minutes. When I got up I was feeling very stiff and my feet hurt. From there we went down a hill with a view over the south if the city, enjoying a cool breeze. We left our friend there and we walked up a side street, then down our hill to the house at the bottom. I had to hold my hubbies arm as my legs had started to wobble!
I feel tired but happy to have done another walk!
Mallaband-Brown 