A Walk on Wednesday

Today was a good day for a walk with the sun shining and blue skies again after a cloudy few days so off I went down the steep hill to Loxley Valley and found some lovely new footpaths to explore along by the river.

If I were a bit more nimble I could have climbed over into this field which is a public right of way, but instead I chose the easy trail where there was a wide path. I wore my home made mask that I've just made where the path narrowed as there were quite a few families about enjoying a walk in the fresh air. 

On one side are fields of a cereal crop and on the other is the river which is more of a stream rushing along over boulders in places and calm waters in others.  

A box at the side of the river says it records the level of the water.  At the moment it seems quite high. The Damflask Reservoir feeds into the river which flows on before joining the River Rivelin and the River Don.

  

Some old photos on an information board show what the Loxley Valley used to look like.  It's still a farming area dotted with old stone buildings.  There's also an old photo of the time when one of the reservoirs further up the valley broke its walls during construction. Gallons of water rushed down the valley causing destruction and devastation on the way.

I thought the English bluebells in the woodlands were over, but there were some still in bloom in the long grass.

There were other wild flowers that are best left growing in the woods than in the garden.

a solitary bumble bee

hawthorns (May tree) are in full blossom everywhere

Some interesting boxes in a woodland area looked as if they might be beehives as there were insects, probably bees, flying around them.

I went as far as this bridge and then turned back. On the other side of the road there are more interesting footpaths to wander down.  I'll share more of what I saw there next time as some unusual artisan stone sculptures and specialist stone walls can be seen among the woodland trail.

Thank you for your visit.  Have a good day!

Monday Miscellany

Hello again.  I hope you had a good weekend. Ours was another quiet one, the highlight being our daughter and grandson coming around for our socially distanced chat. I made a chocolate cake that they could take home to enjoy.  

Fortunately the weather was fairly warm for such a time, but I'm beginning to appreciate how important it is to have dry weather on these social chat occasions and during times when out-and-about after an experience last Friday when Mr P and I had to stand outside the doctor's surgery. There was the arrangement of one in one out, a locked front door, the need to phone from a mobile to get the receptionist's attention or knock on the medical centre window, give the time of the pre-booked appointment etc). Afterwards it was the same situation at the next door pharmacy in order to have the prescription processed and medication collected. The reason for all this was because Mr P's painful, swollen knee (the same leg as his hip replacement) had not improved. We've been reluctant to bother the doctor, but because of complications after the surgery and because the physiotherapist's and consultant surgeon's appointments have been cancelled for the time being we decided to phone the surgery receptionist.  A doctor called back and asked some questions and Mr P was given an appointment for that afternoon.  Basically after the checkup he was told that the knee is in stress. He has one leg slightly shorter than the other, an inherited condition that was going to be adjusted during replacement of the other hip.  Pain management, a balance of rest and exercise is the only solution to Mr P's knee problem similar to what has been advised for my knee issue. To be honest I'm thankful that we don't have to go out on a regular basis into an environment such as our Friday experience, although we were grateful to get a consultation and advice. We have the luxury of staying at home or going out for exercise at our convenience. I'm aware that key workers are having to go out and I'm thankful for their efforts to keep things going in our society.

Here are some mosaics of photos I took on last Thursday's walk where I saw some pretty flowers and trees in people's gardens.

Camellias, laburnum, rhododendrons, roses, wisteria are now in full flower. Others are growing in flower beds or spilling over stone and brick walls and fences.

Here are a selection of the animals on the wooden statue near the shops. Interestingly, the front of the statue is more weathered than the back.

Thank you for your visit.  Have a good day!