Snowdrops and Third Space

I've covered plenty of miles this week - but unfortunately most of them were in the car...... I have to admit that the cyclist hasn't moved (she's probably snow-bound and frozen solid way up there in Scotland) and the walker hasn't done much better. I'm struggling to cross Dartmoor - perhaps because I am carrying slightly more weight after eating all those scones!

The motorist, on the other hand, has had a great time. Annie and I drove up to Derbyshire for the start of half term where Steve, Wendy, Kitty, Harry and Inca nobly supported the project with a walk amongst the snowdrops at Hopton Hall -

and then on to Carsington Water for a very draughty stride out along the shoreline.

On Sunday morning we joined Third Space at the bandstand in Matlock for "church without......" and pondered how the faith communities we belong to might offer "church with....". The group I attend - On the Edge - models "church with"......."listening"........"silence"........"sofas" - and much more.

http://third-space.org.uk/

This time last year we were all together in Pembrokeshire celebrating Steve's 50th birthday. The photo for my blog profile was taken then - and this year, shivering and yearning for the open fire that Harry eventually stoked to volcanic heat, we were grateful all over again that the weather had been so kind to us in 2010.

We may not have covered much ground this weekend in terms of miles, but friendships are forged and rooted in these shared experiences; in travelling together along life's path; in sharing laughter, frustrations and tears; in offering and receiving hospitality; in sharing bread - the true meaning of 'companion'.

Ouch! and Phew!

Yes, you’ve guessed. Cycling Christine has set off at last from John o’Groats – and is now 5 miles nearer Land’s End! It was such beautiful weather last Tuesday afternoon - but the tide was in so I couldn’t do my favourite walk along the shore at Langstone. There was clearly nothing for it but to put some air in the tyres and launch the other half of the project. I made it to St Hubert's at Idsworth - the scene of many a reflective moment over the years, and probably the cycling equivalent of my 'round the village' walk.

The next day saw me nursing the obvious parts of my anatomy – but also my left wrist and arm. The physio signed me off last week though, so the tiredness and ache are clearly nothing out of the ordinary and the cycling is bound to help with both strength and mobility. It felt good (for a while) and it will be great to have some variety and choice now that the evenings are getting lighter.

Phew! I made it into Devon just in time for the walk and cream tea on Saturday - and what a day we had! The weather was simply glorious – bright, sunny and just fresh enough for a brisk walk without actually being cold. I decided to repeat the Chalton-Finchdean-Chalton route as it is local and the right length to fill a couple of hours. We were a colourful bunch – June striding effortlessly up the hills with the rest of us panting behind, Margaret flowing along with her Nordic Walking poles, me nattering as usual and not concentrating on the route….. Anyway, we made it back (with just a couple of gentle course-corrections from Valerie and Graham) in time to pick up Gwen (who had been cycling) and Steph (who had been quilting) and we were 8 for Devon Cream Tea at home. I had spent the morning baking and found this recipe for Devonshire Apple Scones:

http://www.essentially-england.com/apple-scones.html

I have consigned both MapMyRun and MapMyWalk to Room 101 and switched to Mapometer.com. I think I have enabled my readers to see the route. Try the link and see.

http://gb.mapometer.com/en/walking/route_1031266.html

I think I have also now worked out how to enable anyone to post comments on this blog – again, have a go if you feel like it.

The joy of this project is seeing it unfold as it progresses and listening to what other people have to offer. I have been wondering how to mark the progress of the cyclist as I thought it needed to be different from the invitations to tea, supper etc which are accompanying the walker. Chris, Rachel and I were chatting about it and they suggested film nights with links to the locations. So – it could be Braveheart soon, or Mrs Brown or Local Hero – or indeed all of them at the current rate of progress! The thought that if I hang around in Scotland for too long we might have to watch the one about the Loch Ness Monster will be enough to spur me on my way...... I can’t wait for Miss Potter (Lake District) and Ladies in Lavender (Cornwall) but still need plenty of help filling in the remainder of the route.

And finally – I’m feeling so inspired that I’m leaping ahead to Dec 31^st when the cyclist reaches Land’s End and the walker reaches John o’Groats – and I think I might actually keep going.

That’s when the swimming starts......

I’m still in Cornwall – get me out of here!

I passed Dobwalls the other day and was saddened to see online that the adventure park is now closed. When we first visited it in the early 80s it was still very much a family affair and a lovely day out with first 2, then 3 children in tow. We all enjoyed sitting astride the miniature steam trains (models of the Union Pacific and Rio Grande lines) and trundling through the tunnels. We were staying at some self-catering farm cottages at Lanreath run by Janet and Richard Pugh. 

http://www.trecanfarmcottages.co.uk/

I still have their address and contacted them again a few years ago and found that  they are still there and, happily, the business is thriving. As so often happens they had just been leafing through their photo albums and had come across the snaps we took of Richard and their son Danny attempting to play Adrian’s French horn!

So then it was on to Liskeard and memories of August 2009 when June and I spent a weekend with BTCV 

http://www2.btcv.org.uk/ 

repairing some Cornish Hedging on a sustainable farm there. Once June had persuaded me that it was safe to stay and that we would not soon be featured on Crimewatch we slept in pop-up tents, washed in cold water, placed nesting boxes for dormice - complete with GPS locations for follow-up purposes – wondered if we would catch Orf from the local sheep and laboured merrily. The other volunteers were great company and in the evenings (too grubby and tired to go to the local pub) we supped beer and shared stories of other volunteering holidays. 

So – I’ve arrived at St Germans – visit this website to see details of the fab Port Eliot festival my sister Jen volunteered at last year. It’s in my diary for this year too, just in case I’m not working by the end of July.

http://www.porteliotfestival.com/ 

Well – the Devon Cream Tea is booked for next weekend! I joined the Chichester Walkers for a lovely 5 mile walk up on the Staunton Way today and I’m all set to cross into my second county any day now.

Peaches and Cream (and pasties of course)

In 1936 the US steamer Bessemer City was wrecked in fog under cliffs to the west of Clodgy Point, St Ives. No lives were lost but the wreck broke in two and the cargo of tinned salmon and tinned fruit was cast into the sea and washed up on beaches all over Cornwall.  The cargo was said to have fed the locals for months – but the labels on the tins were washed away so no one knew what they were having for tea until they opened the tin. 

My father was 8 years old and living in St Ives when the shipwreck occurred, and my grandparents were amongst those eagerly collecting tins off the beach. There was great anticipation as each successive tin was opened – will it be salmon for tea today? It never was – every last tin contained peaches - and they have been known in my family as “Bessemer Cities” ever since. As a child I presumed the name was “bessamasities” and that everyone referred to tinned peaches this way. It was literally years before I heard the story of the shipwreck and understood the origins of the name.

Cornish Pasties:

Shortcrust pastry

Beef Skirt

Onion

Potato

Swede

Salt and pepper to taste

Jusrol do a great line in frozen pastry – you can buy it in rounds that are a perfect size for a pasty. All the ingredients should be diced really small or shredded or flaked – no big chunks of anything!

Lay the ingredients in layers in the middle of the round of pastry, starting with potato. Season each layer with salt and pepper.

Dampen the outer rim of the pastry round with warm water and carefully draw up the pastry around the filling. Press the sides together and crimp to seal. You’ll have to ask my mother how to do the crimping but it looks something like this......

Start in a hot oven (200) and reduce the heat to 180 after 30 minutes. They should take about an hour and a quarter in all.

We waved Cornish flags, ate the pasties, and had Bessemer Cities with Cornish Clotted Cream for dessert.

At the moment I’m blogging and cooking more than walking and cycling – and I'm having such fun! 

January Stats:

Walker:                      69 miles
Cyclist:                      0 miles
Blood Pressure:         132/86

Somewhere north of Eden....

Phew – it’s been a hard week fitting in the walks, but I’ve made it to St Austell. My peptic ulcer has been playing up just a little due to the fickle nature of the MapMyRun website. I’ve decided to carry on logging the walk via MapMyWalk (a more logical choice, some might say) as it appears easier to use and doesn’t constantly freeze my screen.

It’s been great doing the “bread and butter” walks around the village – Ian now rewards me with the biggest of grins when he spots me striding out cheerfully early in the morning. (He is always on his bike, of course!)

The week was rounded off today with another walk in the company of the Chichester Walkers. We managed 7 miles, starting at Fernhurst, just north of Midhurst and finishing back where we started with Sunday lunch at the Red Lion. There were about 20 of us again, and although I had resolved to chat less and take more notice of the actual route this time – it didn’t happen. Much of the time was spent “eyes down” anyway as we had to contend with very wet and muddy conditions underfoot. We had splendid views from Telegraph Hill and it was chilly, but just right for a brisk walk.

I was delighted to hear from Sarah that she has caught the “project bug” after hearing me enthusing about this, and has decided to walk around the Isle of Wight this year in 12 x 6 mile sections. I’m really excited as she has invited me to join her for some of it!

So – focus of the coming week will be:

to practise those Cornish pasties for Saturday

to make sure I average 3 miles per day and get out of Cornwall on time 

and I really need to get that cyclist on her way.......

White Rabbit Syndrome

“I’m late! I’m late!”

Pretty pathetic for January 18^th I know – but the New Forest calendar in my kitchen, where I catalogue all the walks, is still looking rather impressive!

I’m having problems with the ‘new look’ MapMyRun site -

http://www.mapmyrun.com/

 – it’s really sticky and keeps seizing up on me when I try to update the route. Anyway – I’ve included the link and will share the route once I’ve worked it all out.  So you’ll just have to believe me when I say I’m between Manhay and Camebone (yes!) - but should be in Truro by now......

The cyclist is still limbering up at John o’Groats, but if the weather stays like this (not slippery) she will be setting off very soon. The physio at QA is really pleased with my progress and I think the cycling will be beneficial for strength (braking etc) and flexibility.

The ‘not alone’ part of the project is taking shape. I am celebrating each county I travel through with a supper or tea or other (related) activity – suggestions on a postcard please. Invitations have been sent for a Cornish Pasty Supper this month – I’ve chickened out and invited family first as I’m not so sure about cooking these, despite my Cornish ancestry! Recipe to follow after the event.

I have also done my first walk with the Chichester Walkers – a meetup group I joined to ensure that I really don’t make this a solo activity. We had a lovely sunny morning  for the walk around Emsworth/Prinsted/Nutbourne – the trouble was I was so busy chatting that I couldn’t remember the route when I got home! It was lovely to meet other walkers and the group was friendly and welcoming. 

http://www.meetup.com/cities/gb/f2/portsmouth/

I hadn’t come across these groups before – but they seem to be a great way to meet people with shared interests. There is also a Chichester Cyclists – cycling Christine hasn’t joined that one yet – it sort of depends on how much lycra is involved......

Well – I can’t just sit here. It’s sunny, I’m not at work – 

and I’m late!

Including other People

The danger with being an Enneagram “5” and a Myers-Briggs “Introvert” is that I could easily complete this project entirely on my own - so finding a way to involve other people is going to be an important feature. When I contacted Jill and Ian they insisted that it was their turn to invite me to supper. I’m not so sure it was, but I didn’t put up much of a fight! I was a bit worried about how to break the news to them that I wasn’t actually travelling end-to-end, but after a fleeting moment of mystification (reminiscent of that day in the kitchen with my kids) they took it in their stride and kindly dug out the routes, photos and journals from their two previous rides. 

It was lovely to travel with them down “memory lane” - with Jill commenting on how young she thought she was looking on the first trip. (I recalled that we had all been in awe of her, as she had celebrated her

50^th birthday whilst on the ride). Ian, meanwhile, was warning me about various stretches of the route and waxing lyrical about other sections, to a chorus of “she’s not really going Ian..........” from Jill.

The two routes Jill and Ian took lean north or south in Cornwall and west or east for the remainder of the route - and at first I considered walking up the more south Cornwall/westerly route and cycling down the more easterly/North Cornwall. However, I had already decided that (whenever it happens) I will really travel to the point where the ‘walking north Christine’ meets the ‘cycling south Christine’. If they were to take different routes then this would be impossible, and I realised that I was going to have to choose between them. This was much more difficult than I had anticipated but, deciding that I’m essentially a west-coast-girl, Jill and Ian’s original route won the day – weighing in at a hefty 1113 miles........

The supper Jill produced was amazing and she has kindly agreed to share it here to launch the culinary aspect of the project (more about that later).

California Pork chops

6 loin or pork chops                                                     

 ¼ pt chicken stock, white wine or water

1 oz flour                                                                            

½ pt orange juice

Oil                                                                                          

½ tsp dried marjoram or 1 ½ tsp fresh, chopped

2 oranges peeled and sliced                                       

2 medium onions sliced

2 tablespoons brown sugar                                        

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tsp cornflour

Season chops, roll lightly in flour and brown well in oil.  Arrange browned chops in a large shallow casserole, preferably one that will enable you to crowd them in one layer.

Sprinkle orange slices with 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar and let them stand.

Blend cornflour with the stock or wine, the orange juice, marjoram and rest of brown sugar.  Pour this mixture over the chops in the casserole and arrange the onions on top.

Sprinkle the onions with parsley, cover and bake 1 hour (1 hour 20?) in a 350 oven.

Arrange the orange slices on top and bake 15 minutes more, uncovered.  Serves 6

So while you are all trying that out –

2011 has dawned - let the project begin!