Yesterday was my daughter's birthday, no cake but a lovely recipe from Nigel Slater of a cream chicken dish, made by my granddaughter Lillie for tea. There was a long conversation with all the family over the phone with Matilda in London in the evening. Seeing as well as hearing people on the phone is one of the advantages of the new technology.
There you are family if you are reading this, perfectly bland and acceptable ;) no fault picking whatsoever just like a blog should be! Today my daughter after work will be going out for a meal with friends in Manchester. Tomorrow Tom will come to celebrate the birthday, this time a takeaway. Living in a town, should you be lazy there is a variety of takeaways to be had.
Yesterday I walked along the canal videoing from my phone but obviously forgot to press a relevant button. The sun always shines brightly one way, so that the ducks and Canadian geese cannot be seen. Feathers float on the dark brown water and the canal barges sit quietly by the towpath, some occupied as I watch two boat owners chatter, and notice for the first time, the mown grass on the land of two of the barges. Home from home or is it a permanent home anyway?
At Lidl there is an old man in front of me in the queue, explaining to someone that his left hand is all clenched up and doesn't work. He is a sweet old man and when he moves forward drops his stick. I pick it up and the till man comes out and hands him his change and puts his shopping in the back pack. Small kind gesture of caring.
I have worked out how the water is funnelled in this valley, on one side we have the canal and the other is the river Calder. I walked along the town bit of the river the other day, apparently like the river Seven in Normanby it can go from a gentle flow of two feet up to fifteen feet when the waters come down. Some of the water when it floods is redirected into the canal but the river of course enters the houses near it, many of which do not have basements. Schemes of tree planting and slow damming ponds, often called attenuation ponds to slow down peak flow are being put forward with land grants . Though my ever sceptical daughter says that when grants are forthcoming there is greed involved.
Whenever I hear of the river Calder it always reminds me of my Geography School Cert (and that wasn't
ReplyDeleteyesterday) when we learned the rivers in order off by heart: The Swale, The Ure, The Nidd, The Wharfe, The Aire, The Calder and The Don. You do sound happy and settled - so glad. If you ever come up to Wensleydale do let me know so that we can meet.
Well it would probably have to be by train Pat ;) Swale and Ure have water in their names strangely enough.
DeleteSometimes bland and acceptable is very refreshing.
ReplyDeleteYes though I find mentioning my blog to the children gives me a chance to blackmail Tom ;) Bland and acceptable only now and then though.
DeleteWe've had water come into the basements of two houses we owned in the past--a very disheartening mess to deal with. Heavy rains can cause that sometimes, but I'm always amazed that so many houses around the world have been situated on the edges of a river.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though you have enjoyable and safe places to walk--a benefit in any area.
Reading of the kindnesses shown to the elderly man I'm reminded that we are all headed toward some degree of disability where we'll need help with simple things--not a happy thought for the most part, but perhaps we [I] need to begin cultivating an attitude of graceful acceptance.
hi Sharon, settlements just grow up near rivers I suppose, the water being important before taps were invented. Yes there is plenty of walking round here but you have to go up hill first to get onto flat land. I think this old man had already cultivated a grateful acceptance, he was genuinely a lovely old person.
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