December sunset

December started with a clear cold day, and as the sun started to set the sky began to turn red.

After last month's One Hour Outside challenge, I'd promised myself to take more time outdoors, so instead of watching from inside I headed up the nearby playing fields to see how the sunset progressed.

Crossing the road I had to stop, very briefly, to capture the sun sinking over the hill. 

 Up on the field, things at first didn't look so dramatic ...









but I waited as the sky darkened ...

... and the sky turned red.

 An absolute stunner of a sunset, made special by the moon low in the sky.

It was definitely worth the short walk even though the temperature was dropping rapidly.

 I'm more determined now to keep up the idea of  getting outside. I won't go everyday, and probably not for long, but when time and weather permit I'll be out and about.

Exploring Manchester without our guide

Last weekend we were in Manchester again, but this time left to our own devises while our daughter was busy at Stall, a pop-up Christmas market. Although we've explored quite a bit of the city it's always been with her along to show the way, so this time was more of an adventure.








She was based for the day in a new building (Kampus) next to an old canal, so on our first foray out we followed the water past the bars and clubs of the Gay village. It was a cold but brilliantly sunny day, the sky and water blue, and everything looking so pretty.













When the canal towpath came to an end we headed vaguely in the direction we thought 'town' lay, but without bothering to use a map our route was a little hit and miss. Even so we managed to find Manchester's Chinatown - well, how could we miss that magnificent arch? - the Art Gallery and a wonderful exhibition of ceramicist Halima Cassell's work, and the Christmas decorations outside the library.

Manchester Art Gallery

the gallery's amazing entrance hall

here and above, a couple of Halima Cassell's
intriguing pieces of work

For lunch we decided to head back to Kampus where one of the vendors was surprised we hadn't encountered the other fairs around the city, so our next excursion was a little more organised - head up the road and look for signs to the Town Hall. Off we went (after pizza)


The first thing we spotted was the Crown Court with its castle-like turrets and door

Then up the road we stumbled on Santa overseeing the fountains and a Christmas fair at Piccadilly gardens





























Deciding we should really follow signposts, we headed into the setting sun, and found the Town Hall and adjoining market almost next to the library where we'd been earlier!













This whole area was absolutely packed with people, so we had a quick look round (as best we could because of the crowds) before heading back to Kampus again

Fortified by chips and hot peas, we had time for one more short wander along the canal - now lit up for the evening, and looking so pretty.

Something I didn't realise till checking Google maps later was that we weren't far from the places we've visited before, so I can sort of claim to have walked across Manchester. No doubt though there'll be more to discover on another visit.

Chatsworth Christmas - 2019

It's nearly Christmas so it's time to start the round of festively decorated stately homes. Chatsworth is generally first on my list, and this was actually my second visit (I have an annual pass so can visit as many times as I like)

This year's theme follows Phileas Fogg and Amelia Earhart on a journey round the world, dropping in on Christmas celebrations from many countries.
A roaring fire welcomes visitors into the house, with an aeroplane and world globes suspended from the ceiling of the entrance hall.

From there, visitors move along corridors with arches of decorations. The rooms which follow are always wonderfully decorated but I love passing through this first section where things are on a more intimate scale (and I always wonder if I could do the same in my hallway - probably not!)

There are Christmas trees in every room (and sometimes two, three or more!). I always intend to count them, but never do.

Cherry blossoms ushered us in to the 'Japan' section, but this tree of fans seemed more wintery.

Lanterns and parasols led on to the staircase where a splendid Chinese dragon waited.

With a bit of luck, and a lot of planning, I'd like to pull in another visit before the house closes in early January as each time there seems something new to spot.

One Hour Outside - how did it go?

Ever one for taking up a challenge, at the beginning of November I decided to join in with Zoe/Splodzblogz and try to get outside for an hour every day


Let's be honest and admit that November isn't the nicest month to be outside in, but I discovered some unexpected pleasure in it.

Below there's a long list of what, when, and roughly how long I was outside each day, which probably isn't really of interest to anyone but myself, so here's a summary.

The month started on holiday - at Appleby-in-Westmorland (above) - and ended with a day in Manchester (left) - both good opportunities to be out and about.









In between, there've been Christmas markets to check out, and quite a bit of walking to gigs or down town shopping, but most of my hours outdoors have been spent in the garden (easy on a sunny day with laundry to hang out and gardening to do), or walking round local suburban streets - nosing at what might still be flowering in other people's gardens or seeing the trees change from yellow-leaved to bare branches as the month progressed.





Nowadays there's nothing I need to go out for - no work to go to, no school run at set times - and days can easily merge into each other. Waking each morning with an intention of going outside has made me more aware of the weather - even if all I've done is look at it from the dry side of a window. The shortening of days has also seemed more apparent. November starts with the shock of having changed the clocks and the sudden early nights which follow, but by the end of the month days have shortened drastically as we head for mid-winter. It makes me think this would be a good exercise to repeat in January or February to notice the lengthening days.





Nov 1 - easy to spend an hour outside today. On holiday so lots of outdoorsy-ness, walking round towns, gardens and along a closed road at Pooley Bridge. Incidentally my fitbit logged 9 miles today!
 2nd - still fairly easy. Went to Dunham Massey, walked round gardens, saw deer
 3rd - back home, so laundry to hang out and garden to check. Also walking across Nottingham in the evening to Skerryvore gig

4th - laundry part 2 - one of those long never-ending sequels. I timed myself and spent 30 minutes just hanging it all on the line (and reorganising it to fit on) A good dry day so add in pottering round the garden, tidying here and there, admiring autumn leaves and the few remaining flowers, plus more messing about with laundry, and I easily reached an hour outside.
5th - damp  - short time in the garden, picking flowers before a forecast frost, hanging out/ bringing in laundry, 30 minute walk looking at front gardens - late dahlias and crab apples
6th - pottering, or at least messing about with pots, in the garden. Moving those containing tender plants to the greenhouse, sorting clean pots and putting away in the shed, removing the saucers from under the larger pots that stay outside over winter. A lot of fairly heavy work but sadly not many steps for the Fitbit

7th - walking, different route with late roses still blooming in a couple of gardens
8th - babysitting so not out at all
9th - cold and wet after over night frost. Didn't manage an hour, 40 mins at most, but felt better for getting out for a walk
10th - sunny - laundry, gardening, chopping lilac
11th - cold, breezy - spent too long hanging out a massive load of laundry, bringing it back in in rain, and putting out again
12th - 30 mins of laundry, filling bird feeders, and fetching laundry back in in drizzle, plus an hour's walk just as it dropped dark and the rain dried up
13th - cold but dry and sunny. A lot of messing about in the garden, followed by a 40 minute evening walk in the dark, seeing the moon which was full yesterday
14th - just far too wet, windy and generally horrible to go outside. I got soaked fetching the b low-over dustbin in
15th - Babysitting
16th, 17th - like any resolution once you break the habit of doing something you lose that impetus. Missing my hour outside on Friday, led to me not caring whether I went out or not over the weekend. Saturday was wet and cold again, and involved IKEA shopping (tiring but not outside). Sunday was a slow day but out in the evening to Rock City so at least half an hour of outsideness walking across Nottingham
18th - half an hour chopping lilac and pussy willow in front garden plus the general laundry hanging thing
19th - somehow forgot to make a note of this day!
20th - Chatsworth - browsing the Christmas market and a brief walk in the garden made up a lot more than an hour
21st  - accidentally lured into chopping pyracantha, so spend a lot more time in the garden than intended
22nd, 23rd - grandson sitting so not outside at all - it's nice to take him to the park when the sun shines but not at this time of year
24th - walking around Brinsley with ladders
25th - evening walk checking for Christmas decorations - not many yet (milder and managed to miss the rain)
26th - maybe not an hour (though felt like it) around car parks and shops
27th - down town shopping but with a walk from the openair car park near the river
28th - indoors all day doing household chores
29th - Chatsworth again - gardens and Christmas market
30th - Manchester - Christmas markets, and discovering quaint spots by the canal