Walking the Essex way

One more walk another adventure
Our steps takes us to the old airfield where we take the new footpath, as we walk on My friend Paula whispers deer, and there they stood two deer that was a nice surprise...We carry on to the gravel pit the sun was shining and reflecting on the water.

 We keep going and our boots getting very muddy, as we walk on through the footpath.. Birds singing its always a pleasure to be out in the open air, we end up in blue bell wood...As we walk down Paula say's oh Ana its fenced in, you see there is this little bridge that we like to take pictures from, when we walk back out we see a notice that say's Anglia water is working here! so glad that was the reason, we will be able to come again and take our usual pictures as spring unfurls...

On way back home we decide to investigate the back end of the pit by the gravel works...As we are going down through the trees Paula says careful Ana its a bit slippery, this time its Paula that ends on her ass, she leans against a tree and it snaps and down she goes, am sorry to say I just burst out laughing she looked so funny  glad to say that apart from a bruise she's ok pleased that she did not fall in the water.

We took some interesting pictures the rape in the fields is already in flower and we also took some nice pics of Bradwell church from two different positions.... I wonder what tomorrow will bring!

Walking the Essex way

Back to walking to our favorite places, although now we are not able to walk along the back lake.

But we found that if we walk on the other side we can still see the swans gliding along, its so magical! We have decided that at least once a month we are going to do a walk out of Silver End.

So last week we went all the way to Tiptree Heath...

Tiptree Heath formed on the sandy gravel ridge left by the last Ice Age. It is a site of Special Scientific interest for its three heather species growing together and a rich variety of widlife.

It is common land, first recorded in 1401. Over the centuries there has been the grazing of cows, sheep and ponies and the local people have made use of its gorse, heather and bracken for household purposes. It features two ponds, a stream and stretches of woodland which enclose nearly 12 hectares of open heathland.

In the summer you can see a range of heathland flowers , dominated by the three heather species Common Ling, Bell Heather and Cross-leaved Heath. It is the sole place in Essex to see Allseed 

and Chaffweed plants.

Among its more unusual visitors or residents are Nightingales, Woodcock, Heath Bee,Dormice,Water Voles, Badgers and Grass Snakes....

It was a little different and it made a change, managed to take a picture of a Jay, was really excited about that.....

Venice experience

For a long time I wanted to visit Venice but Hubby was not interested, he only wants to go to the homeland! So when my youngest daughter asked me to go with her to Venice I jumped at the chance, even though we had just arrived from two months stay in the old homeland. We did go to Itally  a couple of times with our friends Fiona and Gino and that was a miracle...

So I did not have to think twice, and I said yes without any excitation.
It was a wonderful experience for three days we walked first to San Marco taking the route through ally ways bridges over the canals and loads of historic buildings.

San Marco square was amazing and the church of which there is many the walls and ceilings was covered in beautiful pictures all done in tinny mosaic so we go round mesmerized by the beauty of it all, I could not help it I had to take some photos on the sly! The works of art hanging on the walls so beautiful...Mia says that she getting hungry so we walk along the square looking for a cafe when we spot one with a small orchestra, so it had to be that one...

We get given a menu and we look at each other with a chocked look! Then we shrug our shoulders and say oh well we are in Venice at San Marco lets just enjoy the moment, we ordered a ham and cheese toasted sandwich and a glass of wine and sat there enjoying lunch and the atmosphere and sixty euros lighter.... Then we take the vaporeto back to our hotel....

Everybody kept asking us if we were going to go on the gondola but we opted to go see Othello play instead at Hotel sagredo very interesting first time for me never had been to a Shakespeare play thoroughly enjoyed it... On the second day we take a trip on the water bus through the grand canal to Murano the island of Venitian glass another day well spent so much to see, on the last day again we walk all over the place Mia was very good at map reading even though we walked through very narrow allay's we never once got lost.....

 

Back in Silver End walking the Essex way

Back home! but the weather is playing tricks, Yesterday Paula and I had our first walk it was cold but dry. We took the footpath to the old airfield to see what is happening there, you see, we have this going on saga about the terrible incinerator that they want to build in the old Rivenhall airfield, but unfortunately looks like we have lost the battle.

Such a shame so much history being swept away..... Lets hope that its going to be kept in one area so that our beautiful country lanes and footpaths are left alone, fingers crossed on that!!!!
So Paula and I walked on, there was a film of frost on the ground you could just see the sun behind a gossamer of cloud, the birds were there singing, plenty subjects to photograph,

We walk right to the path by the Rivenhal big house and to the old stables a nice surprise awaited us the paddocks had been revamped and had new residents, then we had to go see our faithful swans still in the lake, when they saw us they swam right up to us as if they recognized us. Soon they will be nesting I hope they have better luck this year, last year they only had on fledgling, all the other eggs were left at the forgotten nest .

Back home...

The holiday is over! Now back home in Silver End.... My Daughter came round yesterday with my beautiful granddaughter I really had missed them, she looks so grown up.... Now one has to settle to a different life, a life that I have missed like my beautiful village, am really looking forward to the walks...Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the holiday in Madeira I am making good friends and for the first time I can say that the stay was a good and very eventful one....Had lots of interesting walks, met loads of people some have become good friends, and had a couple of mishaps too, like falling in one of the levadas! Lucky for me it was the levada! Because if I had fallen to the left I would not have been here to tell the tale....

You see I was walking along the levada,((( Levada is an irrigation channel in the Madeira montains it runs all around the island and thats where we walk we can walk to the next village and so fourth))) was a group of 20 odd when all of a sudden I find myself in the drink was so annoyed with myself my camera stopped working! so no more pictures, did manage to take a few before the fall, and to think that I had another walk to do and no camera....

Everyone said when you get home to put my camera in a box full or rice, and thats what I did and two day's later I had my camera back was so excited now I had my camera for my next walk.
Then one day the new friends invited us to their country cottage for lunch what a beautiful place that was, surrounded by mountains and water after lunch we all had a walk up the mountains it was green and beautiful... I came back home with so many good memories....

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History Of the Quinta part 4

Once again the quinta of Angustias is empty so much sorrow was left behind...There was a great sadness, and during that time the quinta was the reference point for the memories and devotion of those who had met the Princess or had heard about her kindness.

The Dowager Emperess never did forget Madeira. Even before leaving the island, she expressed her wish to do something for the poor who suffered from the same disease that had taken away her daughters life. That was exactly what she did using temporary premises. But some years later, on the grounds opposite to Quinta das Angustias, which were bought for that purpose a great building with elegant lines was erected- one of the most beautiful in Funchal-surrounded by gardens everything with the appearance of a sumptuous quinta.

The Dowager Emperess wish was fulfilled, the founding of an Hospicio for twenty four patients with chest complaints, divided by two wings one for men and one for women- a trace of our stay in Madeira to perpetuate the message that we both received  from the good people of the island, these were the very words she used to define her initiative. Besides the location, comfort the Hospicio of Princesa D. Maria Amelia should have, the Dowager Emperess recomended that a certain harmony of the ensemble should be considered and that the garden should be properly kept so that patients may live surrounded by beauty....The color of the walls and other details of the decoration of the interiors were even from a far distance, object of her dedication.

The Dowager Emperess did not return to Madeira, as she intended, in order to see her work after its conclusion, the work her love and memories of mother had conceived and her persistence achieved , overcoming almost insuperable difficulties. But before she died, the Dowager Emperess made her sister Josephine, Queen of Sweden, a trustee of the Hospicio, thus assuring on a definite way of maintenance and functioning of the Hospicio. And so it was- not without misunderstandings and problems that Queen Josephine handled firmly.

Whoever walks past the gate may believe to be in a splendid quinta, carefully looked after. Dragon trees that can be seen from the Avenida do Infante giving a local touch to its  beautiful perspective of old Madeiran flora, when the island was covered with vegetal species  that become rare or desappeared almost completely...This day's the D.Maria Amelia hospicio is a school...