Biking Through Summer

The past eight months have seen me on a bit of a journey, literally. Way back in January I bought a bike. A proper bike with lots of gears and no basket.

 

I started gently. Just a few flat miles once a week along the canal towpath then a steep walk up the hill to home. Slowly though things have got better and by the time the snow finally disappeared I was into double figures and out more often.



 

I did a few longer trail rides with my lovely friends and my biggest boy and learnt how to breathe better so my lungs didn't always feel as if they were about to jump out of my chest. And I started to go UPHILL!

Uphill scared me an awful lot. I'm unfit, approaching 40 and a bit of a weakling but if I wanted to actually get out of the village I knew I just had to do it. And slowly, gradually I got up them and I'm getting a lot further.

And I completely love it! Exercise and me have never really mixed well, apart from swimming. But even with swimming I never got that buzz that people talk about or looked forward to doing it again.

 

But there's something about my bike and being out that makes me smile; like a loon. It's really hard work and I'm still really unfit but I really enjoy it.  I'm out three times a week now and try to cover a hundred miles a month. July and all that scorching weather was lovely, I got up early and was out before the heat (6am one day), up and down the quiet lanes with just the birds for company, whizzing past farmyards where the cows were lining up to be milked.

 And now? Well it's all getting more serious - but in a fun way. I've joined the  brilliant Breeze Network and been out with a fantastic ride leader on the city trails, building up my strength and speed. Today we went out on our bikes as a family for the second time this summer and my biggest boy managed 10 miles along the Manifold Track.

 

And then my friend (who did an epic 140 mile charity ride earlier in the year) asked me a big question. Do I want to enter the Ride London 2014 ballot with her. Errm...yes please. Cripes! 

Cycling Adventures

Going away for adventures is marvellous but sometimes I think that enjoying where we live can be just as good, if not better.

 

We live on the very southern edge of the National Park where the gritstone edges rear up from the fields and dominate the skyline above the town and the horizon we see from our garden.

 

There are miles and miles of it to discover and favourite places we return to time and again for a bracing breath of fresh air, a scramble about or a gentle, soul restoring stroll. Lucky isn't the word.

 

A little while back on a lovey, chatty night out with smashing friends, the ladies of our little group decided we would get together on two wheels and enjoy our surroundings a little more - and yesterday it came off.

 

We cycled 17 miles of the lovely Monsal Trail from Buxton to Bakewell through old railway tunnels blackened with soot and over the enormous vaiduct at Monsal Head.  

The Buxton Bikers - Fiona, Jane and Helen

 

Hassop Station was our half way stop and fortified with bacon sandwiches, tea cakes and good coffee we managed to cycle to homeward leg and be home for lunch. We had a brilliant morning, made even funnier by my friend Helen having brought along her 9 year old son's bike by mistake.

 

It was a total beast to ride (not many gears and a seat with nowhere enough padding for mummies!) so we all took turns riding it. Blimey it was hard work! On my stretches I couldn't even speak it was so exhausting. We got some priceless looks I can tell you.Very, very funny and totally painful all at the same time!

 

Mostly I just really enjoyed having the chance to ride with friends and it was such good fun.My rides so far have been solo events. Cycling is really getting into my blood now and I'm amazed at how quickly I'm getting stronger and able to go much further. On the flat I can manage a fair way but I'm still finding the hills a struggle which is a bit of a problem around our way!

 

I love the distraction of the scenery, spotting wildlife and watching the world roll by as I'm pedalling along. It doesn't feel like exercise at all to be honest. So much so that I've signed up to do a triathlon in July can you believe ?!?  (only a little amateur one).The biking and swimming bit should be ok but I daren't think about the run. Don't think I've done more than a jog since about 1987! Better get out on the trails again I think.

Its a very lovely spot indeed is Hassop, filled with mismatched chairs, battered old Chesterfield sofas and a really good bookshop along with the deliciously brilliant cafe.

 

We'll be back there rather soon indeed I reckon.

Dresses From the Sea

There's been much discussion about clothes on some of my favourite blogs lately (Little Green Shed, Little Birdie) well more about how hard it is to find what you'd really like to wear when you're a mum, who perhaps works, is busy, who has a life, and still wants to look okish...

We were going to a party recently - first one in ages - and I got in a complete tizz about what to wear on a Friday night out in a city. I can't tell you how stressed I was. Traumatised.

I spent a joyless and fruitless couple of hours in the city centre trailing in and out of shops getting so totally dispirited. I couldn't even find earrings I liked!

So now I have totally forsaken the high street. These three dresses are my favourite buys from the past few months and, apart from some £6 jeans in a sale in town and some lovely birthday and Christmas gifts, I've bought nothing else since the autumn.

They're all from Seasalt in Cornwall who for me hit just the right mix of style, quality and value (no more expensive than M&S). The dress below I've worn endlessly and had such lovely comments. Their Artists and Potters range is extremely beautiful and I have a huge wish list of Breton tops, wide legged trousers and striped socks filed away!

Last year I bought my summer sandals from them and they were the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. My Sesalt winter mac has kept me warm and snug throughout this viscious winter of ours.

I love the cut and drape of Seasalt clothes and, at the risk of sounding like an advert which this post absolutely is not, finding somewhere you know the clothes will suit you is complete nirvana.

So I've learnt my lesson and along with a couple of other favourites I live too far away from (Fat Face and occasionally White Stuff), I shall carry on shopping by the sea.xxx

Pedal Therapy

Since the snow left, times have been rather busy and tough around here.

I work for part of the NHS in Staffordshire. I don't think I need to say much more. It has been a long story, one the families will live for always, but the past few weeks have been especially heartbreaking and depressing.

Although I hear of miracles happening all the time and of my colleagues who go above and beyond any call of duty, we are all ashamed and devastated. Everyone questions themselves continually and still we do not understand how what happened could have happened.

There are no simple answers. We must keep trying our hardest and remember what it means to care, whatever our roles and wherever we work whether on a ward, in the community or at a desk like me in another part of the region.

We will never forget those people who were so appallingly betrayed, deserved so much more and their families who will remain haunted forever.

There is little more I can say. I have been out on my bike a lot. Thinking. Thinking I am lucky to be able to make a difference. Fortunate to not have lost someone. In a good place to help take things forward.

Even from such tragedy there is always hope and I'm reminded that, whatever the consequence, I know I am resolved to never, ever walk on by.

Off....

I've bought a bike! A proper one with far too many gears, suspension and no basket on the front. You don't even need to pedal backwards to change gear. This is a revelation let me tell you.

We saw it for sale at the Cycle Hire Centre over the hills. It’s a proper machine and I’m a bit petrified  but it was a great deal and means I can actually get up a hill.

 

I feel like someone has given me the key to a door. I never really feel too comfortable walking very far alone and sometimes I just want to head out and do something…so here’s my chance. Feel quite over excited about it to be honest.

The bigish boy came with me to pick it up this morning and we set off on the trail together, just me and him. We don't get the chance very often and it was really precious.

 

He's happiest at home really  with his books, drawing and Lego but he's growing in confidence on his bike too and it made my heart soar seeing him riding along and enjoying himself so much.

 

Together we tootled along in the wind, spotting buzzards and kestrels, saying hello to walkers and just enjoying the fresh air.

I love the winter landscape; bare skeleton trees, the bleakness and that great feeling of pink cheeks and the wind in your face.

Think I'll be sticking to the towpath for the time being but I’m really looking forward to getting out more. Bring on the Tour!

Summer in a Jug

I'm not going to mention it. Honestly. I'm not.

But I am going to rave for a few minutes about Sweet Williams. Aren't they loveliest summer flower? Well if I'm honest I adore hundreds of flowers but when these berry shades start to appear it on the greengrocers stall in the Butter Market, they always make me feel that summer is truly here.

Have you noticed I haven't talked about it yet? Doing well I think.

 

Wimbledon's not far off, one Test Match series done and dusted already and there's some summer football on somewhere. The amazing annual fiesta of three weeks packed solid with bikes is on the horizon too.

We've been away, my peas are ripening, the first batch of housemartins are tweeting in their nests. 

And its feels like March!

Sorry, couldn't help myself after all. Clearly we're now paying off for half a week of glorious May sunshine with day after day of rain, wind, grey skies and chilly temperatures. 12 degrees Celsius today - honestly!

I know we Brits like a good old whinge about the weather but everyone seems truly browned off with it now. Maybe we'll be blessed by the time the Olympics come around but it seems a long way off.

Rain in April seemed fair enough, but am I allowed to be a bit fed up of it now? Humpf.
At least the Sweet Williams are cheering me up. Back with smiley stuff soon Xxx

Cheering Up

Two days in bed with the lurgy is no fun at all when the sun is shining.

But a cold is only a cold and today I was feeling much brighter and the sun was still out miraculously.

Time to celebrate, despite the sniffles and the need for plenty of sit downs and cups of coffee. So with my pyjamed-under-gardener for company, we set-to giving some very hungry (and worryingly gangly looking) seedlings new homes, put up the hazel wigwams for the sweet peas and climbing beans and sowed salads in colanders and old wooden troughs,

There's nothing like some new cold frames, precious aimless chatter with a five year old and a vintage, St Michael frock (found on ebay for a bargain) to see off the fluey-blues and make me feel cheery again. xxx

New Year, New Start

I love simple weekends and now I'm at work lots more, this weekend was just perfect. My first week in the new job has been full on to say the least but I've really, really enjoyed getting back into the line of work I'm experienced in. There's lots to learn and do (which is pretty daunting) but my new colleagues are lovely and very welcoming.

We're sorting out a different routine at home to make sure we can still spend as much time together sharing and doing the things we love. Woody is manfully taking on more cooking and I've been making up soups, casseroles and sauces for the freezer and some cakes for the tins.

I was worrying about having enough time to keep shopping locally, and really didn't want to go back to doing a big supermarket shop at all, so we've sorted it out. I'm visiting the butcher twice a month and portioning up mince, joints (and cheese!) for the freezer, doing a big weekend cook up or bringing something home from the family butcher in the town where I work that raises its own livestock and makes the most delicious free range sausages ever!

Our greengrocer is a complete star and is delivering us a box of veg a week if I drop him an email with what we'd like. This week's order came on Wednesday with just some watercress missing; unavailable. It was only an extra really for my lunchbox salads and I wouldn't have missed it. But the next day there was our greengrocer on the doorstep, full of apology and a bag of the green stuff.

I'm genuinely agog at this magnificent service. We paid up there and then but he's happy for us to call into the shop or send a cheque in the post. Everything arrived in brown paper bags in a cardboard box, not a single piece of plastic in sight and its all gone straight into our recycling bins.

The fruit and veg is the most fantastic quality and at 60p for an enormous Savoy cabbage, completely affordable. They won't even accept a delivery charge as they don't mind calling in on their way home. They deserve a medal but instead I've nominated them for a Hidden Gem award on here

We're making the most of the milkman too (ooh that sounds rather dodgy doesn't it!) He's delivering butter, fruit juice and our bread as well as the lake of milk we seem to get through each week. So that leaves just   a few bits and pieces to pick up from the bargain supermarket or the village shop.

I swear its cheaper than a big weekly shop. I can get easily distracted in a supermarket by the sweet treats, essential clothes and fancy bits of this and that I think we'd use. This way we support great independent traders, eat fabulous food and still keep a close eye on the pennies too.

So we celebrated with a family lunch today with mum and dad for company. Roast chicken (don't panic not one of our girls, they're strictly pets and egg layers), sweet potato gratin, roast potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and carrots then pear, ginger and chocolate crumble with custard for pudding. I don't think I'm going to eat again for a week!

There's no better way to spend a chilly afternoon that us all huddled around the kitchen table, remembering happy times with  family who've sadly long gone, sharing tales and passing the time. It was such a cosy afternoon and its been a great weekend spent swimming, playing with the boys, visiting the library, lots of drawing and a lovely treat for Woody and me last night. We celebrated my new job and Woody's contract being confirmed here for a cosy meal and time to talk. Can't remember the last time I put on a frock and going out shoes!

 Smashing. Just the way weekends should be in my book. Hope yours has been lovely too. Xxx

Edited to add: For Sally and anyone else in our neck of the woods, please do support Totally Locally Leek and give our fab traders a try. There's a brill £5 offer scheme on currently with great bargains too. The wonderful greengrocers is Harrisons', the shop is open everyday apart from Sunday (I think) and you can find it on the edge of the Butter Market Hall, even when that's closed. The full market stall is open Wednesdays and Saturdays. I'm not sure they do delivery as a regular thing btw. My butcher is Meakins inside the Butter Market Hall but they also have a shop tucked away in the back streets at the top of Queen Street. Don't miss the fabulous fishmonger in the Butter Market (Select Fresh Fish - again top notch quality and great service) too which is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Thanks for the fantastically enhusiastic comments. You'd all laugh if you could see how disorganised I am which goes to show shopping locally isn't that tricky if you have good independent traders close at hand, they can just take a bit of searching out I guess.

Looking Forward and Back

Another year has spun past and tomorrow the next opens up, all clean and new. 2011 has been full of great things, a few tricksy problems yes but nothing we couldn't cope with in the end and it's when you look back you can see best what a lot of blessings you had to count isn't it.

I've enjoyed so many things this past year, many are familiar and comforting but there were some new experiences and the joy of watching our little chaps grow bigger (a lot bigger!) and their lives and what they're interested in change and shift. So I thought I might make a list, well two actually because I can't resist a list. One looking back at some of the best things of 2011 and another looking into the year ahead and to get all excited about.

2011 highlights:

Growing in the garden - I grew much more from seed this year and it added another dimension to our little plot. Even though the summer was dreary the garden seemed full to the brim of colour.

A Cornish swim - On the last day of our holiday the sun shone all day and the north coast in the first days of September was utter paradise. While the boys demolished some ice creams I pinched one of their little body boards and had the best fun for half an hour making a prat out of myself in the waves. I handed it back then and spent ages swimming up and down watching the surfers and people enjoying a perfect summer's day back on the beach. I can still feel the water and hear the gulls and my boys laughing in the surf.

Kitchen tales - from somewhere I've learnt this year just to have a bash in the kitchen and see how it turns out and not worry so much. We've had new flavours, been a bit more adventurous and now I can't imagine how I cooked before. For the first time in years I've felt happy to have friends over for something simple to eat and a chance to catch up.

Vintage shop - I never thought I'd get around to it but I did this year and Curlew Vintage has been fantastic. Thank you everyone who's bought something, I really appreciate at it and you should hear the shouts of excitement from my house when a sale comes through!

Baving - a daft Woody phrase but I have completely got into holidaying in our little van. Tootling off to pastures new and setting up on a cheery site for a bit of exploring, cosy evenings under our blankets and tea in a tin mug adventures was fantastic.

That Wedding - oh it was such a great day. The party in my sister's street was just the business. Everything they'd hoped it to be, we had such a great time. There've been street barbeques, firework parties and all sorts since and plans for the Jubilee are coming along nicely. Ace.

For 2012:

• The Plimps - I've got no idea why this is Woody's names for the Olympic Games but we can't wait to get down the Smoke for the cycling road race. Like everyone else we got zero tickets so this is our best chance to see it up close (and our favourite sport too) but we'll be following everything from the water polo to the shot put at home too.

• Patio Produce - we're saying goodbye to the allotment now I'll be working full time but now we know what we love to grow I've been planning how to make the best use out of the space outside the kitchen door for beans, peas, salads, soft fruits, courgettes and lots more.

• Eggs, eggs, eggs - our girls are very at home in the garden these days and bless them they've kept laying all winter so far and don't seem to mind being out in the rain or even snow. Very tough our girls. Easter with our own eggs will be great.

• New family - best 'til last though...saving up all my good luck for my sister and her family who'll be welcoming a new little one at the end of next month. An auntie x2 - how great is that!

Happy, happy New Year. Hope it brings lots of lovely memories for you. Xxx

Happier Outside

Every now and again I crack. When all the bits of things I'm trying to juggle come crashing down and I don't know how to pick them all up again. What's most ridiculous (and I've given myself a good talking to about it) is that these things aren't life threatening or damaging. Just stressful. I'm not very good with stress.

And with me it's always work stress that brings things crashing down and it did for me again this week. Working fewer hours (not through choice), with more and more demands and yet again lots more change, has proved rather too much.

I find it hard to switch off and keep thinking of what there is to do and how to do it. Again, not through choice. I'm not a workaholic or a career mad type. I just want to do a good job. When I'm there.

There have been tears and sleepless nights this week but I've had enough of that. Other people have real problems, at least I've still got a job, or part of one. So today I'm at home with my precious boys and I knew just what would help. Getting out. I wanted to feel the wind blow, kick leaves about and hear them laugh.

Bless them. It never fails. How can you be distracted by anything else when you have such joyful, funny inquisitive souls for company.

We laughed, visited the pigs who live in the wood, found colourful leaves and played see saws on fallen logs.

And when we came home we brought a little of the outside in and made leaf bunting and some lovely stained glass leaves for the windows, inspired by Lou.

As usual improvisation was the name of the day (I never seem to have the right crafty things at the right time) but it turned out that colouring in waxed discs for jam pots works pretty well instead of tissue paper. Not sure where my boys have seen pink and purple leaves but I think they're pretty marvellous.

So I'm feeling much better, calmer and rational. It's only work. I can only do my best. Onwards and upwards as they say. Tomorrow is another day and it's autumn after all. So I will smile x