Tuesday 31 March 2009

Spring flowers


Hi everyone,

I have just taken a shot of my Coronation Cowslips beginning to peek through the dead leaves in the garden. We had a couple of lovely walks around the lake last week with friends from Glasgow, it was very windy and cold and the lake was full of white horses, but you could sense that Spring was here with the daffodils all out in the woods. It was so windy that although they asked to go up Skiddaw before they came to stay, when they arrived here they changed their minds! So it was up to Seatoller and wander down to Grange which was delightful with a nice cup of tea at the end outside the cafe, then take the boards down to the lake and the launch back to Keswick. They were well pleased and it seemed to me that sometimes its best to be sensible and know your own limitations, that way they didn't end up Skiddaw in a terrific blow which I doubt they would have enjoyed at all.

Anyway, the weather is improving and so is the situation here with regard to the builders. They have gone because the front bay window is finished, just all the tidying up and painting to do and new floor boards to fit (Pete is wonderful at DIY).
Meanwhile the covered way is nearly complete too because we spent Sunday putting the roof on and I will soon be able to hang up my washing to dry when its wet and also dry our gear when we come back from Keswick Rambles undertaken in the wet. Here it is almost finished.

Saturday sees our first walk of the season too, so we hope to see some of you outside the Moot Hall and renew old acquaintances.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Not much time for walking or blogging!


Well its all go at the house this week, not only has Pete been building a covered way between our house and the next so that we can keep our wood store dry in the winter, but the builder is here putting a damp proof course into the lounge bay window which has been suffering from rising damp. This first piccie shows progress on the covered way which has halted at the moment whilst we await the roofing and the guttering to arrive from the builder's merchant.


The second photo is progress on the bay window, not much to see but very sever disruption I can tell you. Bella has decided to lay low in my study at the rear of the house and is spending most of her time lying on my sofa in a sunbeam. She does manage to have a walk once a day but at the moment it is not up a fell but just an hours fast walk through the woods, down by the lake, back through the town (usually past the town chip shop - she likes to see if there are any stray chips) and then back home.

We will probably manage to do an hour in the garden this afternoon when the sun comes round and then she will enjoy herself. The garden is just beginning to show signs of spring with these lovely primulas just peeking through all the dead leaves.


Meanwhile, though, bookings for the Keswick Mountain Festival are starting to hot up, so if any of you out there are wanting to book us, please email armstrongps1@madasafish.com and we will book you on the walks. I must say that by May I hope all this work will be done and we can look forward to more exhilarating exercise on them there hills.