Sunday sunset at Locko

Sunday was a lovely day, almost warm again, certainly nice enough to spend most of the day sitting (at a suitable social distance) in a neighbour's garden. 

In the evening, though, I decided that, as I'd sat still for so long, some exercise would be good - so we took the car to Locko and walked the half mile to the lake and back, with more than half an eye on the sunset the whole time.

And as we headed back up the drive to leave, the almost-full moon rose.

 

Six Months On ...

 Who would have thought back in March that we'd still be more or less under lockdown six months later? And, of course, now we seem to be moving back towards tighter restrictions rather than less.

Certainly there were hints about a second wave that would hit us in autumn but I'm not sure how many of us really paid attention to them. I feel if I'd really understood at the beginning how long this would go on for I would have panicked far more. It has definitely been the weirdest six months I've known - a bizarre mix of carrying on as normal and isolation.

 

 At the beginning of lockdown I thought I'd keep track of what I was doing week to week but as things returned to a sort of normal in June I let it slip. It didn't seem possible to let the six month mark pass without comment, though. Looking back on those early posts, I realise I was approaching things in a different manner then - treating the time a little bit like a holiday, but also obsessing over my storecupboard supplies.

Since then things have settled into a routine that honestly isn't far from how I'd normally spend my time. My garden has been brilliant for easing anxiety - whether sitting enjoying sun and flowers, or getting exercise digging and tending vegetables, there's a degree of mindfulness to gardening in whichever guise. My husband's spent a huge part of every day at the allotment, and the freezer is feeling the benefit with bags of tomatoes, cauliflower and beans. And at the same time, the various produce gluts have rekindled my interest in cooking - searching out or dreaming up ways to use an excess of cauliflower, cucumber or kale. 

I've discovered I like the quiet time this gives me. As I've always been a stay at home mum it's been rather like returning to earlier times when my husband was at work, and my daughters at school. I've pottered about, doing housework and gardening, tackled various sewing projects that had been abandoned, even started some new ones, and mostly used the peace and quiet for reflection and trying to work out what I'd like to do long-term in retirement (when restrictions ever lift).

I thought I'd miss going out more than I have, but online streaming has brought music, festivals, and theatre to my living room. In the first few weeks I watched a lot of musicians' online shows, but after a while the novelty of them died. I loved the wide range of productions streamed by the National Theatre, BBC in quarantine, and Globe TV, and I hope they'll bring this back in some form or other over winter (pay to view would be fine as obviously theatres can't keep going forever with no income). I've also been to a variety of festivals on-line - Front Room Festival from Folk on Foot, Hay and Edinburgh book festivals, Timber Festival, The Good Life Experience, and even caught up with some old highlights from Glastonbury. Being fairly well entertained at home, I certainly haven't been tempted to go out to pubs, restaurants or music venues; I'll leave that to younger, fitter folk who are at less risk.

Turns out though that it's six months since I went into a shop! That's almost unbelievable. Grocery shopping is done through a click and collect service, so a brief 'hello' and 'thank you' is all the contact I have with staff. Clothes (yes, despite my resolution to stop buying, some sale items have found their way here), and various bits and pieces that can't be found in supermarkets are bought online, or through delivery services from local shops. I feel like I could easily slip into becoming a recluse who never leaves the house!

To counter that I've been taking as many opportunities as I can to go out walking. Living near to the Peak District, a lot of places I might have visited have been busy, but local National Trust properties and Chatsworth gardens, maybe because they've had a book-ahead system for tickets, have been quieter, and excellent places to go for an afternoon out. Going back several times to some of these places, it's been lovely to see the season change, summer advance and autumn arrive. 

We've been lucky in that as a couple we're retired, so there's no need to worry about work or income, and as a family we have no older generations to worry about. On the downside, I've only seen eight people (including my husband) during this whole time. There are the supermarket guys, and the people to whom I say hi while out walking (at a safe distance) but they hardly count as people I've held conversations with. 

I wish I'd been able to see both daughters more, and, although video calls and silly online quizzes helped fill the gap, looking back sometimes I think we may have been more cautious than necessary. Luckily we had a big family meet up planned for the day before the 'rule of six' came in; the weather was sunny, we had lunch delivered, and sat in the sun while my grandson ran round and round. Who knows when we'll be able to do that again, but I'd rather be certain we all made it through to the other side of this (there will be an end - all things pass) than took chances now.

Moving forward, another six months of semi-isolation, especially falling over winter, doesn't look appealing. Time to make the most of the sunshine, some quiet mindfulness, and finding something to keep me busy.

Last Day of Summer at Calke

We've been lucky to have some wonderful sunny days for the last week, and, with a forecast threatening proper autumnal weather, I wanted to take full advantage of it while keeping up my weekly walks. 

For a change of scene I suggested a trip to Calke Abbey, another local National Trust property, though a little further away than Kedleston. normally on our visits there we stick to the gardens, but being in the mood for a longer walk we decided to explore the park this time.

From the car park, the path drops steeply to a string of ponds then rises again to wooded areas beyond. I was prepared for exploring with a map showing various colour-coded walks, but Covid restrictions encourage visitors to follow the routes in reverse order, and we managed to, not quite get lost, but certainly end up doubling back and retracing our steps a couple of times to head in the direction we wanted to go.

Like the house, the parkland was neglected and not managed 'properly' for years and as a result has lots of old trees - gnarly and lumpy, or straight and reaching for the sky. 

Dappled shade under the trees was most welcome in the hot weather.

Eventually our zigzagging route took us to the edge of the estate to a point where you can look over farmland towards Staunton Harold Reservoir and, beyond it, Melbourne.

From here the path follows the edge of Calke's deer park, and close to the fence quite a number of young deer were feeding. They weren't really disturbed by our presence - I suppose they're used to living by a footpath - but they did move further away among the trees. There are probably half a dozen or more of them in this photo but hidden by their colourings and the shade.

It's quite a short distance to the car park from this point, but we decided to take a diversion, back past the lily ponds and a little way through the more open park nearer to the house - where we spotted longhorn cattle. 

Calke is definitely another of those 'on my doorstep' places that I haven't explored fully, and with some good weather (and not too much tightening of covid restrictions) I hope to be back again this autumn.

Kedleston Wilderness

 As part of my get fit campaign, I'm trying to go out at least once a week for a longer walk. This week saw us back at Kedleston, heading for the Wilderness walk.
Schools have now opened for autumn term but even so I was surprised how few people were out and about, especially on a warm sunny day. As always, most were near the gardens and as we headed across the park we almost seemed to have the place to ourselves.

From previous walks by the river and through the wilderness, I've decided the riverbank nearest to the house gives better views, so that's the way we took ... past the boathouse, alongside the lakes to the stepping stones and bridge at the edge of the park.

Heading into the Wilderness, trees brought some welcome shade, but despite the sun there were lots of signs of autumn around - leaves changing to yellow or red, berries ripening, acorns filling.

After a while the path passes from under the trees to a more open park-like area, and here I spotted another sign that autumn was on the way - fungi.

From here the walk leads back under the dappled shade of the main drive.

For once I'd finished my walk with a little time to spare, so instead of heading straight back to the car  we wandered a short distance alongside the lower lakes, and found an almost complete fairy ring of mushrooms.

By now all the picnic tables by the hall were empty - and so was the car park! Time perhaps to head home.