A restorative bout of nature

Thank you for the good wishes regarding Joe. It's been a while since I posted, as July and August (so far) have been punctuated with worrying hospital visits and tests. Unfortunately, he has been diagnosed with an ongoing health issue, which will never go away, so we are readjusting our lives and hoping that his employers will accommodate this. It's yet another uncertain episode in our lives and future here, just when we thought we had reached calm waters. 

To take our minds off things for a while, Jean and Brian-next-door drove us over to a nature reserve a few miles away.

We settled ourselves into one of the public viewing shacks and spent a pleasant time distracting ourselves from our day to day problems, watching the many varieties of waterfowl that occupy the lake. We were thrilled to see a kingfisher fly past the shack, not once, but twice - far too fast for me to even pick up my camera. Swans are more obliging when it comes to scenic photographs. 

Joe and I went off to investigate the smaller hut, where you can watch the little woodland birds. However, as it was a late summer afternoon, there was only one bird feeding, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.

 

Bumble bee bottoms were everywhere, as they enjoyed the giant teazels and wild growth that is growing in abundance now. 

On the viewing shack, a dragonfly and peacock butterflies soaked up the warmth from the dry wood. 

Just before we headed home, I wandered up to the top field, to capture some more views.  As usual, the Wrekin was poking its head up - it is the major landmark of Shropshire and easy to spot if you're in a central location.

 

So we go into August with some apprehension, but hoping that now Joe has a diagnosis, we can settle down into another 'new normal'.

From grey clouds to blue skies

I have been steadily working for some time, working on my first online needle felting project, which means a lot of time spent with my camera and computer. So last week I decided to get out and about, even if it was only for an hour or so. My poor bike, Marjorie, had flat tyres from languishing in the porch for months, but once they were pumped up, she was ready to go. 

 

The lane outside the cottage looks peaceful and idyllic here, but after taking this photo, a busy red car came up behind me, and a high sided lorry came up the road soon after, which is normal. So I was anxious to get onto a quieter side pathway, a mile further on.

The skies were a flood of brisk grey clouds, blowing over from the West. On the far horizon, the Shropshire hills were just visible, blue and brooding.

It was a gentle, pottering cycle ride, with many stops to take snapshots and take in the views. And rest my legs.

Autumn is the time of hedgerow treasure and I found shaggy parasols mushrooms. I have eaten these in the past, but they were so pretty I left them alone.

Brambles and hops draped themselves artistically along the road, still green as autumn has not yet changed the pallet of the countryside.

This is my favourite lane. It gently winds into the distance and slopes away uphill; I know exactly where it goes, and still it maintains a delicious mystery.

It is past harvest time and hay stacks are everywhere - some are so large that I wonder how they stand upright.

The odd thing about this lane is that I always anticipate a left hand turn to take me back to the nearby village. Yet it actually curves round so gently that before I realise I'm there, I am already in front of the imposing gates of what used to be 'the big house' of the village. It's still technically 'the big house' but is now a commercial venture. And this is where my return journey begins.

A few months ago, a large old oak tree blew down in a gale and already nature is taking over. I have a feeling this imposing fungus may be 'Chicken of the Woods', but I know it to be typically a yellowish colour, whereas this was mostly white. It was the size of a large cat. 

As I neared home, the fickle wind blew the cloud cover away to reveal a piercing blue sky.

 

Ahead and in the far distance was the blue hump of the Wrekin, which is the main view from my studio window. As the road twists and turns, it seems to be situated first to the left, then to the right, then to the left again; I like to think it is quietly shuffling around like a great, shy prehistoric creature, trying to hide unsuccessfully.

I am one of those  for whom home is never so beautiful as when I am leaving or returning to it and there, in the distance, to the right of the farm, is the dear cream wall of the cottage. A short journey, but with so much to see.

Shropshire lanes

It's been some time since I've been out, so as Joe had pumped Marjorie's tyres up, I went out for a much needed spin. 

Sunday morning is  a good time to cycle, as although the main road looks quiet here, it can be busy, especially at harvest and holiday time.

Off the main road is quieter and takes me up to better views of the far off Shropshire hills. I startled a kestrel, which took flight over my head.

I had brought out art materials, in case I felt the urge to scribble, but the light was quite flat, which makes everything too muted for my taste,  so I settled for snaps.

It was only a short spin, under two hours, what with my stopping every so often with the camera, but it was good to get out. 

The clouds were right, and in the afternoon we had rain. 

Winter walk around the lanes

One of those frosty mornings when it is obligatory to venture out to explore. I've not had much time for walking recently, but the lanes and my camera were calling.

The air was thin and clean. Although it was late in the morning, the frost was still heavy.

 Crossing the clear river Cound, slow moving and icy.

Long shadows cast by the bright winter sun as we passed an old Regency farmhouse.

Then turning back up little 'Sandy Lane', a deep and old track still frequented by large tractors and lorries. But not today.

 Swans were quietly grazing in the thawing fields.

Before dropping down to the old converted  mill, and heading back to our own little cottage, nearby, which once upon a time might well have housed a labourer who worked at the mill when it was in use, over a hundred years ago.

In search of Langley Chapel

It's been a long time since we went for a bike ride what with one thing and another. So this week we went off in search of Langley Chapel, less than four miles away. I had done my Google map research and was convinced it would be fairly easy to find, despite being in the middle of a Shropshire field. We cycled up to the small but pretty village of Acton Burnell.

 

 

Once through the village however, it all became very uphill-y and with our cycling legs being a bit rusty, there was a lot of pushing. Alright, pretty much all pushing.

As we climbed higher, the views were spectacular. This is looking across to our main town of Shrewsbury. Somewhere in there towards the right, I think.

I found a lovely roly-poly field formation for painting inspiration. There aren't that many dry stone walls in Shropshire and this picture reminds me of the dear Cotswold countryside, which is lined with them.

Joe found me a tiny cottage in a field, sadly ruined with no roof, but very sweet seen through the hedgerow. 

Anyway, we got higher and higher, in search of Langley Chapel - or even a handy signpost - until we got to a point where I knew that it became EVEN MORE hilly. And unfit as we were, we decided to turn back. Happily, it was downhill all the way to Acton Burnell. 

Now, we had seen a footpath sign in the village and wondered if we had managed to miss the chapel. So Joe went ahead and explored, and waved me to follow. He had found something.  We followed the field footpath and discovered a promising looking portico. 

However it did look familiar and as we neared, we realised it was the beautiful Catholic graveyard for the old 'big house' which we had investigated last year. Slightly daunted but determined to have one last shot, we tried another part of the footpath. Which was very pretty but showed no sign of a chapel. 

We found a few wild damsons though and jolly nice they were too, after all that exercise.

So well exercised but feeling a bit defeated, we hastened home, with rain clouds looming overhead.
 

Back home, we looked at a map and were chagrined to find that had we ventured a little further (towards the EVEN MORE HILLY bit), we would have found Langley chapel. It was about five minutes away from our turn-back point. So that's a trip for another day. Nonetheless, it was lovely to get out and explore. We may not have found Langley chapel. But we did get some exercise.