Planes and boats and trains – first published 19 February 2014

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February 2014 and the first day with no rain for what seemed like forever found me trying to walk to Lakeside. There were a few worries that it might be flooded when I got there. I made it as far as the airport without rain or flood stopping me, although there were a few damp patches where the river and the stream didn’t seem to know their place. Despite the grey skies there was a definite feel of spring in the air. Continue reading Planes and boats and trains – first published 19 February 2014

Blue sky, floods and the Job Centre – first published 8 February 2014

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With all the wind and rain we had in early February 2014 I got a bit behind with the February miles so I was hoping to fit a few in on my Job Centre jaunt. There was even a plan. After the Job Centre I thought I’d walk a winding route through the parks and wooded areas of the city centre and back home over Cobden Bridge with a little look at Riverside on the way. Another night of heavy rain plus morning news full of floods and weather warnings told me that might not be the best of plans. It was looking like my walking one hundred miles a month challenge might be doomed for February. Continue reading Blue sky, floods and the Job Centre – first published 8 February 2014

A woodland walk, fungi, lichen and a surprise flower bud – first published 19 January 2014

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January 2014 and Commando was training for the Manchester marathon. While he went out for a ten mile run, I decided to spend the morning wandering in Hum Hole. This is a tiny fragment of the ancient woodland that, as recently as the nineteenth century, covered the area around my village stretching all the way down to the Itchen and the river walk. Why it’s called Hum Hole I don’t know but it is a deep dip with a stream running through. When I was young it was much larger but changes to the Main Road and a new bypass ate into it a fair bit. Continue reading A woodland walk, fungi, lichen and a surprise flower bud – first published 19 January 2014

A family outing, Port Carling, Huckleberry Rock and Bracebridge

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14 October 2015

When we got back to the chalet we found a note from Alan saying he and Maggie would be round to pick us up in about an hour so we made ourselves a coffee and waited. We had both fallen asleep by the time they arrived. Maybe it was the jet lag catching up with us or all the fresh air.
“We thought we’d take you out to see some trails,” Maggie said.
“Not far, just about an hour’s drive there and back,” Alan added.
This was when I realised that not far has a completely different meaning in Canada. In England, not far means a mile down the road, in Canada, if it’s less than an hour’s drive it’s nearby. Suddenly I began to wonder just how long these trails were. Continue reading A family outing, Port Carling, Huckleberry Rock and Bracebridge