Gorge-ous!

I’m not averse to a spot of pot-holing in the interests of finding a cache, which is just as well , as yesterday I was to be found grubbing about in a hole in a gorge near Sanquhar.  As Mr B had other things to do, the dogs and I undertook our little speleological adventure unaccompanied. I knew Molly would be fine but I wasn’t too sure how Monty would respond but I worried unnecessarily. Both dogs were straight into the little cave and “assisted” me as I rummaged. It wasn’t long before I had the prized cache in hand! 

Carlavin

Unusually, it’s been a glorious Bank Holiday weekend and so we’ve tried to make the most of it by getting out into the hills. But with the Lake District destined to be busy, we chose the Southern Uplands instead, anticipating that we were likely to have a quieter day. Our Sunday walk from Talla Linn was wonderful, following the Gameshope Burn track to the Bothy before taking a steepish route up to the plateau summit of Carlavin where there were stunning views across the Moffat Hills. And as hoped, we didn’t see a single soul once we passed the Bothy!

Another bucket list item ticked off!

Years ago, I became aware of the Packwoman’s Grave in Rossett Gill, having read Wainwright’s account in his Southern Fells guide.  But, despite having climbed Rossett Pike in the past, I’d never looked for this lonely, last resting place of a Pedlar who died in a snow storm during the late 1700s. But on Sunday, we set time aside for discovery and thanks to the judicious use of binoculars on the summit, were able to locate the spot on our descent. The Packwoman may have endured a terrible death but her lasting, secret memorial is in a truly beautiful place

Worcester

I have just spent two days in Worcester, a city I’ve only visited previously during the winter. Although parts of it still clearly suffer from the unmistakeable, building style of the 1960s, none the less, there are areas that are quite charming and my strolls around following a couple of historic trails helped me discover some of those. One particular little gem was Greyfriars House and its beautiful gardens; a little oasis in the midst of shopping hustle and bustle.  And then there was King Charles’ House, from where King Charles II escaped after the Battle of Worcester in 1651

Another webinar?

It's bad enough having to attend teleconference calls and webinars necessary in my own line of work, but yesterday, when I was travelling home from Worcester, I was a reluctant and uninvited guest at someone else's. After half an hour of sitting behind them without commenting, I simply  had to say something when they answered a telephone call on a different device so their webinar continued unobserved. Apparently the attendee didn't have any ear phones and obviously didn't want to buy any from the on-board shop. I wasn’t impressed by the unprofessionalism of staff working for a low-end clothing chain

Bar B Q

The big news is that we had a Bar-B-Q this week.  Perhaps surprisingly for an outdoor type of family, Bar-B-Qing isn’t something we do terribly often. In fact, I can’t remember the last time we had one. But, as it was a lovely evening and Alex wanted meat, he and I (pyromaniacs both) fired  up the chimenea and soon had flames roaring out of the chimney. (I feared for the valiant fox glove growing in the wall behind but all was well.) It wasn’t long before we had glowing coals and a delicious meaty meal to satisfy Alex’s man hunger.

Absolutely fascinating!

Earlier this week, Andy, Nerea and I went to a “do” in London that was definitely a hat occasion. Unless they are to keep my ears warm, I don’t really “do” hats (or “dos” for that matter) but despite some understandable reservations, eventually, I purchased a ribbon “fascinator”,  that met the requirements of the gig. Naturally, on the day I looked anything but fascinating, especially after wearing it in the rain. On the other hand, Nerea, our beautiful daughter, looked stunning in a little tilted number which protected at least one side of her hair from most of the rain

Angle Tarn Pikes

Needing to use up some holiday this week, I decided to do something I enjoy and head to the hills for a spot of geocaching.  Because of the micro-climate that the Lake District enjoys, when I arrived in Patterdale on Thursday, I changed my plans and made my way up to Angle Tarn with Molly and Monty. The views from the Angle Tarn Pikes are always stunning and although there were grey clouds over Helvellyn and Red Screes, it was still a glorious walk. After we’d finished, we headed back for Patterdale and enjoyed an icecream at the village shop!

Tarnmonath Fell

Walking over moorland really makes my heart sing. Today, after dropping Andy at the station for another leg of his UK tour, I decided to make the most of the improving weather and take Molly and Monnty up to Geltsdale and Tarnmonath Fell.  After I parked at Jockey Shield, we headed up to The Gairs and then onto the fellside.  It was a steep pull up following the old fence line but we were soon at the top with stunning views stretching for miles around. The wind was blowing, the curlews were singing and I was glad to be there