Walking with Heart Failure

 I felt like a walk today and the Horsefield seemed like a good idea.  It was wet and very overcast and perhaps suited my mood as I am feeling very tired and breathless at the moment and my left ventricular dysfunction (heart failure) is getting me down somewhat.  Despite knowing that I had this I naively thought thet when I had my aortic valve replacement all would be well.  I was reminded after the operation that I still had the left ventricular dysfunction but naively I felt that I could train my heart back into fitness - after all isn't it a muscle like any other?  Sadly that plan hasn't worked and 18 month on my heart has not changed despite all the medication that I am on.  Still, at least it hasn't become worse and I am going to have to learn to live with it.  I can still walk 4 or 5 miles on the flat reasonably comfortably; hills are more of a problem!  Watch this space; my natural optimism will return.

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A Day Out at Belvoir Castle

 Despite the inclement weather we continued with our plans to meet Malcolm and Maureen at Belvoir Castle  I had often seen the castle on our drives south on the A1 and it always looks spectacular and I knew the Vale of Belvoir from a long distance bike tour and from walking the Viking Way which passes close to the castle.

Meeting up at the appointed time having had to book in, we made our way up to the castle.  These are strange days: we had to wear face coverings throughout the visit and the cafe/restaurant is not currently open.  The castle, however is very interesting and we enjoyed our tour.

Although windy (gales!) and cold we explored the gardens and found them very attractive. In 2013 the original garden plans by Capabilty Brown came to light and during an extensive restoration these plans have now been brought to fruition.  We worth a return visit in better weather next spring, perhaps.

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What a Difference a Day Makes

 Although we did have some sun this afternoon and some lovely light. the difference from a couple of days again is amazing.  Gone are the cloudless blue skies and high temperatures.  Over the last two days we have had rain and now temperatures are much cooler.  The spring barley stubble has been underplanted with oil seed rape and the rain has allowed it to germinate; a flush of new green against the autumnal stubble.

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Collecting Sloes on the Last Day of Summer on the Horsefield

 What a wonderful day, but according to the weather forecast this is going to be our last day of summer.  We had temperatures of up to 25C and it was a pleasure to be out.  The spring sown barley is now harvested, the fields at the moment remain as stubble.  No doubt they will be ploughed before long.  Gone are the fresh greens of the Horsefield grasses to be replaced by the bleached fawns and gold of the seed stems.  No longer is the meadow studded with purple and yellow, instead the hedgerows are turning autumnal with greens becoming gold and fruits heavy on the shrubs: large succulent blackberries, bright red rose hips, deep scarlet haws and sloes thick on the blackthron bushes as many as I have ever seen, many with an enticing yeasty bloom.  I picked a large bag of these to freeze and to shortly turn into sloe gin for cosy winter minds beside the log burner. 

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Lake District, September, Day 7. Leighton Moss

 Our choice for our final day was a trip to Leighton Moss.  As yet the reserve is only partially opened.  We were able to visit my favourite hides: Eric Morcambe and Tim Allen, over looking the bay, bu sadly the cafe isn't open yet.  I have never had a bad day in these hides, however, and was delighted to find that there were 6 great white egrets there which was a first for me.  While feeding they came well within camera range.  I was also pleased to get a distant shot of a greenshank, one of several present.

After a while here we returned to the site via Arnside for another ice cream and on our return it was pleasant to have some more feeding station photography with a beer at my side.

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Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Greenshank

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Redshank

Redshank

Redshank

Coal Tit

Goldfinch

                                                                        Goldfinch

Nuthatch

                                                                            Nuthatch

                                                                            Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Siskin

Lake District, September, Day 6. Scout Scar.

 We woke to another beautiful morning and looked forward to our planned lazy day around the site and a walk along nearby Scout Scar with, perhaps a BBQ.

After a lazy breakfast I decided on some bird photography.  Alejandro had made me a collapsible bird table to keep at the caravan.  I had set it up on the day we arrived and was amazed at the numbers of birds that were coming down after only a couple of days.  First down was a robin, closely followed by a nuthatch.  Next came coal, blue and great tits and eventually chaffinches to feed on the food spilled on the ground.  Towards the end of the stay we had a couple of female siskins and a tree creeper explored the crevices in the two larch trees near the van.

After lunch we drove around to Scout Scar where we walked along the steep scarp solpe with spectacular views of the Lakes from the Kentmere Horseshoe in the north east round to Coniston Old Man in the south west with the Langdales, Bowfell and the Crinkles in between.  The dip slope, with scattered limestone pavement looked out over Kendal and the Howgills.

We only had a short walk before heading back to the site for beer o'clock and BBQ.  Enjoying a glass of wine after the meal we suddenly realised that there was going to be an amazing sunset, so, grabbing the camera, we dashed off up to the tree. It was one of the best sunsets we have had here.  Returning to the van in the dusk we discovered that the whole site had had a power cut so we lit some candles and sat outside with our coffee in the balmy air of late summer.

Female chaffinch

Coal Tit

Coal Tit

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Robin

Tree Creeper