Winter wonderland

At least it will be, when it's finished. 'Edinburgh's Christmas' is now a brand, enticing visitors from across the world. Two weeks before opening it's rather less than glittering, but work is going on apace. This is the ice rink being laid out. Given our mild climate, the Scots are not natural skaters, and a fair number of bumps and worse will be sustained over the next few weeks.
A sign on one of the barriers promises delights to come, and also gives the standard British apology.

Three days later, and the big wheel is up. On this very grey day, anything less like a winter wonderland is hard to imagine, but with a bit of frost and all the lights sparkling it will come alive again.

Weather: Typically Scottish: frost early, then rain followed by grey skies, and a gleam of sun to end the day. Minimum temperature -1 C, maximum 10 C.

More training ups and downs

My fortune over the past wee while hasn’t been great. I’m just back to being human after losing just short of 2 weeks in bed with a virus which floored me. Normally with most bugs I just reduce my training a bit and get some work done while I’m ill. This time I couldn’t do anything except lie in bed and shiver.
Not to dwell on the details. But it obviously meant no training was done apart from ab-busting cough workouts. After I finally exited the other side, I was overflowing with eagerness to get going again, so jumped straight back on my board and onto the trails. After three days straight of bouldering and running, I could feel every muscle in my body.
Unfortunately, on the 4th day I was booked to jog up Ben Nevis with Michael for the end of his city to summit race (swim the Forth at Edinburgh, cycle 110m to Glen Coe and then marathon finishing up and down Ben Nevis). On one hand, if it hadn’t been Michael’s race day, I would’ve probably moaned about just going to the kitchen to put the kettle on, never mind putting my running shoes on. On the other, if you can’t run up the Ben with a man who’s just come from Edinburgh under his own steam, it doesn’t look great, even if he is a machine.

So we had a nice jog up and it wasn’t so bad after all. Just inspiring. Over the past few months I have at various points given up on running due to continued ankle pain, only to start again a couple of weeks later. Changing my running gait to account for the ankle damage had caused knock on effects - an annoyed tibialis posterior tendon. It’s a bit of a tale of woe, but I’m beginning to think I could start a little gentle regular running again. Tomorrow I’ll maybe try something a little longer and see how it goes.
At the tail end of my virus I put in some productive days on my book, which inches ever closer to a finished first draft. Just a bit on shoulders and we’re done. Then on Friday I was at the opening of the new ice wall in the Snow Factor in Glasgow. It was pretty weird moving on ice and dry tooling boards. By the end of the day I was quite sad that winter is finally over.
In the coming week, I shall be climbing, running, route setting, book writing and then off for the first climbing trip of the summer. Exciting times!

Howard's Tall Farewell

The left half of our back yard had an open area in the middle that was mainly grass until this spring. This space is irregular, approximately 22’ X 25’ at the widest points. You walk through it every time you enter the gate, or exit the house, or go over to the mixed border and the vegetable garden. We cross through that area many times a day and also see it from the breakfast room, from the patio and from the shady bench under the peach tree.
Because this middle area was so sunny, the grass needed regular watering, unlike the grass in shadier areas. If I’m going to water, I want something more than grass! Last year we planted a ‘Little Gem’ Magnolia at one end of this space, adding the gloss of dark green leaves and a few fragrant white flowers, but at barely five feet, it will take a few years for this tree to make any vertical impact or cast shade. This spring, we made a new long bed that includes the magnolia, a Texas Mountain Laurel, salvias, Lemon verbena and other plants.
In April, we added instant height to the bed when Philo and I found a 7 and ½ foot-tall obelisk at Howard Nursery on Koenig Lane. Howard’s has been a great source for shrubs, flowers and fun gift items. Although the new structure is taller than anything else on that side of the yard, it was rapidly climbed and entwined by the second Snail Vine.
When we bought the obelisk in April, we passed up some tempting roses. Now I really regret that lost opportunity. Our most recent trip to Howard’s was for their closing sale, where I bought a one-gallon Weigela as a sort of souvenir. It will have to be in a container for now, but it may live and someday bloom, reminding me of a loved-and-lost Austin nursery.

Ashby St Ledgers - Braunston - Barby - Ashby St Ledgers

Led by me with Barry and Gordon. Mostly fine, though we had a heavy shower. Underfoot generally good. Stiles awkward on occasions. 9 miles plus.

This walk came from here.

We took the road going west out ofAshby St Ledgers, crossed the A 361 and joined the bridle track which forms part of the Jurassic Way. It climbs gently up south west until it reaches a minor road (Welton to Barby). Here we turned right and picked up the Jurassic Way again a few yards along the road, where it runs off to the left. This track leads downhill, and we could see Braunston church spire and a sail-less windmill nearby. These disappear from view as the track descends and then rises again between hedges towards Braunston. We entered the village at a bend in Ashby Road. This road leads down to the central green near the Wheatsheaf pub. Here we crossed the road and took a footpath slightly to our left, leading downhill through Jetty Fields Park and then down to the Canal near Braunston Bottom Lock.

View from the Bridge

Old pump house - to pump water back up to the Top Lock

Chimney dated 1897

We walked along the canal, turning right, past the marina and lots of moorings.



There is also a boat-café, called the Gongoozlers' Rest. Highly recommended by one of the boat-dwellers.

Just after the towpath took us under the A45, we left it, and crossed the road, then followed a footpath just beyond the bridge, and turned right up a grassy slope to the church. Here you can either follow the road round behind the church, or walk through the churchyard. We didn't look at the gravestones, but there are apparently a lot of boatmen and women buried here.

Braunston church, and the dark cloud which dumped its contents on us about ten minutes later.

Windmill without sails in Braunston

We walked along the main street for a while, and on our way back noticed this:

cruck frame (?)

Then we returned to our route, and followed the residential street Greenway along, then took the fourth turning into Countryside (really). The footpath heads more or less north. I think we missed the route after the first field, as we ended up on the wrong side of a hedge after a tricky stream crossing. Another time, I'll try aiming slightly to the left of the corner!



We walked along the edge of a large field of wheat, and manage to cross the hedge at the top, and find the real route. This leads over a few stiles and passes a house at a distance on the left, then soon turns slightly to the left of Braunston Fields Farm. We crossed a field with some teenage bullocks, who were far more scared of us then we of them. The path crossed diagonally and then led into a small wooded valley, taking us to the corner of Tiltup's Wood.



Here we crossed one field - a short uphill section, and then aimed for the one prominent tree at the top of the next field. The path then crosses another field, and Camp's Copse (not marked on the map, though there is a sign inside!

OK, we're on the route!

Soon we arrived at the minor road leading into Barby. We turned left. On our right we could see another sail-less windmill, this time in dire need of some attention.

Barby Windmill

We didn't go into the village, but carried straight on over the crossroads, and walked for half a mile or so before meeting the footpath from Barby to Ashby St Ledgers. This turned right towards Ashby. We crossed a field and then walked alongside Home Wood, as far as Briccle Wood, where the path turned right. It runs parallel to a reservoir, but there are just a few glimpses through the trees.
We emerged from the trees and crossed a meadow and a track, but at this point the map told us to cross a section of woodland - there seems to be no way through, and there are path signs to the left of the wood, so that was the way we went. The path headed south-east into a small dip and up again until it met the A361. We picked the path up on the other side, and followed it as best we could coming out at a bend in the road just before the Manor House in Ashby St Ledgers. A magnificent building with quite a history, involving the Catesby family, the Gunpowder Plot, and later worked on in the early 20th century by Lutyens.

Ashby St Ledgers Manor House

The gatehouse and the church are also interesting. There is a little more info and a few more photos on the post here, as we walked through Ashby when we did the Jurassic Way.



Two fascinating villages on today's walk.



Thanks to Gary's blog - To the hills







map and details

Spider heaven

The only good thing I can think of about the drought is that mosquitoes weren't much of a problem this summer. Bugs were down overall, I think.
One day before we had a frost, there was an explosion of tiny flying things. You may have to click the picture to enlarge it enough to see, but it was clearly spider heaven.
Now that it has frozen and warmed up again, the explosion is of those ladybug look-alikes, Asian ladybird beetles (Harmonia axyridis).
Harmonia! If ever a species needed renaming, it's this one. How about Discordia detestabile. OK you can tell I don't really know Latin, but you get the idea.

To Court Street for lunch and back.

Along Fifth Avenue as far as Carroll Street, and down to Court Street.

Carroll Street crossing of the Gowanus Canal

And back along Bergen Street.

Houses along Bergen Street

Fabulous warm weather - walk just over five miles.

Journey to Carson Falls

So c'mon peeps, what are you waiting for? Views are pawsome and the day is wastin' - come join me for this hike to Carson Falls in yet another part of the Mt. Tam Watershed. The smells are already furry promising!

Just up the trailhead to Carson Falls, highest waterfall in our county, we look across the bay and actually see Mt. Diablo, which is 60-plus miles away. Whatta day!
And further up (and I mean steeply UP!), we see an even more incredible sight! Mt. Saint Helena at the tip of the Napa Valley, also over 60 miles away.
Don't think that all I'm doing is staring at "peep-style"scenery. I'm sniffing out my own cool views - fresh gophers, for instance! Here's a little photoshow of our hike to the Falls. Mom got a new book about all the trails around here, but they got the mileage wrong. What was supposed to be a fairly easy 4.1 miles turned out to be over nine - but it was furry beautiful! Here's a photoshow of our hike!

The California State Rock! Serpentine!
And these permeated the trails with a wonderful perfumey smell, reminding
Mom of the scent of Broom she loved so much in Italy.
Here are a couple of short movies Mom took at Carson Falls.


On the way home, there were literally a herd of
these in front of a house by the roadside.

I was so tired that although I checked them
out, I didn't even bark at them heheh! That meant I was really, really tired.
But what a furry cool day!