Clarence the Pheasant

 

I just realised that although we will be in February I have not posted very much this year. So here is a photo taken from my kitchen window this morning. I call him Clarence, as that is what the lady we bought the house from called him when we saw him while viewing the house, almost a year ago. I'm assuming he is the same pheasant, but I suppose he may not be. If only he had been there at the weekend, when I was counting the birds for the RSBP bird count. I picked a bad time, as even all the usual little garden birds were not appearing, I think because it was so windy. Time to hunker down. Would a knitted pheasant be a good idea for a new project? Most likely someone has already done it.

I am crafting at the moment, but with not much to show for it. Making curtains for the living room, which is taking me such a long time. The header tape has arrived at last, so I may be nearing the end. Perhaps curtains are not that exciting, but I may post a photo here. And in the evening I am working on a pullover for myself, which may end up as a pattern. But that is also a long job, as I am only nearly at the end of the back piece.

 

 

A Change of Scene

I have been dithering about this post. This blog gives some insights into my life, perhaps a slightly edited version. But as I know I have some people who have followed me for quite a few years, I thought I would just let you know that I have moved house. You may have noticed that I have been posting much less recently, mainly because moving house is such hard work. 

If you have followed my gardening posts you will definitely notice a difference next year. The new house has a lovely garden, but I am going to be much less vegetable-based. There are some lovely shrubs and flowers, so I am going to have to learn about this sort of gardening. There is a small raised bed, but I may have to plant some of my vegetables in pots or between the flowers in the borders.

We are now in a hamlet on the edge of Dartmoor. I think it will suit us well, and I have already been welcomed with a glass of wine by my new neighbour. When I say the edge of Dartmoor, I really mean the edge of Dartmoor. I have to frequently weave my way between sheep or ponies. The photo above was taken through the front window, where the ponies like to gather, no zoom lens needed. 

Our dog is enjoying some different walks, and we are looking forward to exploring Dartmoor and the surrounding countryside, which I expect you will see reflected here.

 

Tamara Way - The Final Section

Yesterday we walked the final section of the Tamara Way. We started at Woolley, and the first part of the walk through the valley of Marsland Water was a real treat. It was lovely to be off-roads, and the woodland and river were really beautiful. I love a bluebell wood at this time of year, and there were plenty about. The route did have a few hills, as we crossed from the Devon to Cornwall sides of the valley.

As we passed through the Marsland Nature Reserve, we went a bit rogue. We decided not to follow the labelled detour because of ash-felling and also crossed the wooden bridge that was marked closed. Neither seemed a problem. Eventually the landscape opened up to a coastal one, and we decided we had to do the extra bit down to the seashore, so we could say we truly had walked coast to coast.

Pink sea thrift was very pretty.

I am not good with heights, and had originally thought I would not walk the coastal route along the cliffs. But decided it would be nice to complete the route in the book, so my husband walked back to Woolley with the dog, and my son and I continued. It turned out the height was not the problem, I think mainly because I was so tired by this point and keen to get to the end of the walk. But the steepness of the path (both up and down) made it very difficult, particularly the sections with steps. I think my knees are not what the once were. But there were some beautiful views, and I wish I had taken a few more photos.

Eventually we turned inland and could see the church and vicarage at Morwenstow, so thought our journey was almost over. But one more adventure. The last field we had to pass through has some very frisky cows, who started to run to meet us. Perhaps to say "charge" would be an exaggeration. There was also a big brown bull, who seemed less interested in us, but looked very imposing. I dived under the barbed wire fence into some nettles, and although my son tried to persuade me they were just curious, we did the last section in the woodland. We joined up with our path, and as we walked up to Morwenstow were treated to a large deer crossing our path. Morwenstow churchyard and church were lovely, and I should have photographed them, but instead we hurried up the hill to The Bush Inn, where my husband was waiting for us with a cold drink. We also decided to have supper there (which was very good) as we watched the sunset. The end of this adventure, we will have to start planning another one.

Tamara Way - Lower Tamar Lake to Woolley

Getting near the end of our long walk. We started at Lower Tamar Lake today, and here is a picture of Upper Tamar Lake, which as you can see was looking glorious in the sunshine. The lower lake is more of a nature reserve, and the upper lake for activities. Even though we had only walked about a mile we stopped at a very nice cafe for an icecream, to give us a bit of energy for the remainder of the walk.

The next bit of the walk was through rural land, with a lovely view looking back to the lake at one point. Our next point of interest was when we reached the River Tamar again. Now it is a small stream. Our route crossed it at Youlstone Bridge, and we knew that this was the last time we would see it. Very hot today, so the dog had a dip, and we had a picnic on a little space next to the river.

And then onwards until we got to the plaque which marks the source of the river.

I was quite interested to see a Neolithic long barrow, which we passed near the junction with the A39. I find this sort of thing really interesting.

And eventually we arrived at Woolley, and decided that was where we would end today's walk. One more section to go, and hopefully we will be able to finish the walk at Easter, with my daughter along as well.

 

Tamara Way - Launcells Barton to Lower Tamar Lake

It has been a bit of a gap since our last walk, but we have done another section of the Tamara Way today, and are pretty sure that two more days walking will get us to the end.

We picked up the route again at the church at Launcells Barton, and once again didn't go in the church, as we had the dog with us. The churchyard was a beautiful mass of primroses and dafodills. 

Quite a steep walk up the hill, and then a bit of confusion about our route through some fields. We were happy to see the River Tamar again at Moreton Mill, and surprised that is still a sizable river. There was then a long stretch along the Bude Aqueduct, where we passed a friendly group of volunteers clearing the undergrowth. This is a disused canal, but is a great route for walkers, and our dog enjoyed some off lead time.

And before we knew it we had reached the Lower Tamar Lake, where a friendly couple who were filling up birdfeeders helped us with our route, and told us about some of the wildlife there. Beavers have been introduced, and there are some bird hides. It seems like it deserves another visit to walk the whole way around.

 

Tamara Way - Bridgerule to Launcells Barton

It has been quite a while since our last walk on the Tamara Way. We are getting a bit further from home now, so it is taking a bit more organising. But today we kicked off again from Bridgerule. My husband headed off to Widemouth Bay with the dog, and we arranged to meet up later at the end of our walk.

It was very nice to catch some glimpses of the sea, and despite my idea that we just head to the coast and say we have walked from south coast to north, my son is determined that we do the walk properly. The view above was so much more dramatic than it looks in my photo. We had just climbed a steep hill after Hobbacott Farm, and I was enjoying having a rest.

We ended today's walk at Launcells Barton, where the route now doesn't go near the house, which seems to have become a wedding venue.  We enjoyed seeing the church in the evening light, and St. Swithin's Holy Well below. Reading our Tamara book it sounds like the church would have been interesting to look around, so this is our plan for the beginning of the next stage.

 

Wild Flowers - An Education

I sort of consider that I have a fairly good knowledge of wild flowers, but this week I have had a bit of an education in more than one way. This tiny flower above is all over the place at the moment - in hedgerows, growing out of walls. And it has been frustrating me not knowing what it is. I have several wild flower books, and despite leafing through them several times, it is only this morning that I have worked out that this is the navelwort or pennywort, so named because the dimple on the round leaves looks a bit like a navel. My book says it is found more in the west of Britain than the east, which might be why I had not come across it before.

The second part of my flower eduction is a bit more serious. My daughter was down here for a while, and just before getting her train asked if I would pick a few wild flowers. So I rushed out and picked a few buttercups, red campions, one of my special oxeye daisies, and what I thought was a bit of cow parsley. Off she went with her flowers held together with string and newspaper. A few days later my husband was out with his strimmer, and came in and started pouring over his laptop. "That flower on the slope isn't cow parsley he announced, but hemlock!" The flower a bit similar, but a much bigger plant with a distinctive spotty stem. Well we are all okay. I was slightly more worried for him, as he had been strimming near the plant, and spent the evening asked him if he felt alright. I also can't believe I sent my daughter off with a bunch flowers from the most poisonous plant in the UK. She is fine too, and I guess we have all learned something.

Tamara Way - Lifton to Boyton

Another section of the Tamara Way, and this time we decided to get a few more miles under our belts. It was the perfect day for walking - sunny but with a slight breeze. All of this section of the walk was on lanes, so no muddy patches, but also meant we decided not to bring the dog, as she loves being off-lead for at least some parts of a walk.

As you will see it was very much a leg for seeing animals. These mares and foals were having a lovely time just before we crossed the River Carey at Heale Bridge in the picture below.

We enjoyed this view of Launceston Castle, making us realise we were not really far from home, although once we had crossed the A388 it really felt very rural and quite remote.

At Crossgate my son made friends with this young cat - he is a "cat whisperer" as they always seem to like him.

A little later we surprised a fox crossing a field, but I was not quick enoough with my phone. And then we met these ladies, who were very curious about us.

It was nice to see the River Tamar again, which was much smaller than when we last crossed it at Horsebridge. For a while as we were walking near it we saw a lot of dragonflies and damselflies. Really beautiful blues.

Finally as we were approaching Boyton we passed a field with some lovely sheep and lambs, in with some cows with calves. These three were very confident and seemed to want to be photographed.

We waited for my husband by the Methodist Church in Boyton, where there was a very welcome bench.

Tamara Way - Kelly to Lifton

Our final part of this stage, and this time I had my son, daughter and dog for company. My husband tells me that each section we walk less distance, but I say we are trying to maximise the enjoyment. He is right though, and I think it is partly because we are getting very close to where we live. At the start where we had quite a long journey to the walk, it felt like we should do the maximum amount of walking we could. After this section we are north of our home, and hopefully we will start to have that mind set again.

Setting off from Kelly we passed through fields of sheep. When we got near the woodland, which was very beautiful, but the path was extremely muddy.

More fields and sheep, and we found the snack hut at Turchington, which was very welcome. From here we could look across the valley, and although we couldn't see our house which is in trees, we could spot all the fields around it.

 

The walk down hill to the River Lyd was very welcome. Here is a view as we crossed Lifton Bridge, and another of St. Mary's Church.

My husband was waiting for us at the car park of the Arundell Arms. I had the idea that we could stop there for coffee, but we were in quite a muddy state, so we headed home.

Tamara Way - Horsebridge to Kelly

 

A nice day, so we decided to do the next section of the Tamara Way walk. We seem to be walking shorter distances, but feel by doing it in short sections we are maximising the enjoyment. Setting off from Horsebridge, we were mostly on country lanes, and heading away from the River Tamar. There was a lovely view back across the valley towards Kit Hill.

 

We passed the entrance to the Endsleigh House Hotel, and also to the Endsleigh Garden Centre, which has closed recently. It was a lovely place to poke around for plants, so we are sad it has gone.

 

I am slightly obsessed with lambs, and also with the idea of photographing one mid-leap. We passed through a field of very friendly sheep and lambs, but I still did not manage to get the photo I want.

 

We then got to Milton Abbot, which we frequently drive through, but have never approached from this angle. It is a really interesting village, with much of it designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in the arts and crafts style. (He also built much of New Delhi, The Cenotaph, Castle Drogo and Lindisfarne Castle.) We sat and ate our picnic lunch in a playground next to the church, and then on our way.

House designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens

Continuing up the hill we passed through a field with some cows. I am a little nervous of cows, just because of their size, and these ones seemed very interested in us. So some speedy walking across the field, but another lovely view of Kit Hill looking back.

 

Not much further on, and just one more field of cows passed through, and we arrived at Kelly. I think I would describe Kelly as a hidden gem. We visited the weekend before, as I wanted to have a look around the Poison in the Garden. I may have a dark sense of humour, but found the labels on the plants so funny. A few plants would cause skin irritation, but so many ending up with coma or death. Of course there are the obvious plants, like yew, laburnum and lords and ladies, that most people know as poisonous, but who knew that so many other plants could cause you harm. So however peckish you are, just don't be tempted by the daffodils or bluebells. Last weekend we finished our visit with a lovely cup of tea with cake in the garden, and it really felt like Spring had come.

Tamara Way - Stage 3 Part 2 Calstock to Gunnislake New Bridge

The next part of my walk with my son on the Tamara Way started at Calstock. It was a lovely day, although in places a bit muddy underfoot, but at least it felt like spring has finally come. Lots of primroses, wood anenome, dafodils and wild garlic in places - none of which I photographed.

The first part of the walk out of Calstock next to the flood plain was also lovely, with lots of water birds, which I also didn't photograph, so you will just have to believe me. We stopped at these lime kilns, at Okel Tor Quay, and then climbed the hill past Okel Tor Mine.

As we headed up the hill we saw a train going up to Gunnislake, and then a bit later, after crossing the line at the level crossing, we heard what we assumed was the same train coming down, although by then we were above the line and couldn't see it. Up the top of the hill we passed Calstock Church, and the site of a Roman fort. 

We then had a lovely walk through countryside, until we returned to the river. It was interesting to pass the Tamar Manure Canal, and then the weir, which we had not seen before as we are usually up on the main road. Finally made it to New Bridge, where my husband turned up with perfect timing to pick us up.

 

Linoprinting at Home

I had a lovely time with my daughter at Easter doing some more linoprinting. She did all the creative work on these prints, but I was there with my burnishing spoon. She based the design on some very old photo of my husband and son. The photos were not really great, and had not even made it into an album, but I just love the prints she made from them, I think really because of the subject matter. The ones with the feet resting on his shoulders may be a little bit odd, so my favourite is the hug.

Fashion Project Bag

My daughter had her eyes on a bag that I use for my knitting, to take as a project bag for college. But I didn't want to let it go, so said I would make her one of her own. Looking back at my blog it is hard to believe that I made the original bag over 10 years ago. I guess it is doing fairly well, as I use it a lot.

I was hoping to find some heavy weight denim for the new bag, but my local sewing shop didn't have this, but did have two lovely pieces of linen in the remnants bin, which were the perfect size. Like the last time I made this bag the sewing was not too difficult, and the biggest job was ironing interfacing on to every piece. I have now realised what the term "bagging out" means.

Knowing it is off to fashion college, I took a lot of care with my sewing. This time I have got the pockets the right way round, so this time it is a reversible bag. Photo below just to prove this. Last time my cat decided to have a nap in the bag, so I wonder if she will do the same with this one before I mail it off.

 

Lots of other lovely patterns in this book, so I may have a go at another style of bag.

Babysuit and Hat

I've been knitting baby clothes, as my niece has had a new baby, and my nephew and his wife are also expecting. I thought I would have a go at knitting an all-in-one babysuit. I've not done this before, and am thinking I might have a go at a pattern. It was really quite a quick knit, and with wool left over I decided I would make a hat to go with it.

But what to do if you don't have a baby model? My first two models were considered a little creepy by my family, especially the doll. And although my cat was very patient, she does look a bit fed up. I did think a grapefruit might be good or even one of the pumpkins in my veg plot might work, but in the fourth picture I just padded out the hat with some tissue paper.

I've worked out this hat in three sizes, so there will be a bit more knitting before I publish the pattern. 

But this morning I got a photo of the perfect model!