Walk with me to North Kelsey

I'm going to put yesterdays date on this because I started it last night but had to give up at midnight when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Now it is Thursday morning and I am refreshed once again for another day.

Right, who wants to come for a little bimble with me? You will need your boots on because there's a lot of tramping across fields to do, and some of them are a bit overgrown with oil seed rape. Are you ready?

We start at Hibaldstow, five miles south of Brigg, it's a 30 minute drive from my home. There is free parking close to St Hybalds church.

The church tower fell down during rebuilding in 1875, and was not replaced untill 1958. The new tower is made of concrete blocks, but doesn't blend in well with the rest of it.

I did however find this interesting door round the back, with ivy growing up it. I hope they don't cut it back, makes it look kind off mysterious.

Off I trotted down Ings Lane. I had just taken a photo of this windmill when the owner came back in his car. He told me he is doing it up, but isn't in any hurry. He said he fits it in with other jobs. I have to say though that he was no spring chicken, I think he should drop his other jobs and concentrate on this one, or he will run out of time, ha ha.

Anyway, let's press on, keep up. We'll continue straight on when we run out of road, along the edge of a field. Over the rickety bridge.

There are a lot of drains round here, I don't mean drains that carry waste water away. Some people call these dykes or ditches, here they are called drains, just a gully which collects rainwater. Some of them are pretty clogged up with weeds, and the farmer should come along at some point with his machine and dig them out. Over the next bridge, it looks a bit more stable.

And look what I found on the other side, a field of peas, ha ha. Can't pick these they aren't harvested yet.

The paths are rather obvious at the moment because the farmers have left them clear of crops. On the signpost you will see a little man walking, that is the Walking Your Way Back To Health sign, put there by the council. These paths are used by recognised walking groups to promote healthy living. Some of the members have had heart problems, or may be elderly, these routes are to encourage more people to get out and use their feet for excercise.

Here we are arriving at Cadney Bridge which crosses the River Ancholme. While I was taking a few minutes to look around I saw an elderly gent come along the freshly mowed river bank on his mobility scooter. Trotting along side him were two cute Jack Russell terriers. I watched him as he approached a metal barrier, was he going to do a limbo to get underneath or would he be able to lift it up to pass through?

He stopped, got off his scooter, and pushed the steering column backwards so it was flat, and the seat folded down in the same way. Bingo the scooter did the limbo underneath and he squeezed through the gap at the side. Ingenious I thought, I stopped to speak to him. He said he comes along here every morning with his dogs, does a circular route which takes three hours. I sometimes think how sad it is that disabled people cannot enjoy the same delights as I do, and this man has solved the problem by getting a fairly robust scooter which can tackle the rough terrain. Where there's a will there's a way.

Another view of the bridge.

It's an iron bridge with a wooden floor. 4 x 4's and lighter farm vehicles are allowed to use it for access to land.

Next we cross a cornfield on our way to Cadney village.

It's a very small village, a few houses and a church.

All Saints Church is of Norman style and in 1865 a severe gale of wind carried away the roof. The register dates from 1564.

I want a railing around my grave like this :o)

Off we go again heading towards Poolthorne Farm and the village of North Kelsey. A narrow bridge of a single sleeper crosses the drain here.

I don't take photo's of Chapels very often because most of them are quite plain red brick buildings, but this one at North Kelsey caught my eye. It looks as if it is much loved and cherished the way the gardens are neat and tidy and it is kept in a good state of repair.

The old hand pump, in the centre next to the village green.

It is a twisty road through and this house is opposite the church on a bend.

Here we are at All Hallows Anglican Church. The tower dates from the 13th century. It used to be called St Nicholas until it was changed in late Victorian times.

I love the texture and colours of the weathered stone.

North Kelsey is a large village, which sadly lost it's Post Office in 2008. It has a village hall, a primary school, and two pubs. Time to head off back.

A lot of farms are a collection of old buildings surrounded by dirty and smelly yards. Not this one, someone is looking after this garden. Even round the back of the main house looked neat and tidy.

Across the fields once again, keep up.

It's a bit overgrown here, watch your legs on the nettles.

And into the field of cut hay which is awaiting collection.

We have to cross the river again so we are going over Hibaldstow Bridge this time, a bit further down. It looks the same as Cadney Bridge, a similar style.

I can hear buzzing in the sky. As we get closer to Hibaldstow we are walking at the back of the airfield. I walked along here about a year ago and wanted to take photo's of the sky divers, but couldn't get close enough, then they stopped jumping. All I could manage was photo's of the planes parked up on the airfield. here is one coming into land.

The inevitabe dumped rubbish left by some moron.

Ouch, I've been bitten, trying not to scratch it :o(

That's it folks, walk over. Did you enjoy it :o)

And here is my smiley dinner for tonight, well it made me smile anyway, ha ha. Can't beat a good old fashioned English fish and chips, sat on a bench, watching the world go by. Lashings of salt and vinegar, yum, a rare treat for me at £4.60

As usual I timed my finish to coincide with knock down prices at Tesco. I got a trolley full for £22.38, and a lot of that was Value tinned food for the store cupboard. But hey, what is this, they are giving away parsnips now, can't get much cheaper than this.

I laughed when I saw it and wondered what would happen when it went through the checkout. It flumoxed the lady on the till, who I often have a laugh with. This time we both laughed out loud. The computer said 'no', so she put it through as one lemon at 30p. About right I thought. Toodle pip.

A bit more stretch in £1

It was a sandwich for lunch today, so I made a smiley meal for tonight.

Spinach, peas and blackcurrants out of the garden. Steamed potatoes, cauliflower, peas and sweetcorn. One tomato, one nectarine, one veggie grill, and one free strawberry from a punnet that Janet gave me. All good stuff that you can eat loads of.

I went to town this afternoon, and picked up a few bits to top up my food stores while I was there.

Aldi -

Cauliflower 79p, 6 bananas 67p, six tomatoes 69p.

Home Bargains -

6 Free range eggs 89p, 3pack tuna flakes in brine 99p, worth a try at 33p a tin I usually pay 45p a tin from Tesco. Litre carton fruit juice 39p.

Wilko -

Rich tea biscuits 38p half price. Dont usually shop here as everything is too dear, but was looking for special offer on cat food, didn't find any.

Iceland -

4 veggie grills £1, Cannelloni £1, 6 yogurts £1.

Note that everything is £1 or less, I hate paying more than a pound for anything. The veggie grills will give me four meals with vegetables. A banana topped with yogurt makes it 27p for a pudding. The fruit juice will make 2 + litres of drinks. Tuna flakes will be shared with the cats as a treat. Trying to make a pound stretch like elastic, ha ha.

Who am I?

It has been mentioned by some commenters on previous posts that I talk a lot of common sense. I take that as a compliment because it infers that I have an open mind on most things in life. I do think of myself as being able to identify the most straight forward and logical way of looking at different situations.

My mother was a practical woman, she was able to turn negatives into positives, whatever life threw at her, her coping mechanism kicked in. Although she was feminine she was a strong woman. Perhaps I have a little bit of her personality in me. On the other hand my father was a man's man, drinking with the lads, working to bring home the bread, and only being involved with the child rearing when it suited him, which wasn't very often. There is a little bit of him in me as well.

Putting that aside for a minute, I believe there is another reason I am like I am, my brain is wired up differently. A few years ago I did an Introduction To Psychology course, free at college I might add, and there was a particular light bulb moment which hit me between the eyes. I listened very intently to what the teacher was telling us, and thought, blimey, she is talking about me. I was gobsmacked, I didn't know there was a word for it.

My brain has been puzzling me for some time, why does it work in the way that it does? Does everyone think like me? How come I get it and other people don't? It can't be because I am clever because I got away with the minimum of education, and couldn't get out of the school gates fast enough. Yet I know enough to get by in life, that's what puzzles me.

OK, so now I am going round in circles, but that's what I do. My brain goes off in all directions. I ponder a lot, I contemplate a lot, I look for the meaning of life a lot, there has to be a meaning, that's why we are here. Looking inside ones head is the most satisfying past time I have, that's why I spend so much time alone. To put together all the little jigsaw pieces of ones mind and end up with a complete picture, leads to a greater understanding and contentment within oneself.

So what was the word that the teacher used which opened up a whole new train of thought? Androgyny. Now I am going to borrow a bit from Wikipedia, you can look at the whole article if you wish. 'Androgynous traits are those that have no gender value or have some aspects generally attributed to the opposite sex.' 'No gender value,' what does that mean? The way I see it is that both physically and mentally some are born male and some are born female, and some are born as both. My working with men for a great many years may have contributed to the way I think like a man, but the trait must have always been there for me to take that career path in the first place.

Another quote. Sandra Bem 1977 says this, 'The androgynous individual is simply a female or male who has a high degree of both feminine (expressive), and masculine (instrumental) traits.' This explains why I could haul a 40 ton truck around, and break down in tears at the side of the road. At times I admit I did struggle with my identity, I often felt that I was straight down the middle.

On the brighter side, it seems my androgyny is not a bad thing. There have been a lot of tests conducted on the benefits. According to Sandra Bem we are more flexible and more healthier than either masculine or feminine individuals.

Also, (quote from Suite 101), 'The resilience of androgynous individuals helps them to deal with social pressures. They do not adhere to the same standards that gender typed individuals do. As a result they exhibit higher levels of self esteem and psychological well being.'

I didn't always have high self esteem, it grew with me once I realised that I could control the path of my life. It used to gall me when people said I was taking the job off a man. I would retaliate with fury, and a few choice words. It isn't a mans job it is anyone's job. I was bloody resilient alright. Then I would go home and cry, in private.

Discovering my identity has taught me a lot. Whatever questions you have about your life, the answers are all there inside you, if you look. It took that one word prompt from the teacher to make me explore more, and I'm pleased that I did. Question yourself but look for the answers inside your own head, and I deliberately say head and not heart, because that's how a man thinks.

In and out of the house like a fiddlers elbow

No I am not spending all day at the computer, it's just that it's too hot to go outside. I've done a bit of Dysoning, all the ground floor, that's all I can manage before getting bored to tears. Then I went to the mobile library to change my books. The poor bloke in there is sweating cobs, bet he can't wait to get on the move again to get a bit of air flowing through.

I started on this hedge yesterday, and was even out at 10pm last night doing a bit of trimming. I have all this to do, twice over, as it goes in an L shape across the garden and down the side. Last year I thought I might treat myself to an electric trimmer, but I just can't bring myself to buy one. Apart from using the electricity, the bloomin noise they make is awfull.

So I am plodding on with my trusty shears. Free to use, and so quiet I can hear the birds twittering. Mind you I think they have all fallen off their perch in this heat, ha ha. Job will get done, just takes a bit longer.

I'm just having ten minutes before I venture outside again, and to let my lunch go down. Here is my smiley meal for today. I must say, I think I have excelled myself here. Although my salad leaves are dwindling I now have a crop of spinach leaves ready, whoopeee. There is a wholemeal bread roll cut in half and spread with Value soft cheese spread, for the eyes. Half a tin of sweetcorn, another cheap nectarine chopped up, and used for the eyes and nose, I will get through them eventually, ha ha. Pickled onions, and blackcurrants from the garden, for the mouth.

I very rarely have dressing, except if I get some from the reduced section, which is not often. I like it just as it is, naked. Yes, nectarine and pickled onions go together very well. It was delicious.

Will I ever grow up, ha ha

Here's me being a kid again enjoying one of life's little pleasures, a frothy mouth, ha ha. I've just been to the Post Office and couldn't resist buying a packet of my favourite sweeties. I loved these when I was little and I still love them now. Refreshers take me on a journey back to my childhood. While everything changes, these little gems remain the same, maybe a bit smaller but the taste is still there to give me a buzz.

I like to put six in my mouth at once, and suck and crunch away to my hearts content. The fizzy fruity sensations give me ten minutes of mouth watering pleasure. Then I feel sick, ha ha.

Sweltering Sunday afternoon

Apparently it's going to be even hotter tomorrow, I was going to go a walk, but I think I'll postpone it till it cools down. I have been down the hill today, first stop though was the church at the top, they have a painting and flowers exhibition on. This was my favourite. It looks like a sheet of black metal fencing, with coloured twine and flowers arranged on it.

This is the front of the church.

And between the pews were display boards with paintings and photographs on them. They haven't had an Open Gardens this year, instead everyone took photo's of their garden to show here.

Outside was a marquee, they were serving cream teas, it looked lovely with people dressed in their Sunday best, sipping tea under the shade of the trees.

Down the hill at the bottom pub, next to the river, was very busy. I unfortunately was too late for the raft race. They had a barrel chucking contest,

and people were queuing up for a boat ride.

They had run out of bread for the barby, and the queues were about twenty minutes to get a drink. I didn't stop long as there was hardly anyone that I knew. I think most of them were from town because there were cars parked everywhere. It was a slow slog back up the hill in the heat. To be honest I would rather stay in my own garden at the weekends when it is hot. I hate crowds. Why anyone wants to go and sit on a beach with millions of others, is beyond me. Give me home comforts every time, the birds twittering, pop inside for a drink anytime I like, the cats lazing under the bushes, lovely.

Lunch to make you smile

Phew, it's too hot for me today. I've been pottering in the shady bits of the garden, and nipping back inside again to cool off. Thought you might like to see my lunch.

Salad leaves from the box outside, they're almost coming to an end so I have planted up another box. Two grated carrots, the last from the bag which was reduced. Nectarine, reduced, still got three left, they last ages after their sell by date. Two boiled eggs, 89p for six from B & M cheap shop in town, pick them up when passing. Wrap, filling is what I saved from the rice dish the other night. No pickled onions today, ha ha.

Going for a walk down the hill now, there is something happening, on the river, raft race I think. Toodle pip.

How do you like your sausages, burnt to a crisp?

A little bit of excitement to start the Burton in Bloom village fete today. I didn't have to go far, just to the end of my road, which made the job easy. I used my trolley to move the tables and stock onto the green. When I arrived I found everyone had abandoned the site and taken cover behind cars, buildings, and hedges, the barbeque was blazing merrily away, don't know if anyone had thrown some burgers on it at this stage, ha ha. Apparently there was a gas leak around the top of the bottle, and it was thought best to abandon ship and call the fire brigade.

Keeping well back in case of possible explosion. It was roaring like the sound you get from a hot air balloon. I thought any minute now it's going to blast a thousand pieces of hot metal all over the place.

Here they are, hosepipes at the ready, what shall we do now lads? They stood around looking at it. A few sausages would be nice.

Well I reckon some of those Petunias would look nice in my patio pots, might ring the wife to see if she wants me to bring some back.

What's it doing now Joe, are them sausages done yet?

I think we can say goodbye to the sausages, they're burnt to a crisp.

There she goes, she's keeled over, still blazing though. Wonder if we ought to do something? Nah, leave it a bit longer, we might get some overtime in.

Aye up the backups here, no sweat lads, we'll go over and have a look in a minute. Don't think you'll be needed.

Eventually they put on breathing aparatus and doused it with water. Then they got the thermal imaging camera out just to check, then more water. Then we were allowed back on to the site.

Once we were set up it wasn't long before we had attracted a crowd around our stall. That's Janet on the left looking away, and Sue chatting up the customers.

By now they are throwing money at us, we have some great bargains.

People are gathered around the little ones for the judging of the fancy dress competition.

They were so excited, I wonder who has won.

I never did get to find out, but they all got some sweeties.

Oh well, that's the end of the barby then :o(

No it isn't we've got another one, ha ha. You can have your burgers after all.

The Teddy Bears Picnic was a great success.

Janet treated us to some scrumptious WI scones. That's Womens Institute for anyone reading this outside the UK. They are well known for their fantastic baking.

The local history group has a lot of followers here. They always seem to find old photos which have been hidden away for years, then they bring them out and everyone comes to inspect hoping to see some of their ancesters. As you can see, it's heads down, looking for Aunty Maud or Uncle Cyril.

The Allotment Association was busy. We have only had allotments here for about a year, and everyone seems to be doing well with their growing.

The smallholding from up the road always bring their flowers, don't they look a pretty picture. They always sell a lot.

Well that's it for another year. I've just had a phone call from Sue, we have taken the grand total of £109, which we are well chuffed with. All we need to do is find homes for the cats we have, so we can take in some more. Our next fundraising event is next month, when we have a stall at Jerry Green's Dog Rescue open day. Now we need to collect some more stuff to sell.