Our week at the beginning of December

After our time of being snowed in it was a relief to get back to my walking routine and another library visit.  On this particular day there was drizzly rain so not the best time to walk around the park. 

My reading will be non fiction as I reserved and collected Edmund de Waal's The Hare With Amber Eyes - I gave my copy to our DiL and now want to re-read the book again.  The other book is Hilary Mantel's memoir Giving Up The Ghost after watching a television documentary about what she remembers of her early childhood.  

We had our covid booster vaccination on Wednesday after getting our official National Health Service letter to say that we could attend a session.  After researching online I found the address of our nearest centre, not too far away, where we could drop-in without an appointment.  It was in a huge building that had once been part of one of our city hospitals.  The experience was good as there were lots of volunteers and medical staff on hand.  Fresh masks were given out to each person and there were many booths with screens where staff were checking details in the system for the vaccinations we've had so far.  We were soon home and resting.

 

Yesterday I walked up the hill to the Post Office to get a letter and card posted off abroad.  Although it was a gloomy sort of day it gave me the opportunity to take a walk around the old part of the village, up to the woods, passed the fields were horses graze and locals ride their horses.  Other walkers were out and about and I caught a glimpse of a rider exercising her horse along the bridle path in the woods.

Plenty of berries for the birds

Evidence of the old cobbles in the local lane.

One of the pubs near the Post Office and shops.

There was a lot of activity in the grounds of the former school and sports centre as diggers were at work.   A notice informs us that there will be a park on the site by the end of  February next year.

Back to the corner of our road.  The view shows how high up we live as we get the same kind of view of the hills across the valley from the back bedroom window of our house. 

Some more photos taken early this morning. 

The former lodge to the manor house (the manor house was demolished many years ago).

Another pub was recently refurbished and is now decorated for Christmas.  To the right the road winds down a steep hill to places such as the park and library and up hill passed the parish church it goes on to other villages such as Bradfield and Oughtibridge.

I hope you enjoyed the walk.  Thank you for your visit.  Have a good weekend.

Here and There

It has been a busy beginning to November as on Sunday our local grandchildren joined us for Sunday lunch together with one of our grandsons who was passing by with his partner on their way back from York to Reading. I didn't take photos on that occasion as it was a short visit. 

Our daughter D who lives in Berkshire has had a two week holiday as the particular school where she teaches was closed for the half term break so we drove down to stay with her this week and have just got back to Sheffield. We haven't been able to get down to Berkshire since before the pandemic so it was a change of scene and an opportunity to see where two of our daughter D's sons and their partners live as they're now settled in their lovely new homes.  Both couples invited us for an evening meal and chat.

Before that we enjoyed the drive down and it was sunny all the way.  The new car is more economical to run and the journey there and back home went smoothly.  

The beech woods in Oxfordshire near Nettlebed were looking beautiful. 

No sooner were we on the outskirts of Reading we stopped to stretch our legs and have something to eat in a pub we know well.  It was good to see references to an aspect of my home town heritage in the wall decorations, that is, Huntley and Palmers biscuit tin lids memorabilia and reference to the riding scene in Berkshire.

Across the road from The White Horse is The Black Horse pub.

the playing fields

How great it was to spend time with two of the grandsons and their Mum.

Thank you for your visit.  I'll post more about our time in Reading another day.  Have a lovely weekend!

The Woodland Discovery Centre

Every so often we take a drive to another one of the interesting areas that make up the city as we go to a specialist shop that sells brewing equipment so that Mr P can get his wine kit to make his home made wine.  It also gives us an opportunity to visit the small businesses and charity shops in this particular local high street before returning home through the ancient woodlands called Ecclesall Woods.  Last Thursday we stopped for a coffee at the Woodland Café in the J. G. Graves Woodland Discovery Centre and I took a brief walk in the woods. 

The Woodland Discovery Centre is in the middle of several hundred acres of mature, semi-natural deciduous woodland previously used for timber and the making of charcoal and hosts many activities related to the woods. There are parking spaces along the main roads with a dedicated car park at the Centre and so it's accessible for us to take a break and be in the heart of the woods. It's an education centre so there are occasional demonstrations of woodworking, woodcraft courses, social events and, of course, the opportunity to walk in the 15 km of public footpaths to find landmarks such as an old mill, remains of the charcoal burners' trade, streams and ponds.  Indoors there are viewing areas with binoculars provided for bird spotting, logs for sale as well as the refreshment area.

There were quite a few robins and also great tits who were at the bird feeders and the café was a pleasant place to have our coffee and watch them.

There are signs of the transition from Summer to Autumn.

There are many areas around the centre, for example a sunken area of grass, where a visitor can sit and enjoy the peace and quiet of the woodland surroundings.