A Pathway Not Taken

This morning I woke to bright sunshine which was a lovely change after the rainy windy weather that we have been having lately. I checked my phone’s weather app which advised me that it would rain later in the morning but be sunny and fine in the afternoon.

This led to a morning of household chores and holiday planning leaving the afternoon free for walking. After lunch I donned my heavy duty walking boots and set off for walk in local woodlands that I have been avoiding lately due to rain and mud.

As I walked along one of my local bridle paths I met a young lady with a young child in a pushchair and a dog by her side.

She asked me where the pathway led to, so I told her and asked her where she was trying to get to. She told me where she was heading, explaining that she was new to the area and thought she might have turned off the pathway (that I was heading towards) too soon.

I redirected her to where she should have been. She was happy that she would be able to find her way back from her newly explored pathway without turning round and retracing her steps.

After we parted I had an enjoyable walk around Apley Woods, avoiding the more muddy parts. As often happens on my walks, a dog came to say hello, leaving a tiny muddy paw-print on my leg.

Recent Storm Damage

Windswept by Apley Pool

Apley Pool

Basking Cormorant

Spring Emerging

Spring Shadow

If You Go Down To The Woods

A Bench With Two Views

6 Comments CherryPie on Feb 27th 2020

… A solo walk in pictures

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

York City Wall Walk

6 Comments CherryPie on Feb 25th 2020

Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.

Rabrindranath Tagore

Heavenward

8 Comments CherryPie on Feb 24th 2020

Sunshine After the Rain

Today there was a brief sunny interlude between the awful gales and rain we have been experiencing lately.

There were some things that I needed to do regarding my late aunts estate but I was able to factor in a short walk along my local pathways. I chose a circular route, starting off on the most scenic pathway.

I was confronted by an unexpected pooling of water. As I approached the water to see if I could walk around it I noticed a dead frog. It was lying on its back with a leg missing. Not the most promising start to walk.

I tiptoed round the water and walked along the pathway to one of my favourite benches to sit and rest a while. The ‘rest a while’ moment didn’t disappoint. I was treated to delightful birdsong and the warmth of the sun on my face.

Signs of Spring

I continued on my walk and found other watery patches along with delightful signs of spring emerging.

Long Shadow Selfie

Spring is in the Air

Waterlogged

Spring Has Nearly Sprung

A Goose of Two...

Watery Tree- Lined Pathway

As I completed my full circuit I notice a cat near to the pooling of water at the start of my walk. He looked at me, then made a beeline for me before hopping over a fence to the side of the pathway.

My Oak Tree

I suspect that he had something to do with the dead frog…

Comments Off CherryPie on Feb 23rd 2020

Ice Sculpture Trail - York

My walk around the ice trail was split between two days. As walking goes it was unsatisfactory there were far to many people around.

Ice Sculpture Trail - York

Ice Sculpture Trail - York

Ice Sculpture Trail - York

Ice Sculpture Trail - York

Ice Sculpture Trail - York

Ice Sculpture Trail - York

The ice sculptures were fabulous and after a walk what could be better than cake in Bettys Cafe Tea rooms .

A Tasty Delight

4 Comments CherryPie on Feb 22nd 2020

Cigar Bunker at the Churchill Hotel

I was subliminally aware as I drifted in and out of sleep that there was a lot of activity going on in the hotel rooms and corridors. After a while I found my glasses and a torch (the room was dark) and looked at my watch to see what time it was. It was 8.15, the alarm hadn’t gone off! We had a mad rush round, arriving only slightly later than intended for breakfast. For a change, I chose a blueberry and maple syrup pancake stack. When it arrived the pancake stack was enormous with an equal-and-opposite tiny portion of blueberry compote. It was delicious but there were too many pancakes and not enough compote.

York Nuclear Bunker

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and headed back to the Nuclear bunker to take photos of the exterior. We had forgotten to do this when we tried to visit and found it closed on our arrival in York.

Winter Gardens

We programmed the SatNav on a course for the Winter Gardens in Sheffield. The garden was not quite as described to me by Mr C and not what he expected. The gardens were lovely but brief. Whilst we were there we visited the adjoining Millenium Gallery, viewing the Ruskin collection and the Sykes Gallery metalwork collections. The latter was especially fascinating, showcasing the products of the industry that Sheffield is famous for.

Peace Gardens

We left the garden and gallery via the Peace Gardens and made our way to Sheffield Cathedral where we had lunch in the delightful 1554 coffee shop before visiting the Cathedral. There is something about the Cathedral that gave a special feel to it.

Sheffield Cathedral

All too soon it was time for us to continue on our journey homeward. We stopped off on the way to pick up some items for dinner. It was a good job that we did, we arrived home to find that some of the electrics had tripped taking out the heating and the fridge/freezer. Mr C reset the switch, everything stayed stable and we were able to dine before the circuit tripped out a few more times before bed time. In addition to this, the house was unexpectedly cold!

PS: I explained what happened next in my blog post ‘The Wanderer Returns’:

http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2020/02/05/the-wanderer-returns-9/

A couple of days after the electrician and engineer visited, the house was still cold. I decided to check the thermostat which I had reset to 21 (where the dial needs to be for our house to be warm) after the engineer had told me had set it to 20 after setting it to full on to do his tests. On checking the thermostat I found that it was now set at 18, no wonder the house was cold!

16 Comments CherryPie on Feb 19th 2020

Time expands, then contracts, and in tune with the stirrings of the heart .

Haruki Murakami

A moment in Time

Frozen in Time

16 Comments CherryPie on Feb 16th 2020

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