Day 76 of Lockdown (with some easing). 07/06/2020

Being Sunday, Jess was able to join us today – yay, some girlie company!So, once the cars were jiggled into place, we set off from the very attractive village of Turvey. This village has everything you need – a general stores, a post office, a church and two pubs – I’ve sort of fallen for it.

Today’s walk was Turvey to Salford (not Manchester, the Bedfordshire one).

The hot weather has sadly not returned but we consoled ourselves with “good walking weather” … just as we always feel the need to remark “good drying weather” on hideously windy days!

As we left the cars we were checking each other with “do you have keys?” “Do you have water?” … not taking any chances from now on … we’re professionals!! 🤣

Today we crossed field after field after field … and some quite magnificent ones too with a good selection of crop life. Love the neatness of farming in these parts – I’m definitely catching on to Steve’s admiration for straight lines and rows!

As well as the usual cows, sheep and horses, today we also saw a few hares and a brace of pheasants – beautifully depicting the countryside but too quick to photograph. We did however manage some shots of emus (well, we think they’re emus) … not roaming the hills but roaming around someone’s rather sizeable country residence.

There was also a more than usual amount of road walking today – some country lanes and some slightly busier roads. We also passed more people today than the other days – maybe about 12 in total (not exactly Piccadilly Circus I know).

With trepidation we entered through a gate that had a warning – ‘Beware of the Bull.’ Steve assured us it would be OK and I reassured myself that the farmer surely wouldn’t put a bull in a field which was a public footpath. Tom bravely led the way but as his Mum I could tell by his body language and the way his head was constantly scanning that he was indeed terrified. We picked up a fair old pace, funnily enough … and got to the next gate without the whiff of a horn.

There were a few prickly woods with stingers galore. Steve managed to get a few grazes on his head from low lying branches. But all in all another fabulous day of walking.

We had clocked up just over 11 miles by the time we reached Salford. In the village we came across these two beauties – luckily they were safely installed in a field that we didn’t need to walk through – wouldn’t like to get on the end of one of those horns.

We drove back to Turvey and enjoyed a delicious picnic provided by Tom and Jess. (Tom had got up early to make his Dad’s favourite egg sandwiches … and 7.00am on a Sunday is normally when Tom is just going to bed)!

A couple of days rest now as Tom has a nasty blister … we’ll be back on track for Wednesday. 😎

Day 74 of Lockdown. 05/06/2020

Today’s walk – Olney to Turvey

Started off from Olney at a thoughtfully low stile – some of yesterday’s stiles had really been a stretch for my short legs – it’s OK for these 6’4” and 6’7” giants I walk with.

We walked through a farm where the kindly farmer pointed us in the right direction. Miles and miles of crop land neatly maintained … Steve just loves a straight row of plantings! Again various discussions on what crops were what … seem to be plenty of broad beans in these parts.

Tom strode ahead in his newfound ‘Head of Orienteering‘ role and we marched at a fair old pace through farmland, through woods and forests. The sun came out to shine now and then and it felt like it was warming up … what could possibly go wrong?

Some of the woods were particularly low lying – even I had to crouch down … and we all got torn to shreds with nettles and brambles.

Walked near a firing range where there was a sign indicating ‘Shooting in Progress’ …. must have been silent ammunition. Got excited when we spotted a lookout post but there was clear instruction – ‘do not climb’ – spoilsports!

About half way to our destination and at the end of a very long uphill wade through some rather overgrown broad bean crops, Tom ground to a sudden halt. “I think I’ve messed up” he uttered (that’s the polite version)! I presumed he meant that he had led us in the wrong direction but oh no – it had just dawned on him that he’d left his car keys in Steve’s car. (We were walking to Turvey where Tom’s car was parked – but the keys were in Olney). Steve chirped up “That’s OK, I moved them off the car seat and hid them in the glove compartment.” It took some further discussions between them to finally conclude that we’d hit a problem. And to add to the dilemma, not one of us had money on us so a bus or cab were out of the question. We discussed turning back but then made the decision to soldier on … perhaps one of us could run back once we’d reached Turvey (I wonder who)!!?

Thank God for mobiles … another opportunity to remind Tom about the ‘old days’ before mobile phones existed. Tom made a phone call to Emma and John (who had a good laugh at Tom’s expense) but agreed to come to our rescue. And so we were able to walk on a complete the walk without carrying a load of anxiety.

Finally back in the pretty village of Turvey and it had been a fabulous 10 mile walk.

And so it was ‘The Cumminghams’ to the rescue … God Bless family ❤️. They drove Steve back to retrieve his car in Olney and so retrieve Tom’s keys. All the fun of ‘Logistics.’ 🤣

Day 72 of Lockdown. 03/06/2020

Todays’s walk – Salcey Forest – Olney.

After weeks of being spoiled with sunshine, today sees a return to cloud and wind and general chilly-ness! Still, we mustn’t grumble! So with a few more layers of clothing and the cars jiggled into place, we set out from Salcey Forest. Steve and Tom sort of co-planning and co-orienteering … while I just followed the two alpha males in my life!! 🤣

Tom said Salcey Forest always reminds him of Jurassic Park so we trod warily – waiting for a Brontosaurus to pop out anytime. To save on the £6 parking fee today we had parked on the roadside – this led to a very nettle stinging entry into the forest – plenty of dock leaves though.

Another day of stunning scenery and practically the whole countryside to ourselves. For this part of the country it was a particularly hilly day … not as severe as some counties I could mention but a few climbs all the same. Walked through a field of cows but luckily they were laying down – as the Old Wives’ Tale goes a clear sign of rain. Most of them were determined to keep their patches dry but a couple of them got up for a good old stare – there were some calves so I guess they were protecting.

Tom is definitely mastering the OS app and as the day went on he assumed leadership! Steve checked it out a few times and there was the odd discussion and difference of opinion … but I foresee a gradual handing over of the baton – well maybe on a temporary basis!

Again there was a difference with Steve’s Garmin and Tom’s iPhone strava – so we chose Tom’s 10 mile recording for the day. Felt right. Have come to the decision that Garmin must have been losing GPS at times.

Before heading home, we enjoyed another picnic in the Forest – this time with hot coffee and homemade lemon drizzle cake. 🍰

Day off tomorrow – back for more on Friday 😊

Day 71 of Lockdown. 02/06/2020

Today, Steve, Tom and I set out on the first leg of the 60 mile Milton Keynes Boundary Walk, a little ‘Easing of Lockdown’ project. We are aiming to cover a distance of 10 miles each day or thereabouts. The logistics have been interesting as we needed a car each end, an ordnance survey app, a picnic and last but not least, plenty of water (the weather is still unseasonably hot)!

Today’s walk – Stony Stratford – Salcey Forest.

We met up with Tom in Salcey Forest, parked up for the princely sum of £6 … then drove in Tom’s car back to Stony Stratford. And off we marched at a reasonable pace – remembering to social distance as much as we could.

A beautiful riverside walk and then we were onto the canal path leading to Cosgrove. Had a little blockage along the towpath – a family of swans just resting before a swim – had to be very patient and let them move in their own good time. Some great bird life and insect life along the way – butterflies, dragonflies – all perfect photo opportunities. Wild flowers out in full force too including the spectacular poppies.

Then across miles of farmland with their magnificent crops looking so healthy in the sunshine. Constant discussions as to what the crops are.

At one point we entered a field where the farmer was chopping up some trees – as we walked through the gate there was a stampede of cattle tearing towards us, with a tractor moving speedily behind. Gulp!! Tom, having been chased by cows the previous weekend was a wee bit nervous … and I’m always on edge where our bovine friends are concerned! The farmer shooed them away and told us just to walk and they’d be fine. So, we did as we were told (with a little backward look now and again) … and indeed we were fine.

The day continued to be spectacularly warm and, only a mile or so in, Tom realised that he had left his water bottle on the roof of his car (placed there while putting his walking boots on). So we got to talking about water in bottles and how in the ‘old days’ we would go out all day as kids with no water. Steve, having grown up in a village and being friendly with the son of a Farmer relayed some interesting tales of drinking out of cattle troughs – apparently there is a section where the fresh water is pumped in from the ground. There were plenty of these troughs around today … but Tom was not for trying!!

The orienteering and recording of activity is of course an important element to our walking … and Dad and Son were sharing this well. Tom is relatively new to Strava and has only used the OS app once before, so Steve was enjoying passing on his knowledge and experience …whilst still holding firmly on to the reins of course!! Strange business though … at the end of our journey, Steve’s Garmin watch had clocked up 10 and a half miles while Tom’s Strava on iPhone showed that we had walked 12 miles. And boy it felt like 12 miles – I knew which one I was choosing.

And so we’d reached our destination, Salcey Forest – sun still shining, we settled on a shaded picnic table and enjoyed a feast of rolls, crisps and fruit … with lashings of ice cold water, which had been stored in the cool box.

And then we drove back to drop Tom off at his car – where his trusty water bottle was still standing proudly and faithfully on the car roof …. boiling hot 🥵

Days 60- 70 of Lockdown. 22nd May – 1st June 2020

So the second half of May has seen some gradual release from full Lockdown. From being allowed to meet with one friend in a public place, we are now allowed to meet in groups of up to 6 people … even in our gardens – from tomorrow that is! Who would have known what joy and excitement that would bring. Who to choose first? Will anyone choose us? This could definitely play with people’s self-esteem!

A surprisingly large section of the population have completely gone to town already. Huge gatherings in the parks, beaches are crowded, littering is worse than ever. I hate to be a party-pooper but why can’t the nation listen and just ease in gradually – dipping our toe in the water so to speak. It’s like a bunch of teenagers pushing the boundaries , except that it’s people of all ages. The pictures this weekend have been a real shock.

Of course the Dominic Cummings episode has done little to help matters – “what’s good for the goose” … and all that! I’m still so furious about his behaviour but it doesn’t make me want to risk my own and others lives by not following scientific advice. So despite lockdown release allowances, Steve and I are going to tread carefully for a little while longer.

Walking and running

It’s been such a treat though to meet up with friends for walking/running this last week or so – albeit one at a time. So much to catch up on – plenty of chatting while exercising!

The weather over this period has been absolutely gorgeous – it’s like someone up above is looking after us during this grim time – glorious sunshine day after day.

Our garden visitors

I have to confess that we get SO much pleasure out of our feathery friends coming to visit. Steve is regularly updating the type and quality of feeders, analysing which feed is most popular, routinely refilling and chasing the bigger birds away (think we’re missing human company)!! This week there’s been lots of fledgling blue tits who fly to the feeder to be fed by ‘Mum’ and then nervously fly back to the nest, sometimes dive bombing us in the process.

But we did have a real garden visitor this week … our lovely friend Derek drove down from Birmingham to see us. It’s his first trip out since Lockdown and he wanted to give his new motor a run – much car envy!

Sewing face masks

A few requests for face masks received so I’ve been a busy sewing bee this week! They’ll be winging their way to family and friends – one little consignment even going Transatlantic – crossing the ocean to L.A.

So, after 10 weeks in Lockdown there is a feeling of some ‘light at the end of the tunnel.’ But ironically it now seems a bit daunting going out into the big bad world – we’ve all been living in our safe little bubble. Slowly slowly we can do it! Hopefully this ‘Test and Trace’ system will work it’s magic and so keep the ‘R’ down (all this new Covid-19 lingo)!

Steve will get back to his group running shortly and we’ll hopefully be able to have some small gatherings in the garden (for those who can manage without the toilet)!! 🤣. So excited. Longing to have sleepover visitors sometime soon? 😘

Tomorrow, Steve, Tom and I are embarking on the first leg of the 60 mile MK boundary walk – breaking it down into chunks of around 10 miles … will keep you posted.

Days 50-59 of Lockdown. 12th-21st May 2020

So another nine days of Lazy Lockdown living has drifted by. And I know I am getting lazier … I can tell by the snug fitting of my clothes. At the beginning of this Lockdown I was like ‘a man on a mission’ …. each day crammed with a variety of activities. Now, I get up later, get started on things later and finish earlier. I still manage daily exercise and one or two different ‘projects’ but I have slowed down tremendously. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing … even in retirement, Steve and I have continued to live life at quite a pace – and I’m sure we’ll return to that as soon as it’s allowed. So for now, I’m going to learn to be more chilled, there’s always tomorrow!

To address the weight issue however, I have returned to a little running and have upped the workout sessions by switching to Joe Wicks – that really gets the heart racing. Longing for my fitness classes at Shenley Leisure Centre to start again, hate working out alone!

Walks

Still enjoying some fabulous walks every few days. Never tire of being out and about in the countryside and around the pretty walking paths we’re so fortunate to have. One walk this week though got a little hairy at one point for a couple of reasons.

(1) We were quietly ambling along a deserted village road in Upper Weald when we were nearly knocked off our feet by a speeding Mercedes being pursued by a wailing police car … as far as we were able to see that chappie had no intention of stopping.

And (2) … just up the road from that incident our faithful Ordnance Survey app told us to turn left onto a footpath, so taking us off the road. Having been nearly run over we jumped at that chance. At the stile it seemed a little ‘unused’ but we carried on…. and then it just got more and more overgrown – no trace of a footpath … but of course, we just carried on. The last couple of fields we had to plough through before reaching civilisation, the grass was practically up to our waists – God knows what was lurking below. The obvious things lurking were nasty nettles, thistles and all things prickly – our legs were being torn to shreds! And not a dock leaf in sight – we had to resort to spittle!! Oh the joys of rambling!!

Sewing face masks

Have turned my hand this week to making face masks – these are my first two attempts – they’ll be winging their way to Manchester for Alice and Mel. Happy to make for anyone ‘in need.’

Zoom calls and quizzes

Zoom calls have become such a way of life in Lockdown – having to keep a diary these days for Lockdown appointments! It’s not the real thing but is an amazing substitute when you miss people so much. And loving the quizzes – questions are getting fancier and fancier – dingbats, ‘Have I got news for you,’ Logos, anagrams. Never win but love the fun we have.

Garden visitors

Steve is still keeping a close eye on our feathered visitors – this week’s been all about the Finches – Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Chaffinch …

A return to House-hunting

We’re waiting to see if the offer we had on our house still stands after Lockdown but now that the Estate Agents are back in operation we thought we’d start to take a little mooch around … but only viewing if the houses are empty. Looked at one yesterday in Grange Farm – the Estate Agent goes in first, opens all the doors and anti-bac cleans all the door handles – but we were asked not to touch anything. Well, it’s something different to do!

And more garden visitors ….

The very very BEST thing of all this week was some truly special visitors … all entertained in strict Lockdown style, in the garden. Now that rules have relaxed a little we thought of meeting up with Tom and Jess in a public place – but then we thought what’s the difference between that and our garden. And so, we planned for them to come over on Sunday for a socially distanced barbecue. And as a surprise, Alice drove all the way down from Manchester to join us and, bless her, drove all the way back afterwards. It’s hard to describe how complete it made us feel to have them here … although we weren’t able to physically hug we were together, talking, laughing, feeling close. A perfect afternoon. ❤️

Lockdown life is really OK …. we can do this! ❤️

Day 44 of Lockdown. 06/05/2020

Steve started fixing up the VE Day bunting and banners today. Had hoped that by Friday we might be able to celebrate with family or perhaps have a street party with neighbours … but that looks very unlikely. We intend to mark the occasion nevertheless.

And the best thing to happen in weeks … a visit from Tom (socially distanced of course). How special it was to spend an hour with him in the garden … strange not being able to exchange hugs but it meant the world to have that short face to face time. I even managed to bake him a lemon drizzle cake to takeaway – felt great to be able to do that ‘Mum’ thing!

Day 45 of Lockdown. 07/05/2020

Another beautifully sunny day – we enjoyed a fabulous countryside walk around Whaddon, Nash and Beachampton. 5 miles of pure pleasure.

Day 46 of Lockdown. 08/05/2020

🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧. 75th Anniversary of VE Day 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Sadly we had to spend the day alone … Lockdown rules still applying. We paid tribute to the veterans though in our quiet way and reminisced about the war time stories we knew. We listened to Vera Lynn and to Michael Ball singing with our new hero, Captain Tom. I made scones and we had a scrumptious cream tea in the afternoon, once again enjoying a day of sunshine. After a lovely zoom call with Alice, Steve got going on our first barbecue in Lockdown – it felt like a real occasion even though it was just the two of us. We sat out in the garden till late evening … naturally the wine flowed!

Days 47 and 48 of Lockdown. 09 & 10/05/2020

A couple of quiet weekend days … it doesn’t ever seem like the weekend at the moment … all days roll by in a similar pattern. The weather had taken a drastic turn, from baking to chilly, so we were forced indoors.

I got stuck into sewing scrub bags for the NHS – have joined a local sewing group. It’s been great to dust off the sewing machine – am really loving it. If anyone reading is in MK and has old pillowcases they’re wanting rid of, please let me know – they’re so easy to convert. This assignment of bags are going to Woodhill Prison.

And Steve continued to explore with his camera ….

Of course, we were all waiting for Boris’ announcement on Sunday evening – the roll out of the easing of Lockdown plan – a road map as it was being called.

To say we were left confused is an understatement and I’m not being political. Changing the ‘Stay at Home’ message to ‘Stay Alert’ leaves the decision making very much down to the general public … and really, as a whole, are we up to that? Do our Covid-19 figures allow us the freedom of choice? Are we inviting a 2nd wave? It’s OK for Steve and I as we’re retired – we can just make the decision to continue staying at home and staying safe. But those who need to return to work, possibly the children and teachers returning to school, public transport use gearing up … I pray that no-one is forced into anything before there are safe enough practices in place.

Day 49 of Lockdown. 11/05/2020

Yet another stunning walk today. Having planned to coastal walk and travel in these our early years of retirement, naturally we were a little disappointed that we had to bring our plans to a halt during this pandemic. Having said that, we feel incredibly fortunate that we have packed so much in to the last few years, our experiences have been unbelievable … and the timing SO fortunate.

Discovering our local area of countryside during this Lockdown therefore has brought us amazing pleasure. Not to get too philosophical but the simplicity, availability and beauty of nature is incredibly empowering during this strange period when we feel deprived in other areas of our life. I just hope that in being reminded of the impact of simple and natural elements, that we don’t forget.

Day 38 of Lockdown. 30/04/2020

Day 39 of Lockdown 01/05/2020

Day 40 of Lockdown. 02/05/2020

Day 41 of Lockdown 03/05/2020

Day 42 of Lockdown 04/05/2020

Day 43 of Lockdown 05/05/2020

Days 29-37 of Lockdown. 21-29/04/2020

Now it’s all getting a bit same-ish …. but I’m not complaining – we’re doing our bit by ‘Staying at home’ … to ‘Protect the NHS’ and ‘save lives.’ But by way of journal, rather than repeat the same activities that I’ve been mentioning for the last 5 weeks, I thought I’d just portray our Lockdown life by way of photography.

Just a few ‘funnies’ to mention – I’ve had a couple of mishaps since my last blog. Firstly Steve and I were having a bit of a kitchen dance on Wednesday evening (following a family Birthday zoom session and a few wines) and I managed to get my feet all tangled and ended up on the floor – not very dainty! In slamming my foot on the ceramic tiles I managed to damage a couple of toes – possibly broken or at the least badly bruised …. and painful. We did laugh though 😂

And then on Monday of this week, I sat to admire our gardening at the front of the house …. unfortunately the fence I chose to use as a chair gave way underneath me and once again I ended up on my bottom, painfully! Must do something about this Lockdown weight!

My third funny was the receipt of a dodgy email asking me for $2,000 otherwise they would expose all the seedy videos of myself in compromising positions that they could access on my computer. I was initially shocked by their descriptive language … but then it became hilarious …. and into the trash bin it went.

On a political note, there’s still no hint of possible lockdown release – despite daily question bombardment from the reporters. The politicians are keeping tight-lipped about any future plans to ensure no weakening at this point, risking a second wave. Every day this week has brought good news in terms of a decrease in new cases and deaths.

And Boris is back!! Not that we’ve seen him present the daily update yet – I guess he’s saving his return for the day when news of normal life resuming can be announced. Having said that, his fiancée Carrie did have a baby today – so I guess he’s been busy!

And then finally today we got out for a walk … my toes still a little painful but they managed 5 miles in my walking boots!

You gotta love Milton Keynes – beautiful walks are so accessible. I think this Lockdown is going to give many of us a whole new appreciation.

Missing everybody. Can’t wait for hugs ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️

Day 28 of Lockdown. 20/04/2020

Over the weekend we heard that we are now allowed to drive to a destination for walking. The guidelines state that the distance you travel by car should not exceed the length of your walk. So we chose a suitable destination and set off excitedly, expanding our horizons. Unwittingly we did travel a little further than our walk turned out to be – but what’s a mile or two between friends. It was not our intention to break the rules, we had a fabulous walk and appreciated every minute of what felt like a newfound freedom.

We drove to Drayton Parslow – Steve was familiar with a 6 mile circular walk across fields and farmland, through a couple of villages. It was clear blue sky and sunshine but a chilly wind, especially when walking across exposed areas, but being experienced ramblers we were layered up and ready. It was amazing to be in unfamiliar landscape.

Our first step into the route involved climbing over a stile into a field with horses. I love horses and am normally not nervous of them … but then I’m not usually in the same field as them. Being aware of ‘social distancing’ I had decided it was not a great idea to stroke said equine friends. As it turned out, one of the horses felt most put out that he wasn’t getting any attention … and so trotted closely behind us, neighing, all the way to our getaway stile. It left me feeling heartless though – he just didn’t understand the lockdown rules!

It was another stunning countryside walk, appreciating nature – wild flowers, red kites, kestrels, butterflies, sheep, newborn lambs, cows, horses, blooming hedgerows – feel so lucky. Also some fabulous examples of countryside living – much house envy!

This is certainly a sheep farming area – we walked through field after field of them. And so many newborn lambs – all frisky, under the watchful eye of ‘Mum.’ And the Mums were certainly keeping a close watch on us as we walked near them, heads jutting out, eyes locked on our every move … the little ones oblivious.

Getting towards the end of our walk we were faced with walking though a field of cows. Although pretty experienced in doing this from our coastal walking, it really is NOT my favourite thing – too many stories of cows chasing heard. This ‘herd’ were tucked into the far end of the field, nonchalantly grazing … but not for long. As we progressed through, their heads popped up one by one and then in one large group they started heading towards us. As they started to block off the stile we were aiming for I started to let out a few shrieks (as I do). Steve leapt to my protection by doing his farmer bit, making himself tall, waving his arms around and shooing. I moved as fast as my little legs allowed me (without running, as I didn’t want to invite a chase) … and we got speedily over the stile in one piece. I think they’re just lonely – everyone’s missing interaction!

Finally found ourselves back in the beautiful village of Drayton Parslow and wandered back to the car, spotting ‘For Sale’ houses along the way.

So good to travel a bit further afield today, such a treat. Driving back home we passed a police car …. immediately felt guilty for some reason – all prepared with Garmin evidence if necessary. These are strange times – you feel like a fugitive.

And got home just in time to join in with a family Zoom – 7 out of my 8 siblings on board today – Maureen, Margaret, Pete, Caroline, Geraldine, Shane and me + visits from other halves! We hardly came up for air … but got knocked out after 40 minutes … (Zoom not extending anymore unless you pay) .. probably a good thing, we’d still be there now!