Small steps. I have a dream that as this year progresses, I will be out in the countryside walking once again. Mile after mile with no pain in my feet, knee or chest. Taking advantage of good weather. Snapping photos. Following my maps. It was something I took for granted just a few months ago. And it was my way of maintaining a decent level of physical fitness. Surely I will get it back but first of all it's small steps.
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| At Surprise View - looking down into The Hope Valley |
Today I drove out to the Peak District Car Park near Surprise View. Irritatingly, I discovered that the "pay and display" machine only takes bank cards and I only had coins in my pocket. So before setting off in the snow I had to write a note to leave on my dashboard - "Your machine does not take coins and I don't have my wallet with me. If you give me a parking ticket I will kill you!"
And then I set off for my short walk. Partly, I was hoping to snap some old millstones that are abandoned by the path that leads through the woods to Bole Hill Quarry but there was still enough snow to keep most of them covered.
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| Millstones in the snow |
I wandered through the woods to an old quarry known by rock climbers as Lawrencefield. This quarry was the source of much of the stone that was needed to build great dams in The Derwent Valley which is five miles away - Howden Dam, Derwent Dam and Ladybower Dam. They were built over a hundred years ago and for the transport of all this stone a special railway track was constructed.
Some afternoon climbers were packing up. Their fingers must have been frozen while scaling that sheer wall of millstone.
After an hour I wandered back to the car.- delighted to discover that I hadn't received a parking ticket from one of the enforcement officers who occasionally prowl around Surprise View hungry for innocent prey. Perhaps they had read my note.
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| At Lawrencefield Quarry |
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| Climber at Lawrencefield |
I bet you felt a bit better with some sunshine and fresh air to boost you along.
ReplyDeleteall those old mill stones lying around were quite a puzzle to us.... how and why they came to be strewn around as they are ???
The millstone quarrymen began to realise that there was no profit left in their work. They would have to do other things to earn a crust so their quarries were abandoned - leaving some stones behind.. The stones shown in this blogpost were left as World War II broke out. The last order had been sent to a Swedish paper mill.
DeleteOne of my favourite places. Mid week in winter the circular walk from here down to the railway station and back up Padley Gorge has a little of everything and a good bacon buttie half way.
ReplyDeleteThey switched them over to cards as they were getting robbed of cash by thieving De Das.
Haw! Haw! The millstones were not coins you daft bugger!
DeleteThe millstones covered in snow make an intriguing picture, and Suprise View as well as the first picture with the foot prints in the snow are great.
ReplyDeleteGood to know you were able to walk for an hour! I hope you weren't in any pain afterwards.
No ill effects. Came home to make a brisket dinner. The meat had been bubbling in Guinness for hours.
DeleteI'm glad you are feeling a bit fitter and certainly the blue sky and the snow would give me a fillip in such circumstances. Your pics are, as one has come to expect, attractive.
ReplyDeleteThanks. The pics are like their owner Graham.
DeleteLeft you wallet at home... ah, those were the days!
ReplyDeleteOver here in Catalonia you have to have your ID (locals, an ID card - me, a passport) and your driving licence and insurance docs (if driving) on you at all time, a habit I still struggle with 25 years later. I have to carry some kind of bag - or an extra-big pocket - to go anywhere, and have of course lost the documents a few times over the years with all the time and expense replacing them involves.
On the plus side, we wouldn't have to pay (yet) to park in a middle-of-nowhere car park.
I hate having to pay to park anywhere - but especially in the countryside, I relented yesterday because of all the snow around. So pleased we aren't yet obliged to carry documentation in Blighty but then again we are not under Spanish rule!
DeleteThat top photo would look great in sepia tone. I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't already. Have a look at Pic Monkey if you don't already have some software to manipulate your photos. I know you are a purist with the lens ~ unlike Mr Adrian.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that if you returned to teaching you would regain your stamina and fitness quick enough ;)
Return to teaching? What about my mental health Carol? Thanks for the link to Pic Monkey. I will certainly check that out.
DeleteBoy, you and the parking attendants. Bain of your existence, eh?
ReplyDeleteHappy you are feeling well enough to travel about a bit. I love the first photo with the footprints.
As you know, my son has also been having trouble with gout for a couple of months. He has done everything to clean up his diet and no alcohol consumption and the test last week showed that the uric acid had fallen only one point. He was really disgusted. I told him that I have a friend, Mr. Pudding, who lives far, far away who is also very disgusted!!
Yes Mama Thyme, I despise parking enforcement officers and what they stand for.
DeleteHas your son received any medication? Like colchicine or allopurinol? To read NHS advice about gout go to:-
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Gout/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Please send me a millstone. I love them and I could set it along the way to the barn and admire it every morning. No need to pay extra for Priority Mail, just Parcel Post will be fine. I empathize with you. Recently I have begun to feel no-longer-as-young-as-I've-always-been and I don't think I'm handling it very well. I WANT to work hard. I WANT to hike for miles when the mood strikes. Drat Lyme Disease, arthritis, diverticulosis and whatever else creeps up when you fall over that 50 mark! (FABULOUS pics today!)
ReplyDeleteThank you Hilly. Please send me your address and a wad of dollars so that I can get a millstone to you.
DeleteThank you Hilly. Please send me your address and a wad of dollars so that I can get a millstone to you.
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