Happy Birthday Mac

Happy Birthday to my  youngest grandson! Four today. My eldest will be 19 tomorrow!

Meanwhile back in Kendal, the weather has been foul. Wind and heavy rain. It has certainly rescued the water table from the driest state it has been in for years. Not much fun being out in it I have to say!

It seems to be one of those seasons too, when things go wrong in the house. Yesterday a very nice and friendly man came up to jet a drain which was overflowing. And today my 'pump' man has been up to sort out the large filter in the utility room, which had leaked copiously the day before. Fortunately it just required some tightening. I had spent hours mopping and rinsing towels which I had placed strategically and which were soaked through! The computer man was also supposed to call. After 4 he said. But he ran very late and I suggested we put it off. Meanwhile I await a visit from the plumber who didn't have a free day.

Still, it has been a good few days. Beth sent me some 'Hello Fresh' meals as a thank you for having them in the summer. They are great. All the fresh ingredients arrive, weighed out, and you just have to cook them. A lovely spiced cod and quinoa dish was on the menu last night. It is so great to have some variety....I always seem to cook the same things! 

Really enjoyed choir practice tonight. Our conductor was back and really he lifted our spirits with some lively warm ups, some light Spanish carols, and our main work for Christmas which is Navidad Nuestra.....and uplifting to sing. It was so lovely to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves. Did me good! I had fitted in the visit of the pump man, a haircut, a trip to the jeweller to get a watch battery replaced, a zoom Housegroup (though so many people were missing that it ended up being a nice chat!), an evening meal, and then choir. A really good day!

Tomorrow I'll go to the midday concert, as well as popping into High's house to take another 4 boxes to the charity shop, The furniture that Wendy is taking to the little cottage she has bought in Scotland is going on the 14th. Soon it will be quite empty. 

Once again we have had a warm, dry day, contrary to the warnings of the weather forecasters.

We had a good breakfast at the hotel, packed up our lunches, and leave by taxi back to Hethpool which is where we left off yesterday. As we start the walk farmers are corralling sheep into a pen. We don't want to imagine what is happening to them.

Once again we climb unremittingly into the Cheviots. At last the path levels off and we have a wonderful walk along ridges, and around various tors. Yea during Bell seems to feature for a long time as we walk around it, up and down. Across the top, we are on peat and the Heather has begun to bloom. The views are achingly beautiful. We can see wonderful countryside for miles around. Every now and then we are assaulted by the sweet smell of clover. We hear larks, and an oystercatcher. Today, for the first time, there are other walkers around. Mostly on a good Saturday tramp up the hills. But later we discover that a race had begun at 5.30 this morning from Melrose to Lindisfarne. People pass us...running, walking fast. It rather takes away from our sense of achievement that they could do this in a day....over 60 miles with plenty of ascent! 

We have sandwiches once we can see Wooler in the valley. We have done 6 miles! The route downhill of course also takes in long uphill sections through bracken, along green sword, and through deep woodland. Finally we hit the tarmac, and stop for a cuppa in Wooler, which is the first town we have been in for a while. 

We still have 4 miles to do...and we debate the wickedness of getting a taxi, but decide in the end to walk on. Once again we walk upwards, but then come to nature reserves with open views of the valley below. Finally we are on the downward path and find ourselves at Westwood Bridge. It dates from the sixteenth century and was used by the English army on its way to victory at Flodden Field in 1513. It has of course since been restored. From here it is a hard tarmac road to the farmhouse at East Horton. The couple of miles seem the longest ever and we are relieved finally to sit down! The B and B is a large country house....a farm, but a posh one! I have a fabulous room with sash windows looking out over the neatly mown lawn and thence to open country. 

The Dyers have booked a taxi back to Wooler, and we have a very delicious meal in town before heading hback for a good night's sleep!

We have had to make a difficult decision re tomorrow. The tides are against us. We need to be at the causeway early and short of getting up and leaving at 5am, we won't be able to get across the causeway to Lindisfarne. We want to visit St Cuthbert's Cave, but we have decided to take a taxi to the causeway after that. Sad. But we can't face having to rush our 14 mile walk, worrying that we might get stuck on this side....especially as the weather is not looking good in the afternoon. For days we have been trying to work out how to 'have our cake and eat it'. But now the decision is made we feel relieved. Anyway my feet are very, very sore!! 

Endings and beginnings. The beginning is due to start on Monday with opportunity to have people inside the house. Tom and Ailsa will be starting indoor dining in their cafe. I have visitors due on Wednesday to stay overnight! It is such a shame that the easing will be overshadowed by the fear of the Indian variant. We were too slow to start proper quarantine arrangements as usual. But it is tragic that once again it is those in the poorest areas who are suffering.

Endings because today I sold Hugh's car on behalf of his executors. I had put an ad in autotrader, and had a phone call early this morning from a couple who wanted to see it. I warned them that they wouldn't be able to test drive it as it was SORN. But they were happy enough and came from Cockermouth. I did a quick clean of the interior and gathered the paperwork. It all went very smoothly. They knew what they were doing, and transferred the money into Wendy's account. And it has gone. I still have to pinch myself at the unreality of it all. But gradually closure will come. I felt 'achieved' for having coped with it though, so that helped. 

Otherwise, the showery weather has not encouraged me out, so apart from checking on the swet peas and tying them up a bit, I have been in for the last couple of days. But at least I have now done my church minutes. And I did some sorting in the utility room too! I played the piano a bit, and also ran through the Mahler, which I need to record this month! 

Poor people of Gaza. What an awful experience of life they have. The Palestinians we met and were privileged enough to talk to were so generous and hospitable and patient. Jenny told me of friends who knew girls trying desperately to take their university exams, out at night because that was the only time the WiFi worked, in their coats because they were so cold, doing their exams and worrying all the time that the WiFi would go down and they would lose their work. The student I met told of having to go through the wall every day and how she could never guarantee to get through even though she left at 5 in the morning. She was not political. She just wanted to study and get her qualifications.