Supermarket meander

A bit late tonight, I've been to Tesco to do a big food shop, just realised I forgot the soya milk, never mind, I have enough for a week, then I'll eat porridge. Some yellow stickers were found. 

Here's the full list.
2 boxes of Bran Flakes 88p each
3 tins of baked beans 24p each
6 tins of rice pudding 15p each
2 tins of peaches 35p each
1 jar pickled onions 30p
1 carton apple juice 65p
1pt milk 59p
1 Danish blue cheese £1.00
1 plain yogurt 45p
Flavoured yogurt (6) £1.00
Six eggs £1.00
1 packet walnuts £2.20
1 packet ground almonds £2.09
1 seeded loaf £1.00
1 frozen sweetcorn 99p
1 frozen broccoli £1.00
1 frozen peas £1.00
1 frozen cauliflower £1.00
1 pkt frozen veg sausages £1.00
Tomatoes (5 fruits) £1.00
Fresh broccoli 49p

Yellow stickers
4 bags bananas (26 fruits) 21p total
1 swede 1p
2 bags of 1kg carrots 1p each
1 bag braeburn apples (5 fruits) 2p
2 bags parsnips 18p total
1 bag mushrooms 14p
2 packs prepared mango 20p each
Yes the prices were really that low, it was gone 9pm and it was a last ditch attempt to get rid of them before they were chucked. .

For the cats
8 tins Gourmet on offer £3.00
1 box pouches £2.50
4 tins tuna fish 49p each
1 pack sliced roast chicken £1.75

Total shop £28.96.

I don't normally buy frozen broccoli and cauliflower, thought I would give them a try. Danish blue cheese was on offer, only buy it occasionally. Not had flavoured yogurts for a long while, a treat. No reduced bread tonight except a couple of white loaves. I don't eat white bread so I paid full price for a seeded brown loaf. Trying the Value veg sausages to see if they are like the more expensive brands. I will be giving some of the bananas away, share with a friend, and making up the carrots, swede, and parsnips into curries and stews and freeze them in portions. I managed to ignore the cakes and biscuits. And I gave away a couple of home made shopping bags to two very happy ladies.

That's all for now. It's midnight and I'm off to bed. Goodnight.

My friend

My friend and I went bird spotting today. Wonder what they are? 

 We sat in the hide looking out over the marshes.

He doesn't like the sun in his eyes  :o))

Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

Dead cheap hairdo

Hi. This is my new summer hair colour. I was getting a bit bored with mousy brown, wanted to lighten it a bit. Not blonde blonde but a few shades lighter. I bought a £1 colour from Home Bargains, used it all on the one application, didn't bother to split it, dead cheap hairdo anyway, at only £1. Looks fine for a DIY job. I don't bother blow drying it, just run my fingers through it and let it dry naturally. I like the messed up look, ha ha. 

I had a knock at the door this morning. A lady has just moved to the village and needs a dog walker, as she can't take her big dog out herself. She had enquired at the kennels and was given my details as a possible. You see, people have noticed that I walk dogs. What they don't know is that it is just a hobby, to get me out and give me exercise, and to help out friends as and when required. This lady needs someone once a day, Monday to Friday, something I am not willing to commit to. However, I do know a professional dog walker who does come every day to walk two dogs. I said I will look out for her and pass the details on.

I had an hour to spare this afternoon so I got on my bike and went to meet the dog. She is an alsation/lurcher cross called Mishka. I took her for a walk to see how she was on the lead. She was no trouble at all, didn't pull but walked very fast, and was great around other dogs. I will keep my eye on the house where the dog walker visits, and try and get her details for the new lady.

Twas the Craft Club this morning, and I seem to have volunteered myself to finish off the banner for our stand at the village fete. Don't know how that happened. Everyone was give a letter to make and this morning they all brought them to the meeting. Now all I've got to do is stitch them onto the banner. I reckon  that a nice border around the edge would make it a whole lot better. I'd better get on with it.

Yesterday one of the organisers for the fete asked me if they could display my artworks in the church, the car body panels. Of course I said yes. That will be nice. I can see that I will be busy over that weekend. What with our cat rescue stall, the chat and craft stall, and I have to walk Bailey the poodle. I will be very busy, but it will be fun. It's on the 6th and 7th of June by the way, if you were thinking of coming. Hope you can. Email me for details :o))
Have to go. Toodle pip.

Craft in St Mary's Church.

Good morning. The first job on my list of jobs to do is to post these photo's taken in the church at Thirsk. I love it when you walk into a church and there is a tapestry hanging on the wall. This one certainly has the 'WOW' factor. A joint effort from the crafty people of Thirsk, it depicts all the important landmarks in the town and surrounding area. I didn't photograph the whole thing as I wanted to get up close to show how much work has gone into it. Each individual stitch lovingly added, covering the whole of the canvas backing. The edges have been rag rugged which makes a colourful frame for the whole thing. 

There was a craft display in the church also. This amazing cake caught my eye, love the vibrant colours. Heidi has a web site, you can see more of her creations here.

There were some pictures featuring very intricate beaded embroidery. 

If you want to know more, This is a good site to read up about Thirsk. It has a live web cam pointing at the area around the Clock Tower, and a short video about the Herriot Museum. I hope you have enjoyed my little trip 'up north', Yorkshire certainly is a beautiful county.

Must keep busy and tick off a few jobs on my 'to do' list. Enjoy your Sunday. Toodle pip.

A day out in Thirsk

Good morning. It's looking like it will be a beautiful day, predicted to be hot hot hot. This morning I was back on the 5k Parkrun, didn't break my record, but as long as I am around the 35 minute mark I'm happy with that. I think the heat affected a lot of people, I noticed a lot more walking than usual. There was a good turnout, we regularly get 250+ runners taking part. Everyone is so friendly, I made time to chat to a few people. 

I've got some pics from my day out yesterday. I will split them into two posts, the second post being all the pics taken inside the church. They had a craft and art exhibition and it was really interesting. So, to start off, I met my sis and her hubby in the Wetherspoons pub, The Three Tuns. They arrived before me and had already sussed out where we were going to eat. They liked the look of The Golden Fleece, and it is recommended in The Good Food Pub Guide. 

Me and B I L about to step inside. I have a new sun visor, it's got half a union flag on the front. It was a 50p cap but I cut the middle out so I only have half the flag. 

Before the food arrived we noticed that there were two separate parties of ladies in an adjoining room, celebrating birthdays. I couldn't resist going up to them and asking who's birthday it was. Also introducing myself and saying it was my birthday as well. Cheeky git that I am, ha ha. The first lady was older than myself, then when I went to the second table and announced that I was born on the 16th of May 1949, I was absolutely amazed that the lady who was celebrating said she was also born in 1949, exactly the same day. How fantastic was that, we are twins. Another lovely surprise.  

Sis and B I L had the chicken, I had mushrooms and pasta with cheese. It had a fancy name but I can't remember what it was. It tasted absolutely delicious. The plate was piled high, I could only manage half of it as we had already had a prawn cocktail starter. 

I asked the staff if I could take the remainder home as I hate to see food wasted. They produced a plastic tub, and I had to sign a disclaimer saying I was taking it off the premises. That's to cover them in case I later reheat it and get food poisoning. I am pleased to say I finished it off when I got home, and I am still alive :o))

Me posing for a picture in the lounge of the Golden Fleece.

The clock tower in Thirsk Market Place. A lot of traffic goes through this town, which is a shame really. Parking is very reasonable if you want to stop to pick up a few bits of shopping. Free for one hour, 60p for two hours. The parking spaces are cobbled, and there are seating areas. We had an ice cream and sat and people watched, a favourite hobby of mine, ha ha. 

I spotted this dinky little old fashioned cinema, isn't it lovely. I had picked up a leaflet from Tourist Information, showing places of interest and suggested walks, so we did a little tour. We didn't go in the Herriot Museum because it cost £8.50 to go in, and no concession for pensioners. Someone told us about a small free museum in the same street, but by the time we had found it, it was closed. It was very small, like a terraced house, and hard to spot.

Look at this beautiful church. St Mary's occupies a prominent position and as soon as you see it from a distance you feel drawn towards it. There was an exhibition inside, I will post the photo's tomorrow.

There are several bridges which cross Cod Beck, some are road bridges, then there are pedestrian bridges. This is the one at Sluice Gate. 

A couple more shots of the Market Place.

Cars, cars, everywhere. Apparently there has been a bit of an upset in the town because some much loved trees in the Market Place have been cut down. Someone was collecting signatures for a petition, presumably to ask for new trees to be planted. I spotted a council chappie walking around with a clipboard looking at some plans. Me being nosey, asked about the trees. He said they had plans for improving the pedestrianised area, the benches in front of the chip shop and greengrocers were going to be moved to the edge and a new surface laid. He didn't mention if any new trees were going to be planted.

I had a fabulous day out, met some friendly people, and thanks to my sister and B I L for treating me. And thank you all for your kind Birthday wishes, they are the icing on the cake. I'm off outside now, too nice to be in. Staying at home for the rest of the day, going to enjoy my garden. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

What a surprise !

I'm off out today to meet Sis and hubby, I thought I will have a quick look on the computer to check comments before I go. WHAT A SURPRISE. Cakes on the google screen. I thought it must be somebody's birthday, somebody famous, oooh, I wonder who I share it with? Let's have a look.

It's for me. That's made my day. How chuffin fandabidozi. 

Catch you later. Have a nice day. The sun is shining and I'm going to have a fab day out. 

Ilona xxx

Let me show you round my garden.

How would you like a tour of my garden, just the flowers. Don't ask me the names, I haven't a clue. These are big red ones, like puff balls. 

These pink ones are tall and floppy and need to be supported with a cane.

They are close to the back door.

And a purple variety as well.

Little white flowers in an evergreen hedge. I planted lots of evergreens when I moved in, don't like things dying off and leaving big gaps.

The crimson lilac smells lovely, yes, I know the name of that one, it's a lilac bush, more like a tree actually, quite tall. Pity it's at the bottom of the garden behind the greenhouse.

Little yellow flowers are sprouting up everywhere. Places where they shouldn't be. They don't last long, I pull the plants up when they have finished flowering.

This is in a pot, it would do better in the ground. Might move it if I can find a space.

Different shades of green, some with yellow leaves. 

This bush has big spotted leaves. The new growth is more yellow than the green leaves underneath. I trim this so it doesn't grow too big.

Tiny white flowers on another evergreen bush.

Ooops, a rogue dandelion amongst the blue flowers.

These little pink flowers are close to the edge of the lawn, and often get mowed. No wonder their numbers are declining. 

I have a really big lilac tree in the back garden. Lovely while the flowers are out, but not so attractive when they start going brown.

These little purplies are everywhere, I think they are a weed as the plant is like a creeping ivy, it swallows up everything around it. I have to be brutal and pull a lot of it up or it spreads everywhere.

My lawn is full of daisies. I don't mind, they look pretty, till I chop them off. They soon come back.

As you can see all in the garden is rosy. There was hardly anything in it when I moved in. I planted a few bushes and scattered a few seeds, now every year the flowers come back, and the evergreens have filled out the borders. Just how I like it, trim the bushes, mow the lawns, pull a few weeds out.
Toodle pip.

Message for Maz

Hi Maz. Short notice I know, but can you meet me in Thirsk on Friday? I have arranged to meet my sister there. Can you recommend a good cheap eatery, as we will want lunch? Leave a comment here with your contact details, mobile so I can text, or landline to ring after 7pm. And if anyone else wants to come along you will be most welcome. Not staying overnight, just for the day.
Ilona

Nice to be invited

I got myself tarted up a bit today, I scrub up well if I can be bothered to make an effort. The Forest Pines Hotel is a pretty swish place and it wouldn't do to go in anything less than smart. I was invited to a friends and family gathering, to meet my friends daughter and grand daughter, who have flown over from Canada so the family can meet the new baby. I didn't think it was right to put their pics on here, so sorry, there are no baby photo's, you'll have to make do with the hotel instead. It's a big place with a big golf course attached to it. It's not a place I go to regularly, maybe once every five years, and only if I am invited to a 'do'. 

I took the opportunity to combine the outing with a bit of shopping. I have hardly any food left in the house, and I'm scraping the bottom of the fridge and cupboards to produce some meals. Morrisons is on the other side of town so I popped in there. Found a few yellow stickers, but most of what was on offer wasn't reduced enough. I wanted bananas but they only had large green ones, and I like small yellow ones, so I passed on those. Cathedral City cheese was on offer at £2 so I bought one, also Dutch tomatoes at £1, free range eggs, cabbage, and lettuce.

My bus pass runs out tomorrow so I called in the office next to the bus station to renew it. The man asked if I wanted to use the same photo. As I have changed a lot in the last five years, and I never liked the photo anyway, I opted for a new one. It's all very quick, tap a few keys on the computer, click the camera, all done in a couple of minutes. The pass will come in the post on Friday.

On the way back I stopped at Aldi to get the bananas. If I search through all the bags on display I can usually find a bag with nine in for 68p. I also bought potatoes, melon, soft cheese, broccoli, cream crackers, and mushrooms. These should keep me going for a few days.

My favourite vet programme is back on Channel 4, anyone watching Supervet? Noel Fitzpatrick is a saint, he cares so much about his patients and their owners. He is a wonderful gorgeous man. If you haven't seen it yet, watch it with this link. (possibly UK only). You will need a box of tissues.

Watch how he fits a cat with two new bionic feet.


Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

Inspiring you to walk

Hello. I've gone through your comments again and picked out the questions which need a reply.
Linda asks, 'What is through the archway to the hotel, in South Cave?' I didn't take any pictures because I didn't have time and I have been there before. If you look at this post you will see the hotel and the pond in the extensive grounds.

Mary asks, 'Which of my walks have I enjoyed most?' Difficult to pick one out, Mary. There's been good and bad parts in all of them. No particular one stands out as the best. I liked the excitement and challenge of the first one, Blackpool to the Humber Bridge, but the last day of 30 miles was a killer. The River Trent walk was the easiest because the B & B's were booked in advance. The downside was walking to a timetable. Morecambe to the Humber Bridge was the longest at 162 miles, and passed through some beautiful Yorkshire countryside. The North East Tyne to the Humber was the most varied, passing through industrial areas as well as the coast and moors.

Lori asks, 'What is an AA box?' The Automobile Association is a recovery service, you pay a membership fee and they come and rescue you if your car breaks down. In the early days, before mobile phones, they had AA boxes all over the country, and the members had a key to unlock the door. Inside was a telephone, so you could call someone for help. Nowadays everyone has a mobile so the boxes are no longer needed.

Kathy asks, 'What has been my favourite part of the walk?' After the Yorkshire Dales and villages, it is the nice people I have met. Everyone is friendly when you travel alone with a rucksack.

Anon asks, 'I should have asked for sponsors for the cat rescue charity?' I love it that people want to help, but at the moment we have enough money to cover our costs. We collect bricabrac to sell at car boot sales and events. Of course if anyone offers money we would gratefully receive it, but I am not happy about asking people for sponsorship knowing that they may be struggling to survive on their income. No one should feel obliged, or be made to feel guilty if they are unable to afford to give to charity. I feel quite strongly about that. Also, I do not donate myself to any request of sponsorship via 'Just Giving'. I do not put my bank or card details into a web site, I don't trust it, so I wouldn't ask anyone else to. If I want to give to charity I give cash locally or send a cheque through the post. Thank you to those who would like to sponsor my walks, I would be happy if you gave a small donation to your local charity, but only if you can afford it.

Gam Kau asks, How heavy is my rucksack?' Sorry I don't know, I haven't weighed it  Heavy ish.

Janey asks for a map of the track I took? I am not technically minded enough to transfer all that information to the blog. I do a rough check of the daily and total miles on a web site called Bikehike, and when I have finished the walk I check exact miles. I could take screenshots from there but it would take hours to do that. 158 miles of walking covers a lot of maps, I could photograph them but you wouldn't get much detail.

Anon asks about hostels. Sleeping arrangements, privacy and security. Hostels have mainly dormitories from four beds to twelve beds. Some now have private double and family rooms. There isn't much privacy if you share a dorm if it is full. Some have en suite, but most are separate shower and toilet facilities. But hey, all girls together, nobody bothers. Some hostels have lockers in the dorms, which are lockable, you need to take a small padlock and key. Those without lockers you keep all your valuables on your person. I use a bum bag and a money belt.  Take a look at Kettlewell Hostel to give you an idea.

Gail asks, 'How do I plan my walk?' First I start with an idea, where do I start and where do I finish. My first ideas were train across the country, walk back. Did that three times. Follow the river from where I used to live to where I live now. River Tyne to the River Humber, some coastal walking. I tend to stick to Midlands upwards. I would like to walk further south, but it would mean two days travelling. When I have the idea I borrow maps from the library and lay them out on the floor, and study them. Looking for footpaths, towns and villages where I might find a bed. Then check distances between places. When I have worked out a possible route I usually go to this site and print out the maps I need. A tip if you use this, change print options to Landscape. I bought some OS maps for this last walk, but not all of them, because I wanted more detail for the Yorkshire Dales. If you are in an area where a lot of footpaths meet you need a clear detailed map. No, I don't use an ipad, or any electronic maps. If you do use these you still need paper maps if you are travelling over long distances. Squinting at a small screen is not the easiest way to work out a route over twenty miles. And it will need charging up.

I hope that has clarified a few points, thanks for asking. I'm pleased to read that some of you are inspired to try some walking, no matter how short the distance to start with, you can always build on it. If it is a nice day, get off the bus a few stops early and walk for 20 minutes. When I travel on a bus I am amazed at how close together the bus stops are. Yes, lots of stops are needed for people with mobility problems, but young able bodied people could easily walk a bit further. Sometimes I come back from town on the afternoon bus full of college students. I often get off at the other end of the village and finish the journey on foot.

Must go, things to do. Toodle pip.

Spending time with family

Hi. A quick post tonight. I've been out for the day, visiting family at Nottingham. Lovely to see Auntie, cousin 1 and her son, cousin 2 and her fella and new daughter. We went through all the old photo's, remembering  family members, some black and white photo's from way back, reminiscing about the past. Lovely to look back.

I didn't take any photo's, but cousin 2 is a singer.



Here is a pic of her, a lovely fun loving girl.

Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip

What next?

Oooops, I've just noticed that I said on yesterday's post I would catch you tomorrow. It's tomorrow now and I haven't anything prepared, so maybe I'll just ramble on a bit. Sorry, been a bit busy on forums, putting photo's and trip report on the Walking Forum.

In between showers I put the cane supports in to hold the broad bean plants upright. Then I went through the pots which have shown no signs of any seeds germinating, tipped them all out and started again with more seeds. Sometimes I over water things, sometimes under water, and nothing happens. I am not an expert at vegetable growing, make many mistakes, just keep trying, sow more seeds than I actually need, just so I get a few coming up.

Long chat on the phone to my sister today, she is going on holiday soon in the caravan. Chat on the phone to Aunty in Nottingham, going for a visit tomorrow to see new baby. Not her new baby, her daughter's new baby. My second cousin, I think. Chat on the phone with my friend tonight, as well.

Seems strange being back home. I look around me and think, what shall I do next? Well I could do this or I could do that, it's not like I have to do anything really. Not like walking from A to B, get up, eat breakfast, pack rucksack, put on boots, set off. At a bit of a loose end really. No doubt I'll get back into the swing of things in a day or two. Get organised, maybe carry on with the sewing. Craft Club on Monday. Been invited out for lunch on Tuesday. Dog walking on Wednesday, and Thursday. Go and see Helen in the house.

It's all coming back to me now, my life before the long walk. Yes, must get organised. Don't think I will be doing another long walk though, not just yet. I need to do something different. Long walks are becoming a bit samey, need a new idea, a new challenge. Hmmm, something to think about. What next? I fancy a bus pass trip, that might be fun. Just set off with no destination in mind, go where the buses take me. Could work, maybe.
Toodle pip.

Day 9. Culgaith to Penrith. 3 hours, then home

I said goodbye to Shiona and Mike this morning after breakfast at Shepherds Croft B & B. I can highly recommend this place for a comfortable overnight stop. My room was immaculate and I was made to feel very welcome. Check out their web site if you are planning on visiting the Lakes or the Yorkshire Dales, or looking for a stop off on the way to or from Scotland. 

I set off at 9.30am, the weather looked overcast but it wasn't raining, so I didn't put my waterproofs on. Lucky me, I only came across ten minutes of rain as I came to the A6, and I was able to keep reasonably dry with the umbrella. I crossed over the A66 trunk road, and took a minor road through Whinfell Forest. There is a Centre Parcs holiday village here, can you see the log cabins through the trees.   

Heading towards Penrith on a minor road from Cliburn, there is a Zoo marked on the map on the left hand side. As I passed it I thought the entrance doesn't look very appealing, a bit scruffy in fact. No time to stop and visit anyway. Just out of curiosity I looked at the reviews on Trip Adviser, oh dear, a lot are not very complimentary at all. The main complaints seem to be that the animals are kept in dirty cramped conditions. To be fair some people like it, especially those with young children. Apparently it is more an animal sanctuary than a Zoo and is run entirely on donations.

On the outskirts of Penrith now, nearly there.

I didn't have time to look around the town, Mike had found the time of the train for me, and I arrived ten minutes before it left, so pretty good timing. Opposite the station is the castle. 

That's it then, all done and dusted. 158 miles in eight days and three hours. I'm quite chuffed with my achievement.

The train from Penrith was pretty full, then when we got to Lancaster loads more people piled on and it was packed. I changed at Manchester, and the train to Hull had plenty of empty seats, Puddytat had one all to himself. From Hull I hopped on a bus, and was picked up in the next village. The bus doesn't go through my village.

Now I need to relax and chill. I think I'll give the Parkrun a miss tomorrow, ha ha. I have a new blister on my right heel so I will be hobbling around for a day or two. The pusscats were delighted to see me. The garden needs a bit of attention so I'll get on with that tomorrow if it doesn't rain. The broad beans need some support canes putting in.

I'll have a look through all your comments, because questions have been asked, I will answer them in a post. Thank you to everyone who has been spurring me on, I greatly appreciate your support. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.