Summer Break

Last Friday saw the start of our summer break and Lily's last ever day at primary school. It was a beautiful day of blue sky and sunshine, and it was a happy one. I wasn't sure how I would feel, to be honest, but she is ready to move on, and that is a good thing. Maybe I will feel it more in September, when I no longer need to do the school run each day. It is also reassuring that she feels incredibly excited to be starting secondary school. And although she is experiencing the usual concerns of attending a much bigger setting and getting lost on her first day, we are as prepared as we can be. Lily's seven years at primary school have been positive ones, and we have some wonderful memories.

Following a lovely and uplifting leaver's assembly, the children busied themselves with signing one another's shirts and saying their goodbyes, then they enjoyed their final walk out of the school accompanied by some music. Most of the class then went on to a nearby park, where they could have a play, which just reminded us, as parents, that even though they are growing up, they are still just children.

In the evening, we continued our own celebration by enjoying a chippy tea down by the lake, before Lily and big sister went out in the kayak. It was a very pleasant evening, and surprisingly quiet. A lovely way to end the day.

And now, six weeks of summer lie ahead. I may have some adventures planned. 

J. X

The Garden in July

It was never my intention to be away for so long. I had anticipated these last few weeks would be busy, but what I hadn't realised was just how busy they would be. I've hardly stopped. Now, I know the term 'busy' often gets thrown around these days, almost like a badge of honour. As though the busier our lives are, the more successful we are. But this is most definitely not the case, and I am looking forward to enjoying less hurried days, when autumn term begins again in September. Since the start of the year, it feels like I have been clinging on day by day. It's been quite a challenge, but I've always known the end was in sight. And the end will be this Friday, the culmination of the school summer term, and Lily's final day at primary school. It will definitely feel bittersweet, it's been a wonderful journey, and one which I have been fortunate enough to be a part of for all these years. Most recently, there's been school performances, transition days, and the purchase of a whole new school uniform, including a blazer! My little girl is growing up.

Since my last post, summer has arrived, but unfortunately the weather didn't seem to get the memo. I've never known it to be so miserable in July. Whenever there has been a dry spell, I've spent whatever spare time I have had, getting some work done in the garden. It's only very small, but I do like to try and make the most of the available space. I had hoped to get a new gate and fence fitted this year, just to make it a little more private and secure, but I havent managed to get hold of anyone yet. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep on trying.

Anyway, to ease me back into regular posting, I thought I would start by sharing some photographs of the garden, that I've taken over the last few weeks. 

The beautiful Acer was a gift from a good friend. I've always loved Acers, but for some reason, I've never thought to have one in my garden. I'm really happy with it, but I should probably get it re-potted soon. 

The lockdown lemon trees are growing well. I needed to cut them back, as they had become a little top-heavy, but if you zoom in, you can probably see that there are some new shoots growing already. I'm hoping that I might see some fruit growing in the next couple of years. 

The blackcurrants have since been turned into delicious jam. There was a much smaller harvest this year, as this tree had also been a victim of my secateurs. 

I was thrilled to win this planter in a raffle. The sweet peas are flowering now, and I've picked some to put in a vase on my kitchen windowsill. 

Hydrangeas providing a lovely burst of colour. 

This year, the garden will hopefully be providing us with some potatoes and beetroot, both of which appear to be growing well. We are also attempting to  grow our own pumpkins. 

And, of course, keeping an eye on everything, I've always got my two little 'helpers'.

Back soon.

J. X

Half-Term

I would have posted last night, but I was so exhausted that I went to bed at 9pm. It was Lily's last primary school sports day, and I was on my feet for most of the day. I felt so proud though. She came second in the sprint, and took an easy first place in the skipping race. For some reason she is much faster with a rope than without :)

It feels like no time at all since the beginning of the week, and things will only get busier between now and the end of term. I am very aware that these coming weeks are going to require much spinning of plates, and I will definitely feel overwhelmed at times, but there is an end in sight. And that end will hopefully result in a relaxing summer break and some sunnier weather. At the moment, other than a couple of planned activities, I haven't given too much thought to holidays. I'm sure we will get away at some point, but we are incredibly fortunate to live in a very beautiful part of the world, and we do enjoy exploring it. 

Last week, it was our half-term and  we went along to a Herdwick Experience, at Yew Tree Farm, near Coniston. The Lake District is well know for it's delightful Herdies, mainly thanks to Beatrix Potter championing their conservation. As you might expect, they are a hardy breed,  and they usually steer well away from people up on the fells. But at this farm, they hold meet and greet sessions with their very friendly 'ambassador' flock. 

I had expected traffic to be busy, but it wasn't, which meant we arrived far too early for our session. So to pass the time we went for a short walk up to Tom Gill Falls, which lies part way between the farm and Tarn Hows. On returning to the farm, Mel, who was leading the session that day, introduced herself to us and we spent time learning about the farm, the breed, and how their wool is used, before the best part, which was walking to the fields to finally meet the sheep. They greeted us by the gate, which made it a struggle to get through, then after feeding them we sat down on the grass and waited for the sheep to come over to us. And it wasn't long before they did. Lily and I were joined by Pip, Maeve, Sue and Fudge. They were so gentle, and they all had their own distinct personalities. We spent over a hour there simply stroking the sheep and it was the most relaxed I've felt in ages. A really lovely afternoon.

On the Friday afternoon, we set off for somewhere I've been meaning to visit for a long time now, Skiddaw House. This is a small youth hostel, situated at the back of Skiddaw and not accessible by car. It doesn't have phone signal or internet connection and is completely off-grid, which is part of it's charm. We made the 5 mile walk from Keswick, past the lower slopes of Latrigg, around Lonscale Fell, and up the Glenderaterra Valley. It was overcast, but warm and we were looking forward to our mini- adventure. We arrived shortly before 5pm, which is when the hostel opens for the evening, although walkers can call in during the day and make use of their self service honesty cafe. We were greeted by Sue, the manager of the hostel, who booked us in and explained how everything worked. Although the hostel can sleep up to 21, along with another family and a small group of friends, there would only be 12 of us spending the night there.

Skiddaw House in the trees.

We had a twin room, overlooking Great Calva, with comfortable beds and extra blankets if required. There were shared bathroom facilities and plenty of hot water for showers, courtesy of solar panels. Downstairs was a large kitchen and dining area, and a lounge, both with wood burning stoves, and there was even a small shop selling food and drink. We were definitely back to basics, but it was clean and comfortable, and we had everything we needed. 

Dinner was sausages and pasta, and we spent a lovely evening chatting with the other guests and playing some of the games in the lounge. Lily enjoyed reading some of the old visitor books, which is something I also like to do whenever I visit somewhere new. It wasn't a cold evening, but our long walk and the warmth from the stove had us feeling sleepy, so we boiled the kettle for our hot water bottles and went up to bed.

I slept really well, but as usual, I was awake very early. Being very careful not to disturb anyone else, I crept downstairs, made myself a mug of coffee and sat on the small bench outside watching the sunrise. It was so peaceful and still, I could hear only the birds, and the rushing water of the River Caldew further along the valley. 

Then it wasn't long before Lily was awake, and we ate our breakfast, quietly packed up our rucksacks and set off back towards Keswick. It was a bright and sunny start to the day, which worked out rather well, as our trip was timed perfectly for a slight detour up Latrigg so that I could take a photograph. 

For anyone who hasn't been reading here long, every two years I take a photograph of Lily in the same spot, overlooking Keswick and Derwentwater. This started out as a happy accident, but is something I will try to continue. At least until she tells me not to :) Here is a link to the previous post all about it.

Then the following morning, I went for a walk with a friend, up Wansfell Pike. This is a small fell overlooking Ambleside, which has some amazing views. We might have stopped off at Force Cafe on the way back down, for coffee and cake. They were delicious. If anyone is visiting Ambleside, then I would definitely recommend it there. 

Then we walked back beneath the trees, alongside the waterfalls and down towards the lake again.

J. X

The Langdale Pikes

As is always the way, it was a relief to reach half-term week in one piece. I am very aware that I'm just about managing to keep going at moment, but that is all set to change, moving forwards. There are seven more weeks until the school's summer break, after which my hours will be reduced, and my working days will become shorter. As much as I am looking forward to feeling more in control of my time, it will also feel bitter sweet, as I will no longer be taking Lily to school each day. Another milestone reached, but how fortunate I am to have experienced these early years with her. 

Anyway, we're not there quite yet, but this week off school couldn't have been more welcome. I had, however, warned Lily that she wouldn't be enjoying a lie-in, that first morning. The weather looked good for Saturday, but rain had been forecast for the following  two days, and I didn't want to miss an opportunity to complete a walk, which had been suggested to me. 

Starting from one of the more popular areas of The Lakes, an early start meant we could avoid the crowds, as it can get incredibly busy here, especially on Bank Holiday weekends. 

It was a lovely sunny start to the morning, and on our first ascent we enjoyed regular stops to admire the views. It was a steep climb but it wasn't long before we could see our first summit of the day, Loft Crag. It took me a little while to figure out my bearings, but I was soon able to recognise the outlines of the more familiar fells around us. 

From here, we could see across to our next fell, Pike o'Stickle. And yes, we did need to use our hands as well as our feet on the final scramble to the top. I do enjoy a bit of variety on our walks :)

The next summit of the morning was Harrison Stickle. And this was where we encountered a rather large walking group. Not being used to busy summits, we quickly 'bagged' this one, before moving on towards the next, Pavey Ark. It was at this point that I realised, most people we came across were walking all the same fells, just in a different order. 

After a brief stop for lunch, there was a short walk over to Thunacar Knott, and then along a grassy stretch, to take in the views from High Raise. Here, we could see right across to the Western Fells, and Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite to the North. Again, we didn't hang around, the hiking group was approaching from the opposite direction!

From here, it was all downhill, with the exception of a brief detour to bag our final summit of the day, Sergeant Man. The path then dropped down towards Stickle Tarn, which boasts the impressive backdrop of Pavey Ark and Harrison Stickle, which we had climbed earlier, before descending Stickle Ghyll, and back to the car park. 

It was an invigorating walk, although the problems with my foot did cause me a lot of discomfort towards the end. Still, that's another seven Wainwrights ticked off, but more importantly, a very enjoyable day out on the fells. 

J. X