Coolcookingteacher's Blog

[coolcookingteacher]

Sunday 20 June

Rain forecast most of the morning but armed with waterproofs and boots, we drove to Needham Market and parked by Needham Lakes for our walk today. It took in a hill ( well a gentle incline, not exactly a hill!), open barley fields, a 17th Century chapel, a plantation and a towpath. The route along the towpath was just brilliant, windy with tall grasses full of the most amazing damselflies ( later identified as Banded Damselflies) crossing little footbridges and walking under tall poplar trees back through the fishing lakes to the starting point. A lovely ramble.

#suffolk #needhammarket #sundayramble

Stats: 4.25miles, Elevation 168’, Time: 2 hrs 15

[coolcookingteacher]

1 Feb 2020

A delightful walk through Osmaston Park woodlands to the pretty village of Shirley on the first day of February. A rather muddy route at times included a very tricky stile we had to cross and then cross again due to a wrong track being taken! The route from Osmaston took us through the village complete with duck pond ( although no ducks to be seen) and onward between two of the park’s lakes and past an old water mill with its large wheel similar to a Swiss chalet.The strange-looking tower, seen through the trees near the end of the walk, was designed to accommodate all the smoke from the chimneys at Osmaston Hall, before it was reduced to rubble.

Walk stats: 5.5 miles 2 hours 25 mins

[coolcookingteacher]

Sunday 12 January

Post Christmas, New Year and Wedding, determined to get out and about and be active for #redjanuary

This was a midway meet for us all, a trip into rural Leicestershire, one of my favourite local counties, probably from spending 3 years here in my youth at teacher training college. We met at Foxton Locks, a spectacular staircase of 10 locks actually closed at the moment for canal maintenance, but still made for interesting viewing. We set off from the canal side car park along the towpath of the Grand Union canal towards Debdale wharf then struck off across fields and farmyards back down to re join the canal across a narrow footbridge.

Just 5 miles, very heavy going in parts due to a lot of overnight rain, we arrived back at the car absolutely filthy! However, great to be outside, in mild weather and with loved ones.

[coolcookingteacher]

Long Mynd 18 July 2019

Final full day in Shropshire and after an astounding 7 hours sleep we set off to follow a route around Long Mynd, a whale backed hill seen for miles around with a wonderful ridgetop walk, great views on both sides. On advice from one of the NT wardens on entry to Carding Mill valley we decided to come down via Ashes Hollow, a beautiful quiet valley walk from the summit. After ascending up the track to the head of the Carding Mill valley turn left and carry on to the summit, us and dozens of D and E students! Then down Ashes Hollow, a beautiful valley walk, quite stony and sheer in places but just lovely. The most difficult part of the walk was the final hour from Little Stretton, up hill and down dale several times, 130 steep steps at one point!

Walk stats:

7.96 miles

4 hrs

Total ascent: 1913 feet

Max elevation: 1686 feet

Average speed: 1.9 mph

A challenging hike!

[coolcookingteacher]

Thursday 15 November 2018

Final day of trying to cover as much of the Norfolk Coastal Path between Snettisham and Brancaster as possible so off to Holme next the Sea for a walk on the beach where we saw cormorant sunning themselves on the shoreline, sanderling pecking around at the water’s edge and hundreds of oyster catchers on the spit of beach out beyond the shore. We walked east to try and meet end of walk we did a few days ago then turned inland at the Holme Dunes Nature Reserve and followed the coastal path back along the excellent board walk and spotted egrets, pink footed geese, teal, kestrel, cormorant and heron. Another very mild day, layers came off and we just walked.

[coolcookingteacher]

Wed 14 November Burnham Thorpe and all things Nelson, “I am myself a Norfolk man and glory in being so!”

Despite thousnds of steps yesterday we suffered a fitful night and decided to have a less strenuous day today so went off to Burnham Thorpe, a delightful, tiny village a few miles away, famous as the birthplace of Admiral Horatio Nelson. We’d hoped to stop at The Lord Nelson pub, but it is closed and abandoned after a dispute, so we made do with a visit to the church where his father preached and even found the plaque on a wall outside the village where Nelson had been born, the actual parsonage demolished many years ago.

[coolcookingteacher]

Tuesday 13 Nov Brancaster Staithe Wildlife Walk

We wandered through Brancaster Staithe, a small fishing village nearby and did a 4.5 mile circular walk taking in the harbour and marshes, views from Barrow Common, yes, a little bit of Up and the site of Branodunum Roman Fort before rejoining the Norfolk Coastal Path. As for the colours of Norfolk, just think blue and gold, so lucky with the weather this week.

[coolcookingteacher]

11 November 2018

Today has been quite special. We watched the Cenotaph service as usual this morning, which was especially poignant this year. The flowers of the forest played by the pipes always gets Clive. And Nimrod for me.

After we needed some fresh air so we drove a couple of miles north to Thornham where we walked along the Norfolk Coastal Path and into Holme Dunes Nature Reserve along the dyke watching curlew, egrets and redshanks feeding in the mud.

But our focus today was to get to Brancaster Beach this afternoon to see the #PagesByTheSea sand portrait of Stephen Hewitt, a casualty of the first World War, born in Norfolk, served with the Royal Field Artillery and died of his wounds - never to return to Norfolk’s shores. He is buried in Salonika, Greece We walked and looked at the sand sculptures and then walked on this magnificent beach with miles of golden sand in each direction before returning to the site of the sand sculpture at 3.45 pm as the sun went down for a joint recital of the special, commemorative poem The Wound in Time by Carol Ann Duffy. A special day.

And then.....the granddaughter of Stephen Hewitt contacted me to say thank you for attending.......

[coolcookingteacher]

At the going down of the sun we spoke the words of Carol Ann Duffy on Brancaster Beach. #pagesbythesea #brancasterbeach #armistice100 #rememberanceday2018 (at Brancaster Beach - National Trust) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqC9EkGBtEY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15jp90bheeaom

[coolcookingteacher]

Hunstanton 10 November 2018

Where time has stood still. Where Costas vies with Value4Discount and The Clearance Store and where Pete the friendly baker gave me his Bread Pudding recipe (never make with supermarket bread and always brown bread!)

The elegant, Victorian houses belie a time gone by and the promenade is full of tea shops, arcades and shops yet it has an atmosphere all of its own with a wonderful coastline, striped cliffs and magnificent sunsets as the only west facing resort on the East coast.

Old Hunstanton just half a mile north has a village atmosphere and a stunning hotel overlooking the dunes, le Strange Arms, whose namesake founded Hunstanton in the 17th century. We went off to Old Hunstanton to walk along the beach this morning in stunning sunshine on an emptyness of golden sand and overlooked by one of the top 100 golf courses in the UK I was reliably informed! Such views. Just 4 miles today but quite hard on sand and not withstanding bad backs.....just enough for today.

[coolcookingteacher]

With the gravelly voice of @benglovermusic and sublime harmonies of @kimrichey tonight's gig @kitchengardencafe was a brilliant night out (at Kitchen Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp0NWzUB4i2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vlr5uyy7gcmw

[coolcookingteacher]

Just love Pipe Hall Farm @woodlandtrust you always come across an unexpected treat #halloween #lichfield #pipehallfarm (at Burntwood) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpemy9xhtuo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xvsjf54kujxa

[coolcookingteacher]

Rosliston Forestry Centre Sat 13 October 2018

Why have I never been here before? What a fantastic forest to visit just 20 mins from home. I met some ex colleagues for a fantastic autumnal trudge, it had rained all night, but the sun came out, a warm day and coats soon came off. We never stopped talking! We took in the grasshopper seat, the snails and the South Derbyshire Mining monument, this is a truly wonderful place!

Walk stats : 3.5 miles, 1 hr 40

[coolcookingteacher]

And here are the finished Weekender Bags and 2 Sewing Girl owners! What a challenge but we did it, such pride! Thanks so much to patient and calm Amanda @sewcialstudio for all her help, support, new needles, endless coffee and cake and time. We had a ball! #sew #sewing #fabric #dressmaking #sewingfun #wesew #seamstress #sewingproject #uksewing #sewinglife #cotton #thread #handmade #sewersofinstagram #sewingcommunity #sewyourown #crafting #craft #thesewinggirls #makeandcreate #handmadenothomemade #sewinghack #retiredteachers #weekenderbags #sewcialstudio (at The Sewcial Studio with Wear.A.Wyatt)

[coolcookingteacher]

Kinver Edge 10 April 2018

We met old friends half way between theirs and ours, always a challenge to come up with a different walk and decided on Kinver Edge. We parked at a NT car park outside Kinver and walked uphill to the sandstone escarpment where excellent views unfolded, even in the mist and cloud of the day. We followed the Staffordshire Way, then the N Worcestershire Path down through woodlands, past a timber yard and back to the fort, unfortunately we missed a lot of the rock houses, lived in as recently as the 60’s and must return when the weather improves although we crawled along the urban route to and fro this area.

An undiscovered area of Staffordshire for us.

Walk stats : 4 miles, 2 hours

[coolcookingteacher]

25 February 2018 Fradley junction walk It seems months since we’ve had a really good walk. Weeks of grey, dark, cold days, winter aches and pains, bad backs, sleepless nights, the list has been endless. But after seven hours sleep and waking to blue skies and sunshine, we had to get out and went off to Fradley Junction and did walk no 1 in the leaflet, a 5.5 miler taking in the canal, bit of road walking then off on a bridleway and across fields before returning through the caravan park to a welcome drink at the pub. Lots of walkers along the canal and cyclists cross country but mostly quiet countryside and even a posh wedding lifted the spirits of winter gloom and another cold spell ahead. The feeling of well-being far outweighed the bitter cold.

[coolcookingteacher]

New pattern started today, a Colette violet blouse in some Japanese cotton I bought in the New Year sales. Quite a lot of buttons will be a challenge! #sew #sewing #fabric #dressmaking #sewingfun #wesew #seamstress #sewingproject #uksewing #sewinglife #haberdashery #sewersofinstagram #handmadeclothes #cotton #thread #handmade #sewingcommunity #sewyourown #crafting #craft #thesewinggirls #makeandcreate #handmadenothomemade #sewinghack #clothing #rediscoveryourwardrobe #Janomemakes #retiredteachers #colettepatterns #violetblouse #sewingclass (at Sewability)