 10 April 2025 (Thursday) We planned a visit to Aston Rowant today so we got up early, getting our ablutions and breakfast all done and dusted and me preparing a snack and a flask of tea for our trip. It's part of our routine to take a snack and beverage with us so that we can sit on a bench, a fallen tree or a ledge, refuel, and ponder all around us, even when we're only going to Kew Gardens… a mere twenty minutes drive away! I guess as well as sustenance, it's a treat, harking back to picnics of bygone days. Richard hadn't slept very well, so he asked if I’d drive which I obviously had no problem with. It can be quite challenging when you've had a poor night’s sleep to then be in charge of any equipment, especially something as dangerous as a car driving along the motorway at whatever speed your head and foot dictate! After an uneventful drive, where chat and gaps were both welcome, we parked up in the Natural England car park at the end of the now very well weathered and pitted road. The car park’s used by dog walkers, walkers and doggers alike; each category of user having their own purpose and pleasures! We did our usual round: walking from the car park down to the lookout point, through the gate (that had PLOP written on it in chalk…), along the chalk embankment (hence writing implement for the PLOP), then up across the sheep walk and the back down to look out over Aylesbury plain, down into the woodland, up the wider path to go into the forest, left into the side forest that sweeps around the giant field of yellow flowered rapeseed, and right past fallen pointy tree point, and along almost to the road, turning 180° at this point to retrace our steps. We took our time, and halfway through the long walk of the side forest sat on our favourite bench to have our snack, with some quiet chat and a managed gap in trees giving an almost secretive glimpse of the hazy plain beyond. The first three quarters of the walk was incredibly wonderful, as we met not a single person. It's always lovely when walking to pass somebody and nod, or give a smile, or say “Hello” or “Morning” or “Lovely day for it”... and it's even more special to do the same walk and meet no one. True bliss, surely?  On our way back, just passing the bench where we'd had our snack not twenty minutes previous, I saw the first dog walker; up along the top path, his mongrel bounding excitedly ahead and he following on, with a whistle quietly thrusting through his teeth. He seemed oblivious to me being on the lower path, and of Richard fifty feet behind taking a photo of some wood anemones.
Richard had decided that we'd take a new way back to the car, which I was slightly wary of as the suggested path went sharply down, meandering away from where we needed to get to and if we followed it down I was sure at some point we'd have to wind the whole way right back up. I also wasn't sure it was a circular path, instead thinking it led away from where we wanted to get to in order to take ourselves back to the Fenella. However, being the staunch adventurers we are, we walked down the steep incline, and after about five minutes of trepidatious foot placing and much rustling of leaves found ourselves at the back of a few houses… With uncertainty of what was ahead and a certainty of what was behind we turned round, making our way back up the steeping incline breathing deeply and puffing gently as we both went. Back at the top, we began our way back to the car, retracing our steps rather than taking the usual shortcut along the rutted road. We passed various other folk, and when we got back to a high point where it's necessary to go through a gate we found two rather fluffy terriers standing still and watching what we were doing, with anticipation or apathy, I couldn't really tell. Their ‘owners’ looked to be nowhere, though the hilltop hid them and they were maybe just a few feet behind; an elderly couple, and she took a rest on the incongruous lone metal chair that's pegged into the ground. I guess they do this walk regularly, maybe weekly, even daily, maybe even twice daily. Who knows but them and their dogs? As we greeted and passed on our way as walkers without dogs and dog walkers so, I imagined the couple having lived their lives together for decades, dogs changing as they do as the years of love and care go by. Of course, they may have only recently found each other, though I felt there was a comfort of knowing between them that only comes with uncounted days of give and take, and a developed deep understanding of one another… and suddenly I’m reminded of my mum and dad, and the joys and jostles life threw their way. A moment of anguish that they're no longer with us, and minutes of smiles as I remember the happy time… and then looking up I see a red kite soar in the thermals and my mind is taken elsewhere. Back at the car park, with boots taken off and shoes put back on, we sat in the car just watching things go by; Richard fiddling with his camera and lenses and me watching a red kite circling close by, maybe the same one, maybe not. In one of its turns dropping off an unwanted poo cargo that thankfully, despite its trajectory, was far enough away to miss Fenella. There was a joy in this moment… a first for me, as I'd never seen a red kite pooping in midair before… in fact not surprisingly, I’d never seen a red kite’s ablutions before. Happy days indeed, though if I’d been underneath it… it could have been a very Lucky Day, as the old wives’ tale goes. The drive back, as usual, seemed to take less time than the getting there, and once home and lunch was had, it was time to get to my desk for an hour's work work. As Richard electronically developed all the photos he’d taken, sorting out what was good and what was not and what would be used where, I popped to the plot to do the necessary watering. It hasn't rained for well over two weeks now, and watering needs to be done. The forecasters say that at the back end of the weekend the temperature will dip from the highs that we're getting now and rain will come. And even though I love the temperatures, the rain will be welcome. Happy Days! Weather: Cloudy start, with sun coming out late morning. Blue skies and sun in the afternoon, and warm veering to hot, circa 22°. Bliss. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, banana, sultanas Aston Rowant Snack: Rice Cracker Sandwich with spread, yeast extract and thinly sliced cheese, and tea Lunch: Baguette with Quorn Chicken slices, coleslaw and cucumber Supper: Baked Beans (from freezer), potatoes broiled in a lidded pan with leftover braised cabbage and carrots added and heated through at the end.
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 20 March 2025 (Thursday)
A fabulous day, even early on feeling more like summer than spring, let alone winter! As today was forecast to be the best day of the week, and with other commitments this week and next, we’d decided to get down to Avebury and have a wander… until Richard realised today is the Spring Equinox and therefore Wiltshire, Glastonbury and Avebury would likely be awash with people, which we’re not fans of! So, instead we popped off to Kew Gardens. The sun shone, and it was warm… and of course, that meant there were rather a lot of people - and especially those who seem to want to visit a fabulously peace-filled outside space on a glorious day and chat loudly about everything apart from the place they’re visiting, or those that call someone to speak loudly on their phone, with the speaker on so that all can hear both sides of the conversation… I guess it’s best to not say what I’d do to these people if it was legal! Have I mentioned we’re not fans of places awash with people! After we'd started on a path to our Kew quiet places - where few people go, apart from those who know - the people thinned out and the joy of Kew Gardens lay before us, with its open spaces and tranquil peace (despite the often regularity of planes flying over on the landing path to Heathrow!). The light was that light that shows everything to its best, the fresh spring greens were jumping out, daisies were quietly dancing in the wide stretches of mown grass, and the sky was that bright wholesome blue that lends a backdrop to a spectacular view. It was whilst we were at the southern head of Kew’s lake that I saw the view above, and thought of mum, and smiled. Mum was always a fan of trees, and woods in particular. She’d love to spend time out in nature, with dad, walking wooded walkways at Pleinmont, watching the sea glistening in sunshine or subdued by grey cloud through the needles of the pines trees she sheltered under at Albecq, and walking down the giant avenues of oaks and firs and pines and redwoods that add such grandeur here at Kew Gardens. In her later years, it wasn't possible for her to get out and visit woods, or many trees; the mobility and accessibility just wasn’t there. So, she’d sit in her chair at the window of her room of the care home where she spent her last year and a half, and watch the trees up the driveway blowing in the wind or just grandly standing there. These trees were mentioned during every call we had. “Oh, it's really windy today and the trees are really blowing”, or “Oh, there's hardly any wind, not even a breeze and the trees are as still as soldiers on guard”, or, “It rained before, and the trees are now glistening in the sun”, or very occasionally “oh, it’s so foggy today I can’t even see the trees. I hope they’re OK”. This tiny view of three willowy firs sustained mum's love of trees through till the day she died. A view like this above, of grass and trees and the bright blue sky would just lift mum's heart, just as it did for me standing amidst the daisies on this glorious Spring Equinox. We carried on wandering… eventually sitting down near Queen Charlotte's Cottage, where she used to picnic and have Afternoon Tea. We had our own sustenance of rice crackers with yeast extract and a thin sliver of cheese, and a cup of tea, black with a little honey - the way Richard likes it. After restoring ourselves, we carried on walking, losing time and getting back to Fenella almost three hours after we'd left her - she didn’t mind, and was herself warm and snugly to get back into. In the afternoon, with the warmth continuing, I needed to get to the plot and water the broad beans that are hardening off on an outside bench. They're growing pretty well, so the compost needs to be kept moist; I really don't want them being stressed at any point during their growing period, if I can help it. There’s also a few other things to water, and I notice a little bit more germination in our Portuguese cabbage cross. Happy Days! A Chilli Concoction Supper is a chilli concoction - we’ve leftover veggie Shepherd's pie mix, sans potato. In a saucepan add a rounded tablespoon of miso paste, two rounded teaspoons of cocoa powder (or four small square blocks from a bar of dark chocolate), two rounded teaspoons of ground cumin, a flat teaspoon of ground coriander, a level tablespoon of dried coriander leaf, and half a teaspoon of chipotle paste (use more if you prefer your chilli with more heat) - give this all a good mix. Then add a tin of chilli beans (including the sauce, do not drain) and a drained tin of kidney beans. Slowly bring this to a simmer, stirring regularly - be careful as the mixture is thick and gloopy and could splatter. With a lid on, let simmer on a low heat until all is fully heated through. Serve with rice, or pitta, pasta, poppadoms, tortilla chips, bread or whatever your choice of starch is. A bit of grated cheese always hits the spot. Weather: Very sunny and warm - hitting 19° and likely to just nudge below 10° overnight. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, prunes and sliced banana Lunch: Butterbean Squish Wraps (butter beans, miso, red onion, celery, mayo, yeast flakes, soy sauce) in Lidl wraps. Supper: Chilli Concoction - remaining mix from Richard’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with added spices and beans. Had with brown rice cooked in the Instant Pot.  7 March 2025 (Friday) Woke up remembering that I was going to be helping prune the cider orchard at the allotment site today... my heart sank, a little. I'm going to be doing it with the guy who makes the cider from the apples of our trees, and hoping that a couple of others will turn up as well. It wasn't that I didn't want to do it, it was just that I didn't really feel like doing it today, but it was in the diary, so… Doing a bit of work at my desk early on, I got a call from The Compost Centre (such nice guys!!!) to say that the bags of compost that I’d ordered about six weeks ago we're going to be delivered today…and then I remembered there's also a skip being delivered today at the allotment, which will be available for plotters to fill up over the weekend. At this point everything was feeling a little bit overwhelming. After breakfast, I got down to the allotment site and the skip had already been delivered. Yay!! I wasn't actually the one ordering the skip this time, so none of that organisation nor anxiety of if it would, when it would, would the driver be decent or frosty, fell to me. It's funny, maybe 10 years ago I wouldn't have had anxiety around things like I do now. I remember when my parents were in their 60s and they would get anxious about this or that, I’d say to them “Oh, don't worry about that. It's not a problem” or “Oh, I don't know why you're concerned about that”. And now, three decades on, I find I'm treading regularly in those anxiety footsteps of my parents, and have been for many years now. I'm not sure whether it's just the world moving too fast, or insecurity about doing things at my age that a decade ago I’d just have been a snip. But I appreciate my parents more and more as I get older… not in fits and jumps, but in a slow and happily progressive understanding of the life and knowledge they passed on through their words and actions; this understanding is rather comforting, as with ice cream slowly melting over hot apple pie. Anyway… After a little bit of weeding on the plot, a shout from a fellow plotter “Your man’s here!” and off to the gate I went… my fellow pruner had arrived and it was time to get to the site’s orchard. The trees haven’t been managed for a very long time. Four of them are of a variety that is particularly vigorous, and they’ve grown both too tall and too broad in the canopy. The area of the orchard is only three plots and has about 15 trees, so they’re packed a tad closer than is desired. I’m told the original idea was that they’d be kept pretty tight, with short productive branches and not allowed to grow beyond two meters in height. The guy who had these plots, and planted this orchard of apple trees almost two decades ago, himself succumbed to the decades. As he got older he was simply unable to manage the trees in the way they needed, both his mobility and health got in the way. The trees, largely unchecked, grew… and spread… and grew. Unless you're a tree, getting older isn’t much fun… maybe for some it is, though for most so many challenges arise that our younger selves would just shrug off, or put on our big boy pants and get on with. Anyway… These trees were pruned a little a few years ago, though they needed a concerted effort; we really needed to get into the trees and cut them back. Fortunately, this is what my fellow pruner and myself did, and the orchard looks significantly thinner now than it did when we began. Stupidly, as often happens with me, I didn't take any before shots so I’ve only the after shots. What’s clear from the arisings i.e the prunings of the trees, is that quite a lot has come off. We even took three or four large crowding limbs down, each about 15 foot long.  There were two main jobs planned: opening up the crown of the trees which had become relatively crowded out with growth, and cutting back the canopy of the most rigorous of the trees by about a third as they were encroaching into their neighbouring trees - canopy shyness was not a thing here!
I think we did a really good job, starting at 10.30am and then finishing around 1.15pm. In the end it was just myself and the cider man who were available to do it, though we cracked on and did the job, and did it well. Of course, there was a lot of arisings in a pile that will need to be processed at our next work social. Now, when I say processed, I mean the smaller branches of these prunings will be cut off and laid into a dead hedge, though the dead hedge may actually need to be another one that we create, just around the corner from the current one in the orchard as it’s pretty full already. Getting back home at around 1.30pm, I was pretty hungry. I’d taken a flask and a biscuit with me but just hadn't had time to have a break. So when I came in the door and Richard told me to wash my hands because he had a burger for me to try it was a big “Oh, yes please!” He's been really keen to create a burger from soya mince for some time, and the trial that he gave me was rather tasty, with a lovely crisp outside and soft inside. He wants it to be firmer inside than it was, so I can see more trials to come, which will be delicious! I went back to the allotment in the afternoon for an hour or so to just carry on with weeding, and then it was time for Richard’s Live at 6pm, before we had a swift broad bean and pesto pasta supper and sat down to some telly. Weather: Sunny much of the day, and warm - around 15°. Slightly cloudy from late afternoon. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, sultanas and sliced banana Lunch: Richard's trial soya burger, pitta, grated carrot and fried smoked tofu Supper: Frozen broad beans, some water, a chunk of garlic, and a tablespoon of miso slowly stewed and a half jar of Lidl pesto added at the end. Had with wholewheat spaghetti and grated cheddar. |
Paul SavidentFollowing on from A Guernsey Gardener in London, I've decided to try and write a regular blog, and we'll see how it AND 2025 go! Archives
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