Shakedown Cruise, 27 May

The weather forecasters had promised that today was going to be a lovely day. They were not wrong! So after breakfast (my turn to have the slightly cold shower - I was not impressed!) we drove over to Ashburnham House and went for a wonderful walk round the lake.

Most photos are on Facebook. It was very beautiful but by the end I was glad to sit down in the Orangery tea rooms and drink pink lemonade while the SW had coffee and lemon cake (I had a bite - delicious!).

When we went to leave we had a problem, as when we drove round the one-way system, we came up against the place where there was a gallery across from the dormitories to the main house, giving me flashbacks of the vicar's wife filling hot-water-bottles and chivvying us off to bed. ("Yes, Matron!" - most of us had been at boarding school, some even at the same school as me). Anyway, the SW went and asked and was told we could go out the wrong way, delivery lorries always did, but be careful, and as it was, we didn't see any other cars until we were back on the public road.

We moved on, and discovered that our tour took us past Hurstmonceaux castle and the observatory.

It was quite nearly lunch time, so the SW went off to see what he could see while I made hot rolls for lunch.

This turned out to be nothing, as it was all closed.

The afternoon was spent crawling through a massive traffic jam in Newhaven (we should probably have gone via the A27) but we evergreen arrived in Brighton and the op site here. The Swan Whisperer went for a walk and I fell asleep, but I'm awake now and am going to get supper. 

Dulwich Park, revisited

 The Swan Whisperer said he was going for a walk, but when I asked where he was going, it was too far for me.  And I wanted a walk, so we went to Dulwich Park.  It was not a long walk, but very pretty.  

 We walked round the lake, admiring goslings

and trees

and then we finished with a drink in the café, while watching the end of the Giro on my phone (not video, but live coverage nevertheless).

Morning walk, 28 April

 

It is a long time since I went on a walk before breakfast - not as comfortable as it might have been, as I was wearing my very lightweight summer trainers for the first time, and although they don't rub, my feet and legs were not comfortable.  However, I went, which was the main thing (and then shopped at Lidl on the way back - I am within £2.50 of getting my £2.00 coupon for this month, so must go again before Saturday).  

It is spring!

The School Run

After 14 months I was finally able to go and pick up the boys again.  Correction, just Boy Two, as The Boy is old enough now to take himself to and from school - in fact, he caught up with us on the way back and walked the rest of the way with us.  I don't propose to put up a map, but this will be my Monday walk this term!  Not next Monday, of course, as that is Bank Holiday, and I hope we will be able to go away in the motor home before too long.  But most Mondays.  

There is more to it than shows, of course - I have to get to the bus stop where the walk starts, which involves going into Brixton, taking the Victoria Line to Walthamstow and trying vainly to remember which bus I needed to get to the relevant stop!  So over 6K steps today, which is pleasing.  

An unexpected walk!

Actually, not as unexpected as all that!  I was preaching at a church which, we discovered the hard way last time, is in the congestion charge zone!   So we went by bus, and went a stop too far so had to walk back.  The bus stops in Brixton are playing sillybuggers at the moment due to resurfacing works somewhere, and as I didn't want to go on down to Brixton Hill, I got off at the police station, and then walked down to what's left of the farmers' market, and wandered round that, rather tempted by some oxtail and some Barnsley chops (but enough for at least four people, so I didn't), and then thought maybe some sausage meat, but couldn't think, offhand, what to use it for, so again didn't.  

And then I walked to the bus stop in Acre Lane, as the one by the Tube station is closed, and caught a bus up to Solon Road, as per, and then another walk round Lidl because there were one or two things I wanted.  And so home, and delighted to find I'd done more than enough steps for today (but not so pleased that Health has "updated" itself and now has a ghastly background for your step count, although you can also upload your own background which is what I did! 

 

Coffee and a walk!

 

The Swan Whisperer's youngest brother is in town and for the first time in forever, it is legal for both of us to meet him.  So he came down on the bus to Brixton and the Swan Whisperer met him and we had coffee sitting outside Piece of Cake, the café literally just across the road from us (very useful when I realised I'd forgotten to put my hearing aids in, so dashed back to do that!).  It feels like forever - I think the last time I had a drink sitting outside a café was last summer!  One day we might even be able to have a drink sitting inside a café, but I'll not hold my breath!  

The men decided they wanted to walk on Clapham Common, so I said that if they didn't mind walking at my pace for a bit, I would come with them as far as Sainsbury's (this was a mistake as they didn't have any British asparagus so I had to buy Mexican, but as I'm putting it in my summer rice salad - which will probably be made with quinoa - it won't matter too much).   We went down King's Avenue a bit - not, as the map suggests, to Screwfix, but to look at the London Power Tunnels site on the corner of King's Avenue and Acre Lane.  And then across the road and up Bedford Road a bit, and wiggle across the estate to the back entrance of Sainsbury's, at which point I parted from the men, and I went into Sainsbury's.  I do get frustrated with that one - it has a much better range of stock than the one on Tulse Hill, but you have to check in the Scan'n'Shop and it almost invariably logs you out the first time so you have to try twice.  Whereas at the Tulse Hill one - and others I've been to - you just open the app, and it logs you straight into Scan'n'shop.

After my shopping, I decided that walking back would be unwise, so I got the bus, which was probably very lazy, but it feels that I've had the right amount of exercise for today!

A walk in the park

 

This was the tracked part of today's walk, but it was longer than that, as you will see.  The Swan Whisperer and The Boy have gone off on a hike somewhere, to include the Parkland Walk and  perhaps a little more of the London Loop, so I arranged to meet the Daughter and Boy Too at Green Park Station.  This made me go on the Tube - had we met at Victoria, as originally planned, I'd probably have bottled it and gone on the bus.  I've been using buses all along, but have been on no other form of public transport since February 2020!

Anyway, I had to walk into Brixton, as I had mistimed the buses and it was quicker to walk than to wait.  Tube duly mastered, helped by Shostakovich on the headphones and the new Jodi Taylor on the Kindle, we met at scheduled.  We walked down through Green Park, pausing outside Buckingham Palace to pay our respects (and being amused by the sea of press vans - why, when the funeral will be at Windsor and there is simply nothing to see at Buckingham Palace except the Union flag flying at half-mast?), and then into St James' Park.  Boy Too had been longing to see the pelicans, and we were not disappointed! 

There were plenty of other birds, too, and we walked the length of the lake identifying them.  And so into Horse Guards, and then we walked along Whitehall, turned the corner into Victoria Street and walked up until we came to a Pret a Manger, where we chose our various lunch options.  I don't know whether it's because of the pandemic, but they don't have the range of sandwiches and cakes they used.  What they do have is delicious, though, but not a wide choice.  

I had a high protein salad, which was smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, spinach and edamame, and very good it was too.  And a grape and elderflower drink, which was lush.  The Daughter had an egg mayonnaise sandwich and crisps, and an apple drink, and Boy Too had a half-baguette with ham and gherkins, a rather solemn (or "worthy" said the daughter) cookie and an iced tea.  We took them  back across the road to the little park in Victoria Street to eat them (that's the wiggly bit on the map!), and sat in the sun until the sky clouded over rather ominously and it got a bit cold.  Whereupon we decided to call it a walk, and walked up Victoria Street where the Daughter and Boy Too went to get the Tube home and I decided to get a No 2 bus.  And then there was a 35, so I got that, deciding I couldn't be bothered to look in Tesco's to see if they had any British asparagus (Lidl didn't - I did have a quick look in there; asparagus, yes, but not yet British), and so home. And look - this doesn't happen often: 

Fitness Journey, 14 April

 

There really isn't any excuse now.  I have recovered from the food poisoning of a couple of weeks ago.  I have recovered from the walk in Epping Forest (which was lovely, but the breathlessness left me rather exhausted for a couple of days).  I have had the second dose of the vaccine and have recovered from that.  So there wasn't really any excuse!

I have, of course, been out most days, but not for very long - I had half intended to walk home from Church on Sunday, but it sort of didn't happen.  But I've been to Lidl.

And today we had to take a PCR test because we live in Lambeth, and all Lambeth and Wandsworth residents are being asked to because of the new South African variant's having been detected in the area.  So we did the tests, then I posted them and, while I was at it, went to the chemist in Bedford Road to pick up our free lateral flow tests - we are all being asked to do two lateral flow tests each week.  And as I am resuming grandmother duty on the 28th April, it is probably polite to take one before I go!  So anyway, I did come home via the short cut, which I probably shouldn't have done, but I was walking slightly too fast to be comfortable, so didn't.  Anyway, a kilometer, even if it's not very fast, is a good restart!  And tomorrow I shall be going for a walk in St James' Park with the Daughter and Boy Two.

No music - didn't think it would be worth it.  

Fitness journey, 4 April

 

Easter Day, and we went up to see the Daughter and her family in Walthamstow, and, after a very long and rather late lunch, we went for a walk in Epping Forest.  Sadly, from my point of view, it was not a very successful, as it was muddy, and parts were slightly steeper than I'm used to, and I lost my breath very early on and struggled to regain it.  I now have a very sore chest....  but nothing a good night's sleep won't cure.  It's fairly obvious, though, that I'm only fit for walking on pavements just now, and keeping said walk as flat as possible.  So Irritating!!!!

Incidentally, it's not that I hadn't been out since last I posted - I have; it's just I didn't do anything worth tracking; only to Lidl and back and to Tesco and back.  Hopefully once I've recovered from today I will be able to resume normal walks again.  

Hiatus, part 2

Food poisoning this time. Hope it is nearly over, but don't see myself gping out any time soon.

Fitness Journey 24 March

 The World Figure Skating Championships start today, after a hiatus last year because Covid, and are being televised on Eurosport this morning, starting at 09:00.  And I know me, once I settled down in front of them, I'll not be moving again.  But we didn't have enough bread for lunch and I didn't go out yesterday because I had - still have, but it's improving - a swollen and painful gland under my left ear.  So I got up early and went out to Sainsbury's before breakfast.  I don't know why Google fit thinks I wiggled up and down Tremadoc Road - I totally didn't!  I did, however, stop to take a photo of where Mr Fox had had his breakfast: 

Poor pigeon!  Actually, it might have been a sparrowhawk took it rather than a fox, but....

So anyway, rather a dull walk, but fairly brisk, to Sainsbury's, round Sainsbury's to get what I wanted, and home again.  I bought croissants, thinking that if the Swan Whisperer had had his breakfast, he could have his with his coffee.  "No," he said, "I waited, because I wondered if you'd buy something like that!"  Hopeful, much?

Music: Abba

Fitness Journey, 22 March

 

Google Fit appears less pessimistic than Huawei Health, and it doesn't keep interrupting you to tell you you have done another kilometer!  So if I want to track but don't want intrusive tracking, I know which one to use.

It was not, it has to be said, the longest of walks, but it was one I've been putting off all week.  I wanted to go to the bandstand on Clapham Common for a minute's silence to respect Sarah Everard, and all other young - and not young - women who are afraid to walk the streets at night.  With excellent reason, alas.

So I caught a 355 to Clapham South tube station, and then walked across the Common as you see above.  I didn't walk fast as it was a lovely day, and I kept stopping to take photos.  It must be well over a year since I was last there - if I want a park, I tend to go to Brockwell Park or even Windmill Gardens. 

When I got to Clapham Common station, I caught a 37 home, and then went into Lidl, forgetting to restart my trackers until I was half-way round, but never mind that!  Then home.   So far today that is 3,980 steps according to my phone, 3,976 according to my wristband and 4,254 according to Google Fit!  So roughly 4K, which is about what I wanted, but only 18 minutes of brisk walking, not the 20 I aim for.  But I didn't have any music - I did take my headband with me, but it didn't seem appropriate at first and then I just didn't want it, much too nice a day.  But I do walk faster if I have Abba or something like that blaring in my ears!

Fitness Journey, 19 March

This walk felt longer than it actually was, partly because I was on unfamiliar territory, which sounds silly since I was barely more than 500 metres from the flat, as the crow flies, but we don't walk that way very often.

I had vaguely thought I would go up to Clapham Common, but realised, by the time I got to the junction of Clapham Park Road and Abbeville Road, that this was probably not going to happen, as I was a bit out of breath already.  So I turned left down Park Road, and when I got to St James' Church I realised I really didn't know what happened south of there, and carried on.  When I got to more-or-less the end of the road, there was a school, and I didn't know what it was.  There were parents beginning to wait outside to pick up their children so I didn't go near them, but looked to my left, and there was the Londis at the entrance to the Estate!  I was on Crescent Lane, and the school was what used to be called Clapham Park School, back in the day, and was for visually-impaired children, and then it became the visually-impaired unit of King's Acre School (now King's Avenue School) and now it is a faith primary school for Muslim children.  I hadn't realised how much bigger it was behind than what is visible from King's Avenue.

So I came up Crescent Lane, across King's Avenue and Lyham Road, and then past the old Ashby Mill School site.  I thought I'd go up Branksome Road and go to Lidl, but then realised I have some mushrooms in the fridge and some cream cheese so we can have midweek mushroom pasta for supper and I had no need to shop.  So I came up Strathleven Road, and I'm so glad I did, because when I went past our back gate, I saw there were two beautiful fruit trees in blossom in our garden, so I came in that way to take a photo of them.  Then, I regret to say, I walked round the garden until the app told me I'd done 2k before coming indoors!  I didn't have to go round and round the garden like a teddy bear, though; half a lap was enough!

Music: Abba
 

Fitness Journey, 17 March

 

I didn't track today's walk, as the tracker can be intrusive; however, plenty of steps.  We (probably illegally) drove up to Walthamstow to meet the Daughter outside her house, and went for a walk with her.  The forecast had been fine - the weather, alas, was not, and we ended up sitting on a bench drinking coffee (this is now legal) in the pouring rain!  But it was lovely to see her, and a very pleasant walk.  Then we went to Sainsbury's; it was lovely to be in a huge superstore again - neither of my local ones is a superstore, although we do have a couple within reasonable distance.  Had we been in the motor home, I would have spent a long time walking around it; as it was, I got back to the car before the Swan Whisperer who had decided to use the facilities.  

It took us longer than it should have to drive home; the longest I have been out of the flat for months and months!

Hiatus

My fitness journey has gone on a hiatus for the last few days; the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard just round the corner threw us both completely, and then I had a minor virus (and subsequent post-viral depression) which destroyed my energy levels completely.

I did go out to Lidl yesterday and my watch registered >1000 steps for the day, only a third of my current target.  Today I have not gone out at all, but plan to do a few minutes on the stationery bike before going to cook supper.  And tomorrow we are (possibly illegally?) meeting the daughter and going for a short walk with her, and I hope, very much, that normal service will be resumed on Thursday!  

Fitness Journey, 12 March

 

A very slow walk today.  I think I must have had a minor virus - not THE virus, I've had that, and anyway I've been vaccinated - over the past two days as I felt very "off" on Wednesday (which was always going to be a rest day, did you see the weather forecast?) and not great yesterday, which is why I didn't go out then.  

So today I thought I would go a long way round to Tesco's, as I had some shopping to do for stuff Lidl doesn't sell, and went up Solon Road, across to Ferndale Road (stopping to take a photo of hyacinths in the almshouses garden): 

and so into Brixton, which, despite most of the shops being closed, was heaving!  Then up Acre Lanem stopping for a short sit-down in a bus shelter,  to Tescos, which didn't ask me to queue on entry, but the queues for the checkouts were very long.  I ended up going to a staffed checkout, which I don't normally do, and then of course the PayPlus app decided it wanted me to reenter ALL my details... I felt so sorry for those behind me. 

Anyway, after that I decided to call it a walk, as there was a 355 coming, so got on that.  Only about 500 metres missed, if that, but still.  Not very impressed with myself.

Music: Songs from musicals, followed by yesterday's "From our own correspondent".

Fitness journey, 9 March

The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow - although it is such a lovely day today that seems most improbable.  So I thought I'd better get in my 3k while the getting was good.

There was a funeral at the New Testament Church of God on Lyham Road; our local newsagent died a few days ago of a heart attack.  If times had been normal, we would have attended the funeral; as it was, we did want to pay our respects, so we arranged to meet outside the church.  I went down to Tulse Hill Sainsbury's, as I knew that would be about the right distance, but it really is a manky branch compared to Clapham, and I was in a hurry.  In fact, I nearly forgot to put a mask on because I was concentrating on the Smart Shop app, and had to be reminded by the store staff.  

Anyway, a quick dash round Sainsbury's, and then back along Water Lane and Lambert Road to the church; the funeral was supposed to start at 10:45, but of course it was nearer 11:20 by the time the hearse arrived and the coffin was taken into the church, at which point we came away and home via Strathleven Road.

I am extremely pleased with my times, though - under 15 minutes/km!  I don't think I could have done that without sitting on someone's wall in Lambert Road for half an hour or so, though!

Music: Simply Musicals, Andrew Lloyd Webber; Songs from the Musicals.
 

Fitness Journey, 8 March

 Another walk with a rest in the middle - the rest, this time, being on a bus.  Which was very frustrating, as I will relate.

I needed to pick up my medication from the pharmacy, so walked down Acre Lane 

into Brixton to do that, and then popped into Superdrug to recycle my blister packs from the last lot.  Then I decided to go up past the Post Office and along Pulross Road to cut up on to Landor Road and, I hoped, past the Old Post Office Bakery, but by the time I got to Lambeth Hospital I was getting tired, and sat down at a bus stop to get my second wind, and there was a bus so I thought I'd catch it for a couple of stops until it diverged from my route.  Only, when it went past the Old Post Office, they had Chelsea Buns in the window!!!!!

So I banged the bell to get off at the next stop, but the next stop was a lot further along Landor Road than the bus had already come, and the traffic was absolutely solid, it must have taken a good 10-15 minutes to get to the stop.  I did get off there, although it was a stop earlier than I had planned, as the traffic was so impossibly slow it was quicker to walk by then.  So I cut the corner, going past a derelict block of flats with daffodils growing on the lawn: 

and then out on to Bedford Road, and so home.  Would have struggled dreadfully without the bus - I was struggling a bit as it was, but got there in the end.

Music: Simply Musicals, London; then Simply Musicals, Andrew Lloyd Webber

Fitness journey, 6 March

 

Today's walk looks a lot better than it actually was, as what it doesn't show was that we were in the Church for over an hour, so I had a lovely long rest in the middle!  

The Swan Whisperer needed to go down to our church to do some work on the sound system, and suggested I come down with him - if he got too bored, walking at my pace, he would go on ahead.  Actually, he didn't - he said, coming back, that if he was much colder he would have done (the church, of course, being out of use, is unheated at the moment), but he was fine.  Anyway, it is about 1.5 km there and we came back a different way, past the prison and then up Lyham Road - noting some interesting-looking places for further exploration - and then I said I thought it would be a bit shorter to cut the corner through the estate, rather than going up past the youth club and home that way.  So we did.  I struggled quite badly going to the church, as it is uphill (not steeply, but continuously), but after a rest was fine, and then walking back was downhill or flat!

And oh, the bliss of seeing someone in the flesh and chatting to them who is not the Swan Whisperer, much as I love him!  But it was nice to have his company on my walk!

No music - I had company!  Ditto no photos, for the same reason.

Fitness journey, 5 March

 

After Tuesday's little effort, I had to have a couple of quiet days.  I did stagger out to Lidl before breakfast on Wednesday morning (fancied a pain au chocolat), but yesterday the weather was horrible - foggy and dreich - so I stayed in.  I did sort out my herbs and spices, as I might have gone to Tesco's, or even to Nour, had I needed much in that line, but in fact found I had too much sage (so put the spare jar in the hall for another resident to take if they would like) and more ras el hanout than I thought, and the only thing I really needed was parsley, so I left it.

But today the sun is (mostly) shining, and I had no excuse for not going for a walk.  However, I thought I had better take it easy again, so just went round the block, walking through the estate and then back via Branksome Road and Hayter Road to make the tracing rather less phallic!  I then wen to Lidl, which accounted for most of the 2nd kilometer, and certainly for the slowness of it!  And home to discover that I'd forgotten to buy parsley, my head and face covering (I have some pretty bandannas which I have  been  using as scarf-cum-mask this winter) was inside out and I'd bought chicken and duck sushi instead of the veggie sushi I thought I'd bought.  Oh well....

Music: Simply Musicals, London.