… from the lanes
Thus far July has been glorious. I want to capture these fleeting days, these colours of July. As the month opened, I walked for a while, not far from home. Sometimes, pictures are all that’s needed.
Up the hill under cerulean skies… Continue reading “The View from Here: colours of July”
I shall try to remember the message of the trees.
“Yes, the estate remains open until dusk. But I’m afraid the bluebells are almost over.” The National Trust staff member looked genuinely crestfallen that we had perhaps made a futile journey. I wondered too. Had we left it too late? Not in the time of day – I had deliberately chosen late afternoon just as the main house and gardens were closing – but in waiting so late into the spring? The bluebells have been magnificent this year; we still had plenty at home. But had I left it too late to see them in their true glory – massed amidst spring woodlands? Continue reading “The View from Here: in nature’s cathedral”
… there will be
No Dog In This House…
I acquired a canine companion on a walk recently. Bruce is a young black lab who hails from our neighbouring farm. I tried to make him return to the farmhouse but he was having none of it. He and his fellow canines do often amble between farm and farmhouse. I thought perhaps if I walked on and ignored him, he would get bored and head back. Nope. Continue reading “The View From Here is most definitely feline”
The mud maid greeted us
on our Hallowe’en hike.
Not that we were seriously hiking.
More of a Saturday afternoon stroll if truth be told.
But Heligan appears to be hauntingly beautiful
whenever we visit
and this was no exception. Continue reading “Hallowe’en at Heligan”
A single boat glides silently through the waters below me. And I ask myself: who can fail to appreciate an afternoon such as this?
These passing October days have been crisp, clear and calm. Invigorating. Life-affirming. All that was wonderful about this October was encapsulated for me one afternoon mid-month when I walked a stretch of the coastal path. Continue reading “The View From Here: Lansallos to Lantic”
Everywhere we looked offered a view and the vistas crackled with energy
If the first half of our walk can be defined as steeped in history, the second half can be defined as awash with nature. Both halves gave us views: the first of woodlands and settlements; the second of coastal grandeur. There’s no need to make comparisons: they combined to give us a wonderful day. A good walk with a dear friend, at a leisurely pace through magical scenery. What could be better! Continue reading “The View from Here: conquering the cliffs”
I wonder what thoughts were passing through her mind: what hopes, dreams and expectations. She probably didn’t huff and puff as much as I did
Karina arrived last night. A whirlwind of enthusiasm and energy, ours is a friendship of opposites. We met when she enrolled her son at the school where I taught; and in time she became a member of staff herself. When the school closed our friendship continued to blossom. I like and admire her for her forthrightness, her spirited independence and her passion. Where I am reticent in revealing my feelings, Karina wears her heart on her sleeve and can be no other way. It was a joy to welcome her to Highfield. Continue reading “Half of the Hall Walk”
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” Henry David Thoreau
We are expecting our first visitors shortly. This fact focuses the mind: two guest rooms are required. One didn’t take long at all; the other meant I needed to unpack my books, which meant B needed to secure the bookcases, which couldn’t be done until the broadband connection was moved. Continue reading “White tea and Walking books”
On crowding ferns bluebells and hazel leaves
A mid-month Friday provided the perfect opportunity to explore the bluebell woods that Roy the dahlia-grower had told me about. I set off eagerly. Continue reading “The Bluebell Woods”
I’d anticipated a spider’s web of glorious local footpaths: up hill and down dale, across field and pasture, through woodland, over streams…
Almost of the walking I’ve done since arriving here has been on our local roads. I must admit I’d anticipated a spider’s web of glorious local footpaths: up hill and down dale, across field and pasture, through woodland, over streams… Continue reading “Walking: what you learn and who you meet, from striding around your local beat”
A Corner of Cornwall 