The Wash...at last

I'm heading to what has been described as the back of the back of beyond tomorrow. I've long since wanted to visit The Wash area of East Anglia as although I have been to the Lincolnshire Coast near Boston, the flat sea bank along the Cambridgeshire Fens holds a particular fascination. Despite my declared love of the hills, the wide open sea-scapes of the flat lands, with endless horizons, expansive skies and restless waves also prove to be a temptress, not merely as an echo of my childhood on the Fylde coast but a window into my own nomadic soul

Banana and Rhubarb Muffins

We cut our first harvest of rhubarb today and there was enough to make both a crumble (well what would YOU make?) and something else!  Discover a ripe banana in the fruit bowl and what to make?  A little investigative work on t’interweb and I found a recipe for banana and rhubarb muffins. Perfect for taking on our walk tomorrow and perfect for soothing my persistent itch to bake.  I’m always satisfied by the alchemy of baking; mix a few disparate ingredients together, add heat and produce a magic result. And in my case, delicious banana and rhubarb muffins! Result!

Banana and Rhubarb Muffins

Makes about 12 muffins.

Ingredients

2 medium eggs

160ml milk

60ml vegetable oil

300g Self Raising flour

170g granulated sugar

1 medium mashed banana

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 stalks of freshly chopped rhubarb

Directions

1. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork.

2. Stir in the milk, vegetable oil, and the mashed banana, and set aside.

3. In a larger bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

4. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture stirring just to combine, (the batter will be lumpy).

5. Add the rhubarb, just to combine, do not over-mix.

6. Fill paper muffin cups about 3/4 full of batter.

7. Bake at 200° C for about 20 minutes (or until a cocktail stick inserted in the middle comes out clean).

A Shameful Secret!!

Workington

I shouldn’t be ashamed to admit this, but I have a secret fondness for things of a railway nature.  I love train travel.  I seek out old signals, former railway buildings and enjoy exploring disused lines.  This interest may stem from my childhood with a railway “at the bottom of the garden” or my interest in social history and the inevitable impact that the development of “The Permanent Way” had on society, but either way, to the amusement of my family, friends and colleagues, I gravitate to railway associations when I’m on my travels, even if it’s just a geocache!

Workington

The Old Terminus, Morecambe Jetty

Skipton Station

Steam!

Perhaps I'm in denial?

I consider myself to have fairly good recall but it’s still amazing how many deeply buried memories easily come to the surface during the occasional meet-ups with friends.  Yesterday, several of us met in Morecambe to enjoy a delicious afternoon tea at The Midland Hotel 

and as always, we had plenty of shared experiences to dredge up from our bottle-green, convent school days.  The other surprising thing is that although some stories come immediately to mind, once re-told, others, that clearly occupy an important space in the minds of my friends, remain totally absent from mine.  Perhaps I’m in denial!   

On your bike

My bicycles and I have travelled many miles together so I was grief stricken when the rear derailleurs on my current model got entangled with a mystery object and broke!  Irreparably. The repair job is a tedious one so while I’m waiting for the part, I’m using Miss K’s bike, aka my old cycle, to get around. It was like working with an old friend again as I saddled up for a ride around Wetheral, taking in some geocaches along the excellent route. The evening was cool but fine with some moderate hills giving onto some great views to compensate!

If only......

Do you remember the predictions in the 1970s of 4 day weekends as technology enabled us to spend less time chained to our desks? If only! Yesterday, electronic invitations in my work calendar indicated that I needed to spend 6.5 consecutive hours on the telephone, without any breaks scheduled in. Naturally, when things got tedious I nipped out to powder my nose and make a cuppa  but it’s days like these that make me really frustrated with modern day communication. But I’d hate to be without my laptop, mobile phone or ability to Skype.  Surely we can reach a balance?

Was "wain" always so wet?

Another wet weekend!!  The rain has been relentless today with the local news full of reports about flooding and impassable roads.  Although aware that the passage of time and rose coloured spectacles walk hand in hand, I genuinely have no recollection of rain falling with such protracted intensity during my childhood.  My memories are of walking to school on rainy days when the cloakroom smelt of damp wool and warm rubber, our damp coats and wellies steaming gently as they dried by ancient radiators. Unforgettable, torrential cloud-bursts that soaked us to the skin form no part of my nostalgia collection

Rain pouring into the barrel pond

The puddle outside the back door

Dent Station

It’s been a while since we specifically visited Dent as usually it’s somewhere we see in the distance from a vantage point on a walk.  As I travelled to Skipton the other day, I passed through Dent station, the highest mainline station in England at 1,150ft above sea level.  When I returned home, being something of a railway child, I trawled t’interweb out of interest and was delighted to see that some of the buildings had been converted into high quality holiday accommodation.  Time to save for a visit, especially as it seems as if well-behaved pets may be welcome

Let the train take the strain.....

Highest mainline station in England at 1,150 feet above sea level

From the train

I allowed the train to take the strain as I travelled to a meeting in Skipton earlier this week on the Carlisle – Settle line, and what a delightful experience it was!  I cycled to the station, loaded my bike into the cycle rack and settled back to admire the stunning scenery, enhancing the experience with the seat-side purchase of a drink “off the trolley”. The return journey was just as relaxing, although the train was busier than it had been earlier in the day.  I shall definitely repeat the experience it was infinitely preferable to driving along the horrendous A65

from Ribblehead

Liverpool Leeds canal

Skipton Station

It's in the title - on the way home

Spring

I took Molly for a walk in the beech woods on Saturday and was delighted to see, despite the cold wind, that spring had sprung. It was particularly evident in the birdsong: the joyful, melodic chorus of the thrushes and blackbirds a celebration of the new life emerging within the wood. The sunlight filtered through the trees, robed in their soft green cloaks and rested on the soft pillows of moss, a tempting promise of summer to the myriad of creatures that make the woodland their home. As I wandered along the path, I felt my spirits lift in harmony  

Communications on the move...or not!

I don’t seem to have very much spare time at the moment so by default, I’ve not been able to blog as much as I’d like.  It’s perverse that in a world inundated with new and rapidly developing technological gadgetry, I still struggle to find the time to craft a mere one hundred words, but there it is; I must try harder.  I now have a mini iPad which may assist with my personal communication on the move, but bearing in mind the challenges of my job, I inevitably end up scrutinising emails on my work Blackberry. Things must change!

Canine Thoughts

What thoughts go through a dog’s mind?  Our 8 year old mongrel seems to understand when our conversations are about her or an activity she enjoys. I don’t know if it’s our unconscious use of a different tone of voice or if she recognises certain word sounds that have a happy connotation for her but she can be lying in her bed, at peace with herself and the world and then, in the middle of a discussion, for no apparent reason, she will begin to wag her tail or get up and sit, looking expectantly at us.  I wonder why?