New invention?

 This popped up on my facebooook page, mixed in with all the other crappy fakery. It's an advert for a fashion company, looking to flog their wares. Be a fashionista or some such boring high tec sales chat. Get your belly button pieced, no thanks. Get your stick on fingernail extensions, no thanks. Wrap a wide denim belt around your hips, with a teeny weeny denim pelmet hanging below it barely covering your chuff. 

This makes me titter. The young 'uns of today think they invented flashing your knickers when you bend down wearing the shortest of mini skirts. This was me 60 years ago. Strutting my stuff walking down the street. Feeling flattered that I could bring the testosterone charged workers on a building site to a complete standstill. Wolf whistles rang out loud and clear. I smiled to myself and fluttered my false eyelashes. 

It was all very innocent then. I was innocent. At 16 years old I had no idea what went through boys minds. I was a flirt and saw no harm in that. It was a bit of fun. I had a crush on the young man who came to the market every night with his hot dog van. I stood and chatted, and desperately hoped that he might fancy me. He was called Colin as I remember. It came to nothing, and I would have probably run a mile if he had suggested a date. I was so naive and shy really. The flirting was a cover up. 

Now that I am of more mature years, I see how the world has changed. To walk around showing oooodles of bare flesh would be a mistake. Testosterone is out and about in full force. Lurking in places where you might least expect it. Bravado in groups of males, where they egg each other on, has been replaced by lone males who are intent on sowing their wild oats, and don't care who they hurt in the process. 

Luckily I came through my teenage years unscathed with my innocence intact. This can't be guaranteed these days. Look out for young girls, protect them, tell them of the dangers. They probably won't listen, as I didn't when my mother said, 'you are not going out like that, are you?' As I said, young girls being attacked in the 60's was rare, now it is happening more frequently.

Thanks very much for visiting my blog. Have a good weekend.

Toodle pip.   ilona

First car camping in 2025.

Car camping is not always fun, not always glamorous. Finding a place to park up depends on where you are coming from and where you are heading to. I made up my mind to park here before I left home. Often, when you are on a several day jaunt, you have to take a chance. You might drop lucky and find the perfect spot, or you might not get a wink of sleep if you are in a dodgy area. You have to use your common sense. Look around you. If it doesn't feel right, then move on to another location. 

I was struggling to find a safe place when I was in the Lake District. Luckily I met an ok man who let me park at the front of his house. Another time I was parked in a churchyard, with permission, no gates, close to the front door of the church. I had to get out of bed in the early hours and move the car. Someone was walking around with a torch. I parked about a mile up the road. 

I can stealth camp in the street. In Buxton I found a tree lined avenue with big houses. It was a dead end street going nowhere, so only the owners needing access drove past my car parked at the side of the road. 

I would not park in an isolated location by myself in the countryside. If I choose a layby it would be where motorhomes and van lifers gather. Safety in numbers. Having spent years sleeping in a lorry this is not new to me. 

On Saturday night I stayed at the Motorway Services at Wetherby. I recorded this short video just before I went to bed. Yes there were lights on, with cars coming and going, but that doesn't bother me. I use my skirt to drape over my head blocking out the light. Works perfect.  

This morning I went to Crafty Club. It is sunny. Now I will start uploading another video onto yoootooob and take Billy dog a walk. It may appear here later, or I might post it tomorrow. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

What next

 Good morning. It's Saturday and it's raining. Just popping in to let you know what is happening. I still have one or two trolls hanging about. Don't you feel sorry for them. They really must find a way to move on. 

I still have computer problems. I did get some help, but without going into too much detail, partially solving one problem gave me ten times more problems. I tried to put things right but failed at that. Then more help came, which sort of helped. Now I need to find someone else to sort out the niggly problems. 

I have four posts prepared in drafts which I will publish in the next few days, then I need an expert to come in and explain things in more detail. In the meantime I cannot reply to comments in this blog, or on other blogs. Thank you for your patience. 

Anyway, I won't bore you with my problems, They will be sorted, I will just have to be patient. This spanner in the works has brought it home to me that we should never be reliant upon technology to organise our lives. The complications that can be foist upon us when it fails, or is misunderstood, can have dire consequences. I personally want less technology in my life, but a lot of people are are happy to embrace more. Be prepared for internet outages, digital problems, poor signals, banking collapses, and an explosion of scammers who prey on easy targets. Life will never be as easy again as paying with cash and watching the tele. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Full of beans.

 Good morning. No worries about yesterday, the cops were only doing their job, investigating crimes. We have had a few sneaky thieves in the area. The most recent one happened just around the corner. Tools were nicked from a van. The tealeafs usually strike in the middle of the night, but they are becoming more brazen and prowl around in the daytime looking for easy pickings. There have been several sightings of unlettered vans driving around slowly and stopping to look down peoples driveways. In this day and age I think every one should be viewed as a suspect robber. 

Do not let your guard down, keep yourself and your possessions safe. When you return the trolley from unloading your shopping into the car, always lock the car, even when walking a few yards to the trolley park. When you are filling your car with petrol, always lock it when you go into the shop to pay. 

When you are working in the back garden always have the front door locked. Same when you are working in the front garden, lock the back door. Walk about with a key in your pocket so you don't lock yourself out. Make sure you have good locks on your shed. I don't store anything of value outside. We are soon to be having darker and longer nights. Leave a light on inside the house if you go to the pub or go shopping, or walk the dog. 

My neighbour next door has a light outside which comes on and floods both our front doors, even when a cat strolls by. The neighbour across the road has a camera high up just below the roof which can reach right across the road onto my front. He can monitor that from his mobile phone. 

Don't answer the door to anyone you don't know. I can see my front door through the kitchen window so I can ignore anyone I don't want to speak to. Be aware of scam phone calls. Internet crime is rife. Stop them dead in their tracks. No need to be abusive as annoying as they are. I just say in a loud voice, thank you for calling, goodbye, then immediately cut them off. 

Here is a heads up on beans with a difference. I picked this up from the centre aisle at Aldi. I have gone right off baked beans out of a tin, so I thought this would be a good substitute. It is, very tasty and not overly spicy. The last few mushrooms in a pan, with left over steamed veggies from the night before. I make a double portion which is the basis for two meals. Broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans. Add these beans, and I added a spoonful of sweet and sour sauce from a packet I started two days ago. Probably didn't need the sauce but I wanted to use it up. Chuffin loverly it was. I like these throw anything in a pan meals.  

Now it is time for breakfast, so I'll cut you loose. Have a good day. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Simon says. . . . .

 Don't worry, I've sorted it. We have got 5,000 empty beds on hold which we are paying for, ready to move our guests into. Real nice places they are, all modern amenities, nicely decorated, and food provided. We keep them on standby because we will have to move people around when the Reception Centres become overloaded.  

Senior Home Office Civil Servant is confident that they can cope. 

We had to move people quickly from Manston when trouble flared up due to overcrowding. 

Keeping empty hotel beds available, costs a lot of money. About £500.000. 

We have got excess beds so we are ready for any future arrivals. 

Simon has got it sussed. He has plenty of experience at this sort of thing. 

Sigh of relief, no need to worry.

Catch ya later.   ilona

New normal?

Good morning. I see on the twitttterattta  that Judge Rinder, (I am not familiar with his TV programme), has had his phone snatched from his hand in a London Street. A horrible experience I would imagine. Theft of one's personal possessions, especially when they are wrenched from your hand must be a very traumatic experience. 

This kind of crime seems to be gathering momentum. Youngsters on scooters and bikes looking for easy prey. Most bikes are stolen, two people wearing balaclavas can make quite a lot of money by taking this particular line of work. It can be very lucrative so I understand.  

The sensible thing to do would be to never walk about anywhere with your phone in your hand. But of course people do just that, because they cannot bear to be isolated from the rest of the world. I have missed calls on my little Nokia because the phone was in my bag and I couldn't get it out quick enough. Not to worry. I prefer to be unobtainable for a while.  

I bet the companies who sell phones, and those who provide the services are rubbing their hands with glee. YAY, someone is going to need a new phone. 

Here is Roberts tweeeet...... and a few responses.

I’ve just had my phone grabbed out my hands by 3 boys wearing balaclavas on bikes (Finchley Road & Canfield gardens). They laughed as I shouted to drop it. I'm in shock.

It’s sadly a common occurrence. A single person on a moped can steal around £4K worth of phones every day and the phones are given to a fencer before you’ve even called the police.

This happened to me, except I chased the guy. He was on a push bike. I knocked him off his bike. He grabbed me and threw me into oncoming traffic. I never let go. He was a career criminal and thankfully got thrown in jail.

This happened to me outside Euston station last year. I was also punched in stomach but screamed and ran after attacker as did half the station and he dropped the phone.

Same thing happened to me some time ago, luckily a postman was near by , I jumped in his van and we chased them up the road, I dived out the van on top of the guy to his surprise, gave him a black eye and retrieved my phone.

Happened to me also in Russells Square. Devastated me. Unfortunately the police said this is happening a lot but they hardly ever find the people that do it.

Had my phone snatched out of my hand by boys on bikes on West End lane just a week or so ago — tracked my phone being cycled down to Kilburn, and then it was switched off.

Please be careful people. In an ideal world nothing would get stolen, but it does, so take steps to protect your valuables.

Thanks for popping in. Time for brekkie. Toodle pip. ilona

When it's someone you know.

I am in shock. I turned the computer back on tonight as I sat down to eat my dinner, and checked  some of my favourite sites. As I was scrolling through Twitter a familiar face came up on the screen. Amar Latif who I have mentioned several times in the past posted a tweet from his hospital bed. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. This is a man who is totally blind, who is a big strapping fella, who has risen to every challenge that has come his way, and he almost died from the Coronavirus.

I don't know how to post his video here. Copied and pasted the link, don't know if it will work.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1248266407156035584

Copy and paste it into your computer, it may not work if you are not on Twitter.
I have just tested the link, it works for me. 

He had the symptoms for a week at home, then was taken to Leeds Infirmary where he has been for six days. He is struggling to talk, and is still coughing. He thought his life was going to end in the hospital. The message he gives is don't be bored at home, you are still alive. He is hoping to go home today or tomorrow.

Thank goodness he appears to be getting over it, I hope he makes a full recovery. Amar is on the TV at the moment, in a series filmed in October, about a pilgrimage trek he did with some other people. On tonight I believe.

This is one of the blog posts I wrote about him, posted last year.

Please be careful where you go if you need to go out. Keep a good distance away from people. Never mind the two metre thing, it's not enough. Stay safe.
ilona

Detective work

A letter arrived which didn't seem quite right. I was immediately suspicious of it when I saw the hand written envelope, it looks like a child has scrawled across most of it in large letters. I was expecting a letter from a young person. The logo at the top of the envelope and the franked postage mark didn't match up with the handwriting. Why would a company address an envelope in that fashion. Why wasn't the address printed. Almost correctly I may add, except that there hasn't been a 'South Humberside', for many years.

Inside, a single piece of plain A4 paper, no header, with my address in the top left hand corner, and a four paragraph typed letter. Name of sender at the bottom but no signature. On the back of the letter in the centre, 'Dear Ilona' in the same scrawly writing. Why, I wondered.

Reading through the letter, the first impression I got was the grammar isn't very good. I know mine is not perfect, but this is supposedly from someone who calls themselves a PRODUCER/DIRECTOR of a TV programme. The request was very brief, with minimal and vague details. The subject matter did catch my attention, and for a brief moment I was tempted to call the mobile number.

But then caution kicked in. Something in my brain said be careful. This letter could be from anybody, someone could have access to a franking machine which also prints the logo. My name was scrawled over the top of the postage frank, meaning franked first, addressed after. People from the media always email or telephone first because they want a quick reply, they don't go to the trouble of writing and posting a letter.

I am going to follow my gut instinct and not reply. I may be wrong, it may be a genuine request, and I might be missing out on something interesting. But balance that out with getting myself into a whole heap of trouble which could bring me grief, I would rather not bother. Scam or not, I am always on my guard.

Toodle pip.  ilona

Look after yourself.

I have been thinking about how many people are becoming victims of bag snatchers. It is happening in town centres, anywhere in fact, thieves are looking for opportunities to rob people. It has never happened to me yet, thank goodness, but it could, it can happen to anybody. I made this video to show the different bags I use, and how I try and keep myself safe.



I am still waiting for the winner of the button competition to send me their postal address, so, PJ Kincaid, where are you?

Toodle pip. ilona

Pay attention.

Hello. Have you ever thought about how carelessness and familiarization with your surroundings can impact on your bank balance? Can you see the connection with everything in it's place and a place for everything, equals saving money? Or, lacking in organizational skills can lead to more bills, more expenses to pay out?

I have been thinking about how every day activities can be linked with either money spending or money saving. The things we do automatically without thinking may not always be the best way. We can get into sloppy habits because we are not paying attention. Here are some of my ideas.

Where do you keep your car and house keys, any keys for that matter? It's easy to come into the house and sling them in the nearest kitchen drawer. Easy to pick them up again before you leave the house. They will always be there, mostly they are, but not always. Don't tell me that you hang them on a hook on the wall just inside the front door, that is just asking for trouble. Thieves know the most likely places to find keys. Only a few weeks ago a house near here was broken into, they found the keys to three cars on the drive, they were all gone in a matter of minutes. I hide my keys in another room of the house. I know where they are, no one else does. They would have to ransack the place before they find them.

Same with purses, wallets, and handbags. In the kitchen cupboard? In the office? Don't make it easy for thieves, hide things away out of sight, somewhere where they might not think of looking.

There are desperate people out there who are not getting any benefits and will resort to robbery to fund their lifestyle. You think you are safe in your own house, but you are not if you leave a door unlocked. Opportunist thieves will try doors until they find one unlocked, and woe betide anyone who is inside. You don't want that to happen, so lock your doors.

Next, walking about in towns, anywhere, you are carrying money, keys, phone, and cards. Keep them safe in zipped pockets, always check that the zips are fully closed after making a purchase. Do not leave the shop until you have checked your change and have your card stowed away safely. If you have to carry a bag use a small across the body bag with a shoulder strap. Put it on over your clothes but under your coat or jacket. While walking about check that you still have all your valuables in your possession. Pick pocketing is rife, bag snatching is rife, and now we have hoodies riding about on mopeds looking for victims who are yakking into their mobile phones while not taking a bit of notice about what is going on around them. It only takes a split second for a snatch to take place.

You think you are safe while driving about in your metal box, but you are not. When you get in your car what is the first thing you do, chuck your bag on the front passenger seat or in the front footwell, then drive off. That's a no no. At least hide your bag, your purse, but better still, lock all your doors. Bags have been stolen while a car is sat at traffic lights on red. It takes no time at all for someone to come alongside. open the door and make off with your valuables. It happens. They could be on foot or on a bicycle, they will escape through the crowds, and you are stuck in a traffic jam in your car.

As for parking your car, try and leave it in a busy street, not somewhere hidden away. Park near houses if you can, and lock it. Thieves will try car doors in the middle of the night even when your car is on your own driveway, they have been caught on CCTV cameras. Do not leave anything in your car when you lock it and leave it. Last week Humberside police tweeted that a car had been broken into, cards found and a substantial amount of money had been spent on them within hours. Who would be so daft as to leave their cards in their car? I do despair. Do not leave anything in your car.

Yet another case of stolen dogs has come up on my Facebook this morning, it's happening all the time. They are stolen from back gardens on a regular basis. Apart from the mental anguish that follows from a pet disappearing, there is also the monetary loss as well. Six dogs were stolen from the back of a Transit van recently. Only a couple of weeks ago someone left their two dogs in the multistory car park at Manchester which went up in flames, while they went out for a meal. The brave fire brigade went in and got them out before they died. I suppose you could put it down to the owner making a mistake and leaving them for a few minutes, but it shouldn't happen. You have to be aware of why dogs are stolen. People see dog breeding as an easy way of making money. They will steal a dog, impregnate it, or use it (male) for stud, keep it in squalid conditions until it gives birth and then kick it out. Often a stolen dog will be sold on to an unsuspecting buyer. Some of them are finding their way back to the original owner because of chipping, but not all are chipped. So my message here is, do not let your dogs out of your sight, make sure they are in a safe place at all times.

And the connection to money saving? Every little mishap, every mistake, every time complacency takes over and you are not watching what you are doing, you walk zombie like into disaster. Your purse is gone, the cash is gone, you have to phone the bank and cancel the cards and order new ones. Your car is stolen, or damaged, you have to contact your insurance to claim, your premium goes up the following year. You have to replace the car or get it repaired. Your mobile phone is gone, all your details are in there, your contact numbers, you are in danger of someone stealing your identity, the repercussions could be horrendous.

And losing a beloved pet has to be the most painful of the lot. Nothing is as bad as that. Material things can be replaced, but finding that your best friend has been taken by strangers, who will probably not treat it very well, is enough to make you say, why did I not take more care of it.

Something to think about. Pay attention, take care of your possessions, and I don't mean become paranoid about it. Just get into the habit of taking simple precautions.

I'm off. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

All mapped out

Hello. A bit more on walking today. Some of you are interested in trying longer walks, perhaps not as long as mine, but a bit further than you normally go. Obviously where you live makes a difference, I cannot give advice for those who live outside the UK as I don't know what your roads and paths are like, or the type of maps you have, so this is mainly for the UK readers.

To start off it might be a good idea to make yourself a measured walk like I have with my three miles, setting off from your front door. If you are on a busy road you might be better to drive to somewhere close by which is quieter and use that as your starting point. 

There are a few sites which will calculate distance, I use Bikehike.co.uk  If you find yourself on the home page click course creator, but this link should take you to it. In the box on the bottom right corner put your starting point in the Find UK Place/Postcode box. From home I use my postcode, if I'm away I use place name. 

You want to be working from the OS map on the right but it is a bit small, so to enlarge it click on Toggle Map Sizes. 

Then it grows bigger on that side, and the other side shrinks. Get your start point in the middle, and left click on it, a green marker will appear. You may need to zoom in or zoom out, use the plus and the minus on the top left hand side, to get the scale you want. Then use your mouse to click along the proposed route, it will add the distance up for you, which will appear in the box on the left. If you make a mistake or want to go back and change direction, click Undo. Or if you want to start again click Clear Route. I can't help you if you access the internet with a smaller hand held device, I am not familiar with them.

If you carry a paper map like I do, and mark the route you have walked with a felt tip pen, you can check the distance with this. Bikehike probably has a lot more features, you can show elevation data if you do a lot of hill walking, but I only use it for checking distances. 

I suggest you might want to buy a paper OS map of where you live, and study that. It will give you all the footpaths, tracks, bridleways and roads. It has landmarks like pylons, churches, buildings, bridges, hotels, and tourist information. Start with a one mile route, then increase the distance. 

What you could do when you become more confident in finding your way around, is to get a bus from your house, check the distance that it travels, get off, and walk back. We have a bus which goes to a village five miles away, I sometimes get off there and walk back. Take a map and look for stiles in hedges and walls, between houses, tracks along fields, country roads, and use these to find your way home. I did a post about map reading here. 

The question always arises about safety of walking alone in unfamiliar places. To be honest I have more chance of being run over by a bus or attacked in a town centre than I do in the countryside. Sensible precautions should always be taken, like always being aware of your immediate surroundings. Looking behind to check no one is following. Look to each side in case there is an oddball in the bushes. 

Look at people's faces, if there is anything a bit dodgy looking about them, keep moving, turn a corner, skidaddle. Walk with an air of authority and confidence. If you look scared someone might pick up on it and see you as an easy target. People do speak to me along the way, if I feel a bit uneasy about the person I will say, must keep going, and carry on walking. That very rarely happens, everyone I meet is generally nice and chatty. 

I am probably more confident than a lot of women because of the job I have done. Working with men teaches you a lot of things, like sticking up for yourself. I have a right to walk wherever I like, except private land of course. I will not allow my freedom to roam be curbed by fear. In the years I have been walking alone I have not been attacked, accosted, or approached by undesirables. 

Now I must get some lunch, I am hungry, then I'm going to town for a few things I need. I hope you are enjoying your weekend. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. 

Toodle pip

A walk in the Yorkshire Wolds

A slight blip with the broadband this morning meant I had to switch off for a while when I was half way through this post. Never mind, I got to do a load of washing, and dyson the stair carpet. The washing is drying nicely in the brilliant sunshine and will need fetching in soon. In the meantime, I've managed to upload the rest of the photo's from my day out yesterday. I decided to do another walk over the other side of the bridge, this time paying the £3 toll and driving across. Time was of the essence and I didn't want to faff around waiting for buses. It's a short driving time from here, only takes half an hour.

I parked my car at Welton, which is close to the small town, or is it a large village, of Brough. I have been here before, there is a lovely church next to the pond. I set off along a minor road, which runs parallel to the main A63 Trunk road. I noticed that the drone of the traffic was with me for a good part of the walk, it's a very busy road. The first pic shows the views over Brough and across the river, I can see the cement works at South Ferriby. A little further along to the right, I can see the windfarm near Normanby, a couple of miles from my house. I am in the southern part of the Yorkshire Wolds. Although there are no steep mountains to climb, there are lots of pleasant rolling hills to amble along.  

I made a short diversion into the village of Elloughton, I just fancied an ice cream, might as well get into the holiday spirit. Back on the road again, I picked up a track heading towards Brantingham. The hens look happy in their dust bath.

Next was some woodland walking. I like the way the sun casts shadows across the path.

It looked like the way was barred here, but on closer inspection I see a tree has fallen down across the path and no one had been bothered to move it. There was a short diversion round it.

This is an amazing seven trunk tree. It looks to me that the main trunk has been split when quite young, but I'm only guessing. It could be that seven separate trees took root at the same time, close together. Either way, it definately has the wow factor.

It was while I was admiring this tree, that I noticed a lone male was coming towards me from the same direction as I had just come. I didn't want to carry on walking with him behind me, so I walked to the edge of the wood to pretend to admire the view across the field, to give him chance to pass me. He seemed to slow down a little, and glanced at me several times. There was probably nothing to be worried about, but I was not going to take any chances, I would rather have him in front of me, than behind. I just got an uneasy feeling about it. 

The path through the wood came out on a road, I held back to see which way he would go. He turned right, that's good, I want to turn left. I hid behind a bush and watched him walk up the road. A dog walker arrived on the scene, he looked ok, so I explained why I was lurking behind a bush. We watched the man disappear over the brow of the hill. A few minutes later the man had turned round and was heading towards us. Very strange behaviour I thought, especially as he didn't have a backpack and didn't look like a walker who had took a wrong turn. I told the dog walking man I was going into the village, he said he would stay there and keep watch. Anyway, I found some work men who were surveying the driveway to a farm, so I hung around there a while. The strange man came down the hill and went off to the left on a road. Probably nothing to worry about, but best to go with your intuition.

I was in Brantingham. This is the ancient water spout set on a plinth.

The village pond wasn't very big, only a few ducks, and the water looked a bit murky, unlike the crystal clear water flowing along the stream next to it.

I could hear the buzzing of a hedge cutter and found two men chopping back the ivy on the side of this farmhouse.

The road out of Brantingham goes through a wood, and about half a mile out of the village is this beautiful church. It looks like it has had a lot of TLC, the grounds are immaculate, and the brickwork is sparkly clean. It looks magnificent against the backdrop of trees.

I walked through the church yard, and found this frog. It made me smile, how lovely. There is joy in my heart today.

Not far past the church, I took a path to the left into the woods. As you can see I am on the Yorkshire Wolds Way, a long distance footpath.

Onward and upward I went, there was some twists and turns as the path changed direction. Through Ellerker North Wold, Woodale Plantation, past Mount Airy Farm, and out into the open countryside. Here I am admiring the view over South Cave.

I came across these two interesting benches, a very unusual design. They are made of wood which has been soaked and moulded into shape, held together with metal brackets. You can sit on either side, whether you fancy looking at the woods.....

or facing the other way and admiring the wolds.

I love them, very quirky.

It was time to start making my way back, there was a bit of road walking to do towards Riplingham, then further on I picked up another path and headed back towards Welton. I recognised some of this path, I have walked it before. I looked at my watch, it was too early to go back to the car, so I added an extra twiddly bit on, to arrive back at 5.15pm, just right. The sun was coming down and a beautiful red sky was emerging in the distance. It shone across the duck pond and lit the church up.  

The ducks were lining up on the church wall, some of them asleep, their heads tucked under their wings, and standing on one leg. How do they do that.

This is a scan of my paper map, I did the walk in a clockwise direction. I couldn't fit the whole route on the screen to do a screen shot. I had a fantastic day and plan to do some more days out to the Yorkshire Wolds. 14 miles walked.  

Right, must dash, need to go to town. Got to pay my gas and electric combined bill, it's £122 and a bit for the quarter, 44p less than the same period as last year. So even though British Gas profits are up, they haven't had much from me. I've also got a big fat cheque to pay into my account at Santander. My mortgage capital is on the way down. YAY.
Toodle pip.

Confident about walking

Howdy, Day two of the mini series on walking. Questions.....Do I ever feel unsafe? Have I ever been in a scary situation? What about security when walking? I am assuming these questions relate to me being a lone female walking in remote areas therefore making myself vulnerable to possible attacks, rather than the possibility that I might fall and break a leg. There are a lot more lone male walkers than there are female. I can see that some people might think it is a foolish thing to do, to walk across the country on a 'make it up as you go along' route, with my exact location not known to anyone.

I think that to understand why I feel confident enough to do this, you need to know a little bit more about my background. I was born the eldest of three, mother had to go to work and I was left in charge of getting my siblings up in the morning and ready for school. When mother was poorly I was kept off school and took over the running of the household. I learnt how to look after things from an early age. I left school at 15 and got a job, I wanted to earn my own money. Yes, I was still a bit shy, but I knew I could conquer that by throwing myself into whatever I was doing. I left home when I was 18, got a flat and a job and so began my independant lifestyle. No more running back home to mum for help. I took responsibility and made some big decisions of how I wanted my life to turn out. I worked and saved up for a deposit on my first house at the age of 27. 

It was a bit scary to take a job working in an all male environment, but my confidence grew and moved on in leaps and bounds, as I had to quickly learn how to assert myself. At 37 I was confident enough to make the decision to take birth control one step further and make it permanent, I asked for sterilisation. Not many childless single females were asking for the operation at that time. I did, and got it.

After working with men for many years, I have a pretty good idea of what makes them tick. I can talk to them on their level, use their language, even swear like they can if needed. That's what happens when you work alongside men as their equal. It can go either way though. You either leave the job because you can't hack it, or you think stuff it, I want this job and I am not going to let them bully me.

I can pick up on bad vibes via their body language, I see the warning signals, and I get a gut feeling when I don't like a particular person, I keep out of their way. I have parked up in truckstops and city centres and gone for a drink with other drivers. I wouldn't say they were all gentlemen, the majority were, but you always get one or two who think you are easy meat. I would get back in my cab and tell them to bog off. I have also spent many a night in my truck, parked up in isolated laybys all over the country. Once I pulled the curtains round no one knew there was a lone female inside. So you can see, I am pretty clued up where men are concerned, it's only the balls which are missing.

So, let's get back to walking. Do I ever feel unsafe? No. Have I ever been in a scary situation? No. The way someone walks can tell you a lot about them. I walk with a purpose, I walk tall with my head held high. I appear to be a confident walker who knows what she is doing. I look all around me as I walk, I take note of what is on my right, and my left. I glance over my shoulder to see if there is anyone in sight behind me. If someone is coming towards me, I eye them up, I look at their face. I make eye contact and check them out, do they look ok, or do they look dodgy. I tend to say a quick hello, and if there is room I give them a wide berth, and stride on. A few seconds later I will look behind me to check they are still walking away from me. If they look ok, I might stop for a couple of minutes and exchange a few pleasantries. Sometimes, if I feel comfortable talking to them and they seem quite nice I will chat a little longer. I would never tell anyone where I am going to be that night if I am staying out. Sensible really. I always go by my gut instinct, and have never been bothered by unwelcome attention while out walking.

On the other hand, if I was walking with my head down, feeling nervous, worried that someone might jump on me, I would be giving out all the wrong signals. People would pick up on that and I would be an easy target. Besides, how can you enjoy a walk if all the time you are panic stricken when you meet strangers. If you play the helpless female you leave yourself wide open to anyone who wants to take advantage. If you wise up and look them straight in the eye, and demand respect, you are quids in.

If you worried all the time about what might happen, you would never go anywhere. I feel more vulnerable walking alone in a big town or city, than I do walking alone in the countryside. When I am in big wide open spaces, I feel safest. I take extra care when walking through large woods or forests, because there are more places for someone to hide, but it's very unlikely that I would come across a raving perverted monster, more likely to be another walker just like myself.

It's not a good idea to take more money than you actually need with you, or credit cards if you don't intend using them. I carry a few pounds in cash in a small purse in my back pack, anything more and I have a secret place. It is not a good idea to carry a weapon, because it can be used against you. I am not going to go into personal safety here, because that's a whole new ball game, and you will have your own ideas about that. There is a massive possiblity that neither of us will ever find ourselves in a life threatening position, so don't dwell on it, and don't let it spoil your walking.

It goes without saying that you should carry a mobile phone while walking alone. If you slip and hurt yourself you might need to call out the emergency services. The only problem is that there isn't always a signal in the hills and mountains with some of the networks. Some phones have a GPS tracking device, mine doesn't. You might need to enlist the help of another walker if you find you are imobile. The best thing you can do is to not let yourself get into that situation in the first place. If you feel the terrain is too demanding and you don't have the experience, don't try and tackle it alone. Go with someone else. I would never have gone up Helvelyn via Striding Edge in the lake District on my own, I went with a group of people.

If you are not very confident when you start going out on walks, you will find that you begin to feel more confident the more you do it. Stay local if you are not sure you want to go too far from home. Start with a couple of miles, build it up slowly, three miles, four miles. Most people who walk at a brisk pace walk at three miles per hour, that's on the flat. Up and down hills takes a bit longer.

I just want to add a note to yesterdays post. I mentioned that my jacket cost me £30. I could have spent more by buying one with a detachable fleece lining. I decided not to because the best way to keep warm is to layer up. Wear an ordinary fleece top on top of your two or three teeshirts, add a sweat shirt or a body warmer if needed, at least you can take a layer off if you get too hot.

We'll have a look at map reading tomorrow.
Toodle pip.