Molly the dolly.

Hello. We have to make some decorations for our Crafty Club Christmas tree which we are entering in the Festival again this year. The theme is children, so I decided I would have a go at making a dolly. I found a book in the library, Making Dolls and Creatures by Ruth Sleigh-Johnson, and thought it would be quicker if I followed some instructions rather than making it up myself. This one looks simple enough. 

First copy the pieces onto cardboard.

And here we are, a slightly modified first attempt. I thought the hat in the book looked a bit silly so I decided on plum red hair. She is a bit bald at the back because I didn't have enough wool, I need more practice.

Her neck is a bit floppy and her face a bit flat, she needs more stuffing. 

I rushed the last bit because I was running out of daylight and haven't put a piece of lace on the bottom of her frock. Her lips are felt, but should be embroidered on with red silk. The instructions said to add the face after the head has been stitched together and stuffed. I think it would be easier to add the face while it is still a flat piece of fabric before sewing it together.

She measures 13 inches and is too big to go on the tree. I'll have a go at making a smaller one next.

I haven't been anywhere today. A day at home sewing. Just got to attach the handles to the shopping bags and they will be ready. I need to get all my pictures out, they are currently wrapped up and stored, I have to decide which three to enter in the Open Exhibition at the 20 21 Arts Centre. That's going to be a difficult task, I like them all. They have to be handed in soon.

Just a quick note about comments. I am getting quite a few coming into the box on old blog posts. They all get published, (unless they are offensive or inappropriate), but just keep in mind that this blog moves on pretty quickly, and they might not be read by anyone for a long time, unless new readers choose to delve into the archives. Mind you, it's amazing that I am contacted by people asking to use my photographs from several years ago.

Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Lucky find

Hello. Just a short one tonight. I've been nattering on the phone tonight for absolutely ages. Nephew rang and it must have been almost a year since I last spoke to him, so there was a lot of catching up to do. He has a busy life with a full time job, a long commute, and three young children. I could hear them in the background. It went quiet when they went to bed.

I've been wanting another short break away somewhere before the clocks change and we have shorter days. I've searched for the right accommodation, at the place I want to be, at a price I want to pay. It's taken ages and flippin ages. At last, I found somewhere. I fancied a bit more luxury this time, not a hostel, but not so silly expensive. A nice-ish hotel. Have a look here. What do you reckon, good innit. 

Look what I found in Wilko yesterday. I was checking cat food prices, and saw a shelf with REDUCED on it, worth a look. Tester pots of paint at 10p each. Might as well stock up, you never know when you might need it, always comes in useful for those little crafty jobs. 

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

What can you do with a tin of peas

Hello. There are some days when I don't mind what I eat, as long as it's cheap and fills me up. Saying that, you won't find any meat or fish in my fridge, unless it's cheap white fish for the cats, I no longer buy ready meals either. I will sometimes splash out a bit more dosh for something extra delicious, but not very often because I can make tasty food from scratch myself. So, I buy my food on price. My meals don't always look appetizing, my aim is to eat it, not to step back and admire my handiwork. 

A while ago I picked up a dented tin of mushy peas from Tesco, maybe I ought it eat it. 

My lunch yesterday was a spud in the microwave and half of the peas. Scoff scoff, it filled my tum, and at only 15p, it was a bargain. Bags of spuds are in season and cheap at the moment.

Dinner last night was steamed sprouts, broccoli, potatoes, and an onion, topped with the other half of the peas. Another tum filler at possibly 40p, a wild guess.

This is ten shopping bags waiting to be assembled. I had a fabric sample book from the Scrapstore and took it apart. The pieces weren't big enough to make a complete bag and handles, so I have used other fabric for the handles. I don't think it will matter, the two sides will be different anyway because there is only one sample of each. Best get on with it then. Need them for the Christmas Fair.  

Thanks for all your comments on the previous post, it's good to hear that we are all on the same wavelength. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Do not despair, make it a challenge.

Hello. We wake up this morning to more doom and gloom in the press, inflation is rising and we are all going to have to pay more for the things we need to give us the life that we aspire to. But wait a minute, not everyone will suffer, those of us who understand the difference between a need and a want, will still be able to adjust our finances to get the best possible deals. We know it's all down to juggling, and from the comments I get from my readers, most of us have got it about right, so this post is not aimed at you. 

What do you do when you can't afford to buy new clothes from a High Street shop? Answer, you go to a charity shop, a car boot sale, a rummage sale, a garage sale, accept hand me downs, swap clothes with friends, look on ebay and the free sites. 

What do you do when you can't afford expensive brand name foods? Answer, you try the shop's own brand, you buy the Value and Basics labels, you shop around in different places, you get to know the prices of everything you buy on a regular basis, you look for reductions, offers, and out of date reductions. 

What do you do when you can't afford your utilities? Answer, you check how many kw's you are using per annum and go on the comparison sites and look for a better deal. You contact your present provider and ask them for a cheaper tariff. You use less gas, electricity, and water by not switching things on until it is absolutely necessary. Flick a switch, turn a tap on, it will cost you.

Petrol is going up, how can you spend less? By driving correctly, not rushing about, no harsh braking or fast acceleration. Plan your driving by what you can see ahead of you. There's been many times when I have seen a bend or a junction up ahead and have slowed down by just taking my foot off the gas, when the car in front has approached it at speed, then slammed their brakes on. Remove all the clutter from your car, more weight uses more petrol. 

Shop around for literally everything. Think about what you need, then look in different places to get the best price. Give yourself time before you sign a cheque, open your purse, or put your card in a machine. Be very aware of what you are spending your money on. Absolutely no impulse spending, go home and think about it. 

Put a little money aside every week or month, into a savings account. Doesn't have to be much. One day you will need a new washer or fridge. Your car will eventually conk out, if you have planned and saved it won't be so painful when you come to change it. I've had my car almost two years, I started saving as soon as I got it, there will be enough in the pot when I come to change it. 

If you enjoy a few extras at Christmas, start saving on January the 1st. If you like a summer holiday, have a pot for that. Write a plan on a piece of paper, you don't need fancy electronic gadgets to keep track of your money, a notebook does the same job. The miles I do for my walking challenge are recorded on a calendar, I don't need a gadget for that. Pen and paper is all you need. Keep a spending diary, record every penny you spend, look back on it often. 

All this is common sense, and a lot of you who are a similar age to myself will know what I am talking about. It's the younger people who are struggling, those that don't get the benefit of savvy parents to teach them, which I feel for. 

Right, so what do you do when you are really struggling to make ends meet? All of the above, but what you don't do is BORROW. Loan companies know people will be struggling once inflation rises and gets a grip,  they will be increasing their advertising to reel in all those who don't know which way to turn next. The sharks are waiting for the kill.

Do not fall for it. MSE is full of posts from people who are in such a mess with their finances. They know they have been living beyond their means, and know they will never have a life if they don't try and do something about it. Borrowing is too easy. Spending someone else's money is too easy. If people can't afford to pay for something, how are they going to afford the repayments? Look at the figures below, found on a random web site. Borrow £3,000 to buy a car. It takes three years to pay it back. You will have paid £5,143 to this company if you borrow from them, and you will be left with a scrap heap of a car worth nothing.   

What did I do when I started driving? I bought a battered old Bedford van for cash saved. Changed it for another slightly better van, then worked my way up with more old vehicles. I went to car maintenance classes at the college to learn how to do the basics. And at long last after years of driving around in a vehicle which I could never be sure of it getting me there, I now have a decent car. 

So, don't despair if the cost of living is going up, try and keep one step ahead. Appreciate what you already have. Find ways of staying in control, make it a challenge, don't let the buggers beat you. There is Life after Money. 

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.

Toodle pip

The cutting edge of crafting

Hello. I've found something which you crafters out there might want to have a go at. Slashing, have you heard of it? Have a look at this video,.



This is my first attempt. I decided to use black fabric, yes it is black, a fitted double bedsheet I bought from Age UK charity shop for £1. I also decided to make circles and not lines like the video. My fabric is double,  I used a large bowl as a guide for the biggest circle, drawing around it with chalk. Then added more circles using a ruler. The lines are 2cm apart. In the middle I sandwiched all kinds of scraps, then machined around the lines. Next, as the video shows, I used a small pair of scissors to slash through all layers of the fabric, leaving the bottom layer of black intact. It doesn't look much like the video, I realized I had made the lines too far apart so the coloured fabric didn't fluff up to the surface.Even after washing the slashes still didn't open up.

I trimmed the black with nail scissors to open up the slashes, that's better. Now more colours are coming to the surface.

It does look a bit like a spinning wheel, the red appears to be radiating out from the centre. That's because I used smaller pieces of fabric than the video, and laid strips from the centre towards the edge, like spokes on a wheel. I think it's best to lay fabric across the stitching rather than following the line of stitching.

I still have the black ditches between the colours but I think that looks nice.

I will have a think about what to do next. I had in mind to make a picture and frame it, but I suppose it could be made into a bag. I might add some hand stitching to it when I find the right thread.

Do you fancy having a go at this, it's quite easy. There are lots of videos showing how to do it.

I've been to have my free flu jab today, and coming up next week is my free health check.

We've just had a massive downpour, the road turned into a river. The sun is shining now so I think I'd better go and do my walk. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Mix and Match

Hello. We've had a rotten morning weatherwise, piddling it down, but now the sun is out so I am tempted to go outside. Before I do I'll post this. Every morning I use my mini chopper to prepare my breakfast. Nuts, seeds, and fruit all go in there to be smashed to bits, then added to my branflakes, with a banana on top, and strawberries if I have some.  

I always keep my eyes open for other cereals when they are reduced. The Cash and Carry is good for this, and I have also found some in Poundstretcher as well. I usually put a few of these in the mini chopper as and when I need them, but I am concerned that I may be expecting it to do too much, because the lumps are pretty hard. I don't want it to conk out through excessive wear and tear, so this morning I decided to zap two whole packets in the big Kenwood, then it will be ready to use.

These were 50p each from the Cash and Carry. They are like small fruity Shreddies.

I have double bagged them to keep them dry. Two spoons in my fruit, nut, and seed mix will be enough.

This is the rest of my breakfast ingredients, I mix and match any of these. Three types of nuts, sultanas, linseeds, and porridge oats, plus whatever fresh fruit I have, bananas, strawberries, nectarines. If I see any other types of nuts and seeds at a good price I will buy them. This is what starts my day most mornings, though now the weather is getting a bit cooler I won't be using as much soya milk, I will start making hot porridge, with all the rest added.

What's your favourite breakfast? Any good ideas that don't cost a lot of money and take only a short time to prepare it. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

What a cheek.

Hello. I have a currant stuck on my face, not a pretty sight. It ruins my flawless 67 year old skin. No, that's not quite correct, I do have a few flaws, mainly wrinkles, saggy jowls, and a scrawny neck. However, I am not going down the route of sticking needles in my face to plump up my skin with fillers. I will just have to put up with how I am. But what I don't want is this currant stuck on my right cheek.  

My doctor at our village surgery treated it earlier this year, and it went away. But then it reappeared so I went back to see him. He referred me to the Dermatology department of the Virgin Care health centre in town. I didn't know Mr Branson had medical establishments as well as running an airline. The Ironstone Centre is a brand new building and in a part of town I don't normally go to. It was very nice, the staff were nice, and the young specialist I saw was very nice.

He peered through his magnifying eyeglass to get a better look and declared that it was only a wart and nothing sinister. I said I have something similar on my arm as well, so he had a look at that. Only a wart he said. Then I mentioned that as I live alone I am unable to see my own back, and could he check it for me. He obliged and said only moles, which I knew about but thought it's best to get them checked out.

The doc said he would zap my currant with something to freeze it. I said my doctor has done that, three times and still it came back. He said, my liquid is stronger, and it will work. He got a plunger contraption off the shelf. which looked like a space gun. I closed my eyes and waited, he zapped. It felt like a thousand needles sticking in my skin. He zapped it twice, I said, yeah, kill it.

So this is the result. The currant is apparently dying and will drop off. I'll let you know when it does.

Thanks for popping in, have a nice Sunday, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Remembering Hilda

Hello. Not another yoootooob vid, had to post this. Jean Alexander who was known to millions as Hilda Ogden has passed away, aged 90. She played a big part in my growing up years, I was an avid watcher of Coronation Street, every Monday and Wednesday at 7.30pm. Everything stopped in our house, we all sat down to watch.

Jean was a fine actress, Hilda was a national institution, loved by millions. Have a nice rest now Jean, you will never be forgotten.



Back later.....

Be creative

Hello. I saw this sign in a shop window in Lincoln a few weeks ago, and immediately thought, yep, that's right, definitely agree with it. Life is about creating yourself.  

If you are lost then you took a wrong turn and you have to go back and look at things from a different angle, maybe find a better way. If you are not sure where your destination lies you could find yourself lost in a dead end, and unable to work out how you got there. Drifting along with no particular aims and ambitions and you are almost guaranteed to get lost somewhere along the way. And then what do you do? You start to question what is going to happen to you for the rest of the time you have left on this earth. You start soul searching, you begin to think, this isn't the real me, I don't know what the real me is. You ask how do I find myself? By then it could be too late, you are well and truly lost.

However, if you make up your mind that you are going to make the best of your life, the very best that you can, that's a good start to building the foundations for the life you want. We can create a timetable, create our own unique journey, create opportunities, create our own little space where we feel comfortable, and create our friends. Far better to create your own life, before someone else does it for you.  

Thanks for popping in. Have a good weekend.
Toodle pip

Hilarious

Hello. Best laugh of this year, and possibly of all time.



You've gotta titter.

Edited to include an interview with the Dutch man who made the video.



Sees you soon
Ilona

Be a bit crafty, make your own

Hello. I seem to remember someone asking about how to make the felt hearts I posted about ages ago. Well here goes, it's quite simple, maybe something to do in the run up to Christmas as these can be made with a Christmas theme. Red and green would be good colours to go for. Or indeed any shape you like, they don't need to be hearts, maybe small trees, or parcels, or snowmen. 

Most of the felt I use comes from the Scrapstore, people also give me some, and I have bought some for a couple of quid from The Works, a book and craft shop on the High street. I wouldn't buy a lot to start with, just three or four colours should be enough to mix and match, and you can get a lot of small pieces out of one square sheet. 

I make five hearts all the same so I can string them vertically or leave them single. First I make two heart templates out of a cereal box, two sizes. These can be used over and over again. They are small enough to hold between finger and thumb as you cut around the outline, I use a pair of nail scissors for this. Mine are just over two inches across. 

For each heart you will need a back and a front, so ten larger hearts, plus five smaller hearts for the front. I also sandwich another heart in between them to add a bit of thickness. This can be any scrap as it won't be visible when it is all stitched together. To make single hearts you need five pieces of matching cord or ribbon. 

The small heart needs to be embellished and added to the larger heart first to hold the pieces together and so the stitches won't be seen on the back of the finished heart. You can use any tiny beads, sequins, bits of broken jewelry that you have. You could add some embroidery, French knots, chain stitch, or cross stitch  would be nice.

These are what I have made so far. The white ones are slightly smaller and a bit rounded as I have put a tiny bit of stuffing inside. 

I do a blanket stitch when I sew the two halves together, with either a contrasting thread or matching thread. You need to trap the cord or the ribbon in the middle when stitching around the edge. Start at the top or bottom where the cord enters or leaves. Do a couple of tiny stitches at the end, and stick the needle deep inside and bring it out somewhere close to a stitch on the side, then trim.

You can thread beads in between the hearts, and on the tail at the bottom. Put a loop at the top for hanging.

Have a look in your bit box for anything you can use to embellish your hearts. Tiny buttons would be good, possibly tiny bits of plastic flowers

Hand sewing can be very relaxing, do it while watching TV or listening to the radio. The weather is horrible today so I am staying indoors and getting on with crafting. Have a go at making your Christmas decs instead of buying them.

Happy crafting. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

My new business - refurbishing boots

Hello. How about this then. The new look designer gardening boots. Everyone will want a pair like these. I'm thinking of going into the refurbishing boots business, could make quite a packet with my quirky designs. I think a price tag of around £75 will cover the cost of my time, and materials used to upcycle a pair of boots. 

Planting flowers in them was suggested by quite a lot of you. I tried it once and the flowers died. I'm not sure why because my feet are not particularly smelly. They get a wash once a month whether they need it or not, ha ha.

This quick makeover took all of three minutes, and I expect my gardening boots to last at least another couple of years. They will be great in the summer because I have incorporated a complex ventilation system in the design. You will note the open grid at the front, this enables air to enter the boot in the toes area, which then circulates around the whole foot and exits around the ankle. A blow through draught will ensure the feet are continually kept cool when other parts of the body may be sweating profusely.

I can see that there might be a problem during the winter months when the ground is sodden after a rainfall. There is a possibility that mud and water will enter the boots, which could cause some problems, like dirty socks and feet which will have to be washed upon entering the house. I will have to put my inventing cap on and come up with a solution. Perhaps two plastic carrier bags could protect them, the handles could be tied around the ankles to prevent them from slipping off. At least the plastic bags will get another use out of them.

Anyway, I am taking orders for my new boot refurbishment business. Send me your boots with the cash, sorry can't do cards or cheques, and I will do my best to give them an attractive makeover. You will be delighted with the results, if you are not then tough, like it or lump it as my mother used to say. There may be a delay in sending them back to you as I expect demand for this service will be pretty high, so do not expect miracles. If you find you need the boots quickly I suggest you go out and buy another pair to tide you over.

Now I must go and do other things, so I'll leave this with you. Admire my genius inventiveness and if you would like to have a go at boot refurbishment yourself  just send £65 in cash and I will dispatch to you a comprehensive kit which will contain everything you need to redesign your boots to a high standard like my own.

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

Why was Brenda laughing?

Hello. What is so funny about my boots? Can someone tell me why Brenda almost collapsed into fits of laughter when she looked down at my feet? 

I can't see anything wrong with them. Isn't it normal to get as much wear out of something as you can before it becomes useless and has to be chucked? These boots have served me well, I got them from a charity shop  a few years ago, about five I think. For a couple of quid, they looked decent enough to go to town in. Then when they began to show signs of scuffing they were relegated to walks around the village. No one bothers what I look like round here, they are used to me looking a bit odd.

They then became a bit loose on my feet so I thought I'd better just use them for gardening. I tie the laces like that so I can just slip my feet in and out of them without too much bending down. While in the garden I am often popping back into the house for something I have forgotten, so I don't want to be bothering with tying laces every time I wear them.

There isn't much gardening to do at the moment, but these boots are not for chucking just yet. I still have to hang the washing out, or put some waste in the bins, or water the pot plants if it doesn't rain. They will be sitting by my back door for a while yet, there is still a bit more wear left in them. I think they could do with a bit of tarting up, I may paint them lovely colours  ;o)

I'm off to the library van, I haven't seen Stan in weeks, he will be wondering what has happened to me. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon
Toodle pip

Happy with my bills

Hello me hearties. I haven't got any fresh veg left because I want to eat out of the cupboard and freezer for a few more days. I have plenty in the freezer to keep me going, seems daft to leave it in there forever and a day, it's got to be eaten sometime, might as well be now. 

Frozen chips indeed. Yes I bought a bag of these as something different, can't remember when I last bought them, that long ago I have forgotten. Yes, a bag of potatoes would have been cheaper, but I don't make real chips in a pan at home, I don't have a chip pan, and I'm certainly not doing them in a frying pan on the hob with all that oil spitting all over the place. These oven chips are cooked under the grill, turn once. Half a tin of spag hoops, and two scrambled eggs, my dinner tonight. I just fancied this and it was very nice. 

I am sorting out my spare room, aka the fabric store, plus all manner of stuff I collect because it might come in useful. It's going really well. The ladies at crafty club took some of my excess off me this morning, things I knew I was unlikely to get round to using. I've found some bits for the charity shop as well.

Three bills dropped through my door last week which will be paid tomorrow. I'm not too bothered by regular bills because I know more or less how much money they want from me. I email my gas and electricity readings in monthly, and they use these to calculate an amount. I last emailed on 25th September and the bills were dated 5th October, so there is a bit of a gap there. I see they have estimated what I have used during that gap, and they are pretty close so I am happy to pay them.

I get both gas and electricity from SSE, they are the suppliers, but my account is with Ebico, a not for profit organisation. I have no penalties for paying quarterly, and I have no standing charges. Everyone pays the same price per kwh. So, my gas bill is for £4.04, and my electricity bill is for £36.75. My electricity bill is always more than gas, probably because I have this computer on a lot. It rises slightly in the winter due to lights going on earlier.

My gas bill is obviously low in the summer months because I don't have any heating on. It will go up a bit in the winter. I think it is so low because I have been having a lot of meals which require little or no cooking. A lot of salads, and one pan meals, the shorter the cooking time the cheaper the meals are. Even a pan of veg stew made with fresh veg only takes about ten minutes on the hob, and if I use a big pan to make four portions, three of those will get heated in the microwave.

I only heat a tank of water if I am going to have a bath, why do I need to have a tank permanently full of hot water? I can boil a kettle to wash a few pots in the sink or wash my hair.

The other bill I have received is for £28.10 payable to Severn Trent Water. This covers the period from April to October, and is for surface water drainage. I will get another bill shortly from Anglia Water, it will be around £37, that's for clean water into the house, and a small amount of that will be sent on to Severn Trent for removal of dirty water through the sewers. Being on a water meter works best for me because I am in control of how much I use.

All cats are in for the night, they don't seem to want to go out much these days. Mayze spends a lot of time on my bed, she loves snuggling under the top cover, I often find a bump in the bed when I get in. Heidi is due for a vet visit later this week, we are getting to the end of her tablets. Best let the vet check her over and get some more. Bugsy is still camped out on the living room table right next to me. Boy does he yowl when I don't serve up the right food. Today they got a treat, I buy bags of cheap frozen white fish and microwave it for them. They love it.

Right, I'm off now. It's not yet 7pm and dark already. I still have to go and do my walk. I could have a day or two off but I don't want to drop behind. The extra I did last week has boosted my total, I will finish October over the target. Hope you are all keeping it up, no slacking now the weather is getting cooler. A good fast walk will keep you warm.

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

Mankinholes YH Walk. Day 3.

Hello. Are your legs aching, are your feet hurting, have you any blisters? Nope? Then good, you can walk a little further with me. After another breakfast of beans on toast with pasta left over from the night before, I was ready to set off on my third day. I checked out of the hostel putting my bags in the car, and off I went again. This time it's the orange mark on the map, so I can check the mileage later. 

Here is the Calderdale Way, lovely stone footpath to walk on, heading towards Cragg Vale. It's sunny but a bit chilly, not as windy as yesterday. 

Crossing the Pennine Way at Withens Gate.

I can't get enough of these wonderful views. Somewhere down there is the hostel.

Withens Clough Reservoir comes into view, now the wind is getting up a bit, after that climb. There is a path all the way around it, but I am only going to pass by on the north side of it. 

Isn't it marvelous that all this water will be cleaned and at some point will come through the pipework into thousands of homes and businesses. We should all be mindful about the processes that take place to give us drinking water, it's a very precious commodity and if we didn't have the infrastructure in place we would all be going to the rivers and collecting it in buckets.

I love the way the dam holds it all in, a wonderful piece of engineering.

As I left the reservoir down the track I came across a couple of workmen with a machine, digging up an underground pipe, to replace it with a new one. They had to move to one side to let a van pass, and while they waited a few minutes for the van to come back I had a bit of a natter with them. Me being the nosy one I wanted to know what they were doing. They were full of banter, especially the one sat in the digger machine. I don't think I have ever met an unfriendly Yorkshire person yet. He said he would guess what I did before I retired. Ha ha, he got it wrong of course, he said I used to be a teacher. It's funny that, because other people have guessed the same in the past. They must think because I am not afraid to talk to anyone I must have the balls to stand up in front of a room full of kids. Of course then the trucking stories come out, I said I used to carry machines like his on the back of a low loader, ha ha.

I digress, onward along the Calderdale Way. This is a big house I saw as I came to the end of the track at Cragg Vale and onto the road. Looks rather grand, doesn't it.

Next to it is this gate house. I would love to live here.

I went up the road a little way to get a couple of photo's looking down on the church and surrounding houses. It's a very small village and the houses are spread about a bit. 

The fast flowing river is down in the valley running alongside the main road above it. I took the path to the river walk, which at times was elevated to give views looking up and down. Someone's back yard, what a mess.

This walk is part of the Heritage Trail, there are several places where the water has been channeled to meet the demands of the mills that used to be here. Lots of evidence of brickworks still standing. Note the tree trunks growing through the brick wall.

The path starts to climb up above the river, and at one stage it gets quite narrow with a steep slope. Best not to look down to the right, yikes!

Phew, back down to the bottom again. Sunlight making the water sparkle, lovely.

I left the river walk at Clough Foot Bridge to get onto the road. I've still a bit more to do and time is getting on.

On arriving at Mytholmroyd I had in mind a path to the left which would take me back to the hostel. I took the first road turning on the left, which eventually petered out into a farm track. From then on it was wide tracks easy to follow. As I mentioned before there are hundreds of paths to choose from, and as time was important I stuck to well defined tracks so I wouldn't get lost. A beautiful place to sit for a bite to eat.

From then on it was easy, Kilnshaw Lane and onto the Pennine Way took me back to Mankinholes. Almost there and I remembered I hadn't done a selfie. How lucky it was that I caught up with three chaps just as we got to this bench. One of them kindly did the honours and pressed the shutter for me. 

You will note that I am wearing a skirt, I have decided that this attire is better for walking in than trousers, which make my legs hot and sweaty. Underneath I have a pair of shorts just in case the skirt blows up around my face. Trousers are alright when it is really cold, but once the legs get moving it's nice to have a bit of breeze around them. 

I arrived back at the car at 3.30pm, and after some scoff, I set off back at 4pm. Traffic was a bit heavy through Halifax and again on the M62, so I arrived home at 6.15pm.

So, with the nine miles I did on the last day, this took the total to 28 miles, and a lot of ascents. What did the three days cost? £14 for two nights at Mankinholes Youth Hostel, plus my petrol there and back, that's all. I took all my own food and didn't need to buy anything. I didn't even have an ice cream, it was too cold. There is an eatery a few minutes walk across fields from the hostel, the menu looks a bit pricey but nice if you want to treat yourself. I don't eat out because I am a slow eater, and don't want people watching me while I take ages to chomp through a meal. Self catering suits me fine.

As you know I write about my Youth Hosteling trips because they fit in with my simple and frugal life on a pension. But did you know there is another organisation which also offers cheap accommodation? The Independent Hostels have a lot of places to stay in the UK, and worth a look. Some of them are ex YHA buildings which have been bought and taken over as independent hostels. They offer much the same facilities and are similarly priced. I have been to a couple of them in the past. Have a look if you are planning a trip. Independent Hostel Guide.

Right, that's me done, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my Sunday, I hope you are too. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.