In the past days, I have added yet more squares to my red geograph blob. A week ago today, on a sultry summer's morning, I parked up in the South Yorkshire village of Todwick for a two hour circular walk via South Anston, the Chesterfield Canal and Kiveton Park. And then on Wednesday of this week, I parked in Spital which is on the eastern edge of Chesterfield before walking for almost four hours via interestingly named Cock Alley, Winsick and Hasland. Both walks were delightful, taking in many sights - even though these areas are not typical rambling country. The public footpaths are more likely to attract furtive local dog walkers with plastic bags of poop rather than booted fellows with maps and haversacks yodelling ""Der Fröhliche Wanderer" as they tramp through fields of ripening barley.
It used to be said that every cigarette you smoked lopped four minutes off your life. Lord knows who "did the math" to arrive at this conclusion but anyway I have a counter-claim that is in mathematical terms equally suspect. And my claim is this - that every mile you walk adds an hour to your life - assuming of course you are not prone to walking on the hard shoulder of the M1 or along railway tracks!
Given my family history, it is likely that I shall die before I am seventy after a massive heart attack. Perhaps I am wrong, but I believe that my walking mileometer is like a medical prescription. Get the lungs pumping, sweat on my brow, stretch those muscles, blood corpuscles agitated - what better treatment for the old heart? This notion adds to my red blob motivation. One mile equals an hour of life.
And so to this little plodding gallery:-
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| Todwick Parish Church |
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| Early harvest near South Anston |
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| Fat man fishing on the Chesterfield Canal |
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| Thirsty horses at Kiveton Park |
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| Detail of an old cottage at Top Alley |
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| "The Three Cottages" pub at Winsick |
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At Hasland. I spotted the war memorial in the park - saying something
different about warfare from the recruitment ad on the phone box |
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| Crossing the A617 near Manor Farm |
As I am sure you already knew, August 1st is Yorkshire Day! Happy Yorkshire Day Everybody! Let us all give thanks for God's finest creation - Yorkshire! Yorkshire! Yorkshire! (wild cheering).
Well spotted. The recruitment poster and the war memorial appeal to me. It reminds me of the old joke.
ReplyDelete"Join the army, travel the world. Meet interesting people and shoot them."
Was it a joke Adrian? It just made me feel glum but I am the kind of guy who cannot muster a smile when watching "My Family", "Dinner Ladies", "Absolutely Fabulous" or "Keeping Up Appearances". But I did used to howl with laughter at Sergeant Bilko. Are you related?
Delete*joins in the cheering, arms risen, hopping about, shouting "Yorkshire! Yorkshire! Yorkshire!"*
ReplyDeleteHappy Yorkshire Pudding to you, Yorkshire Day! Oh, wait, have I got my wires crossed there?
Great pictures, as always. The recruiting ad v. war memorial is a very poignant one.
And a Happy Yorkshire Day to you too Ambassador! I hope you will be doing your best today to enthuse the German people with your love of God's own county. Shout it out as you walk home from The Yorkshire Embassy - Yorkshire! Yorkshire! But keep an eye out for men in white coats - driving an ambulance. They tried to get me this morning.
DeleteFor that last pic before the Yorkshire flag, were you airborne or merely "above the fray"? Also, I love the rhythm in the phrase "Fat man fishing on the Chesterfield Canal"....
ReplyDeleteRhymes With.. I was tied to a large kite that was anchored to the ground by the fat fisherman. It would never fly away with him at the end of it. You should try it some time. See Canton from an eagle's perspective - or maybe a pigeon's.
DeleteI am sorry to say I didn't know it was Yorkshire Day today YP. How could I not know that? The land that adopted me 20+ years ago and I forgot about its birthday. HAPPY YORKSHIRE DAY to you anyway!
ReplyDeletePlease don't believe the family health/history stuff. I just know from my mother's family that it doesn't work like that, despite them all fretting non stop about cholesterol and blood pressure and previous heart attack/stroke prone ancestors. All my mother's brothers and sisters are well into their 70s and early 80s and all in good health.
Okay, I had included you in my will - my entire collection of Hull City programmes. Now I will have to go back to the drawing board on that one and stop spending all my dosh. Happy Yorkshire Day my wee haggis!
DeleteForgot to tell you YP, one of the Hull City players lives in our village. Huddlestone? Big posh house at t'other end of village. He goes into our local inconvenience store. Not as exciting as Daniel Craig living near Beverley, of course.
DeleteNo not as exciting as D.Craig living near Beverley MUCH MORE EXCITING! Lady you are talking about The Hudd!
DeleteHappy Yorkshire Day ~ how does that go exactly ~ something like yukka yukka yukka?
ReplyDeleteNo Carol! Yukka Yukka either sounds like you are being sick or a remote Australian mining town! Happy Yorkshire Day Mother!
DeleteHappy Yorkshire. Surely that's an oxymoron.
ReplyDeleteNo you are mistaken Graham. We Yorkshire folk are permanently gay. What does a Scotsman say when he sees a Liverpudlian getting off a train?...."Och see moron!"
DeleteVery droll.
DeleteCouldn't agree more that walking equals health! Keep plodding YP!
ReplyDelete