Walking the Essex way

Still walking the Essex way, but the weather is not that brilliant for August, my friend Paula and I at one time used to walk come rain or shine! But now we seem to shy away if its too wet, but we still do a fair amount of walking through the footpaths surrounding our village.
We specially love to photograph the insects its amazing what we can find, from beautiful butterfly's to the minute of insects....If only they could see us on our knees trying to capture a small insect....I say to Paula just look at me! at my age and still crawling in the undergrowth....

We also like to gather the wild fruits, that the good old hedge has on offer, I have a larder full of preserves, so Christmas gifts are sorted....Also my daughter makes good use of the various jams that I make....
This week we only had one walk! I did go to Audley End on Wednesday with my girls and my little darling on a day out with the Fairy's , that was a trip for the little ones really but I think we enjoyed it just as much just to see the little ones faces when they were looking for the fairy's and Elfs..
We go to queue for the train ride, had to wait half an hour for the next ride! So I run across the road to the big house!!! So glad that I did  beautiful house with a grand entrance lovely lawns and a river the views were stunning....

Walking the Essex way

Yesterday woke up to a very misty morning, met up with my friend and this time we take the footpath just down the road....It feels strange we are only in August but it has the feel of Autumn.
We walk on to the Path that used to take us to the old airfield, we loved walking there, the trees and the wild flowers where we took many a photograph, but the trees have been cut down and somehow the wild flowers are not growing as much....So we walk on, spider webs everywhere! Then we spot a few Canadian geese in the field surrounded by mist, as am trying to focus on them Paula waves at me becoming and there on the left there was a sea of them all feeding on the grain that was left behind after the harvest of the wheat. It was an amazing sight!

After taking so many photos we walk on, and take the path by the Rivenhall house, we hear the cry of the buzzards but they kept well hidden so no photographs there! Before we take the path to go back home we take a peak at the American lake, its so called because during the second war apparently an American soldier died there while swimming! The lake is owned by a fishing society and they don'tlike people walking their dogs there, because they jump in the water and disturb the fish and the fisherman. That's the reason for the private notice sign..... We came across the bailiff and we were telling him that we loved taking pictures at the lake and that we were sad about the forbidden sign, so glad we spoken to him we walked home with a smile on our faces....We are camera walkers and not dog walkers so we wont be disturbing the fish or the fisherman. Phew!!!
Thank you Mr Bailiff...

 

Walking the Essex way

Woke up a little late yesterday, Usually I meet up with my friend Paula at 6am, so by the time we met up it was 6.45 still early I know! We walk to the lake its a lovely spot to see the sunrise, and our friends the swans our always there to greet us, this year they were able to keep all their cygnets.
From there we walk through the ripening wheat on both sides of the footpath. We are always on the lookout for insects or if we are lucky, a deer the other day we had just that!  A deer that run right by us but we were in such amazement that we forgot to click our cameras lol. Then we saw them in the middle of a field of wheat, We were still able to take a lovely picture we came home feeling happy.

As we walk on we come by the woods we like to explore the woods and that's what we do, as we walk through the trees I;E Hazelwood's all we can hear is the crunching of the dried twigs, I love the mosses and fungi that we came across, so we spend a little time on our knees trying to photograph this delicate fungus, hahaa can you imagine me! A 67 year old women crawling through the woods....No I never imagined it either...

The butterfly's are amazing too, nature never ceases  to amaze me. Gods creation here for us all to enjoy....On this amazing walk we came across five species of Butterfly's and we were lucky enough to capture a dragonfly, I mean on film! We get so excited that sometimes I find myself holding my breath, hopping that they won't fly away before I take a photo.
So far it has been a good year we have had some memorable moments and photos too....The hedges are full of berries its jam making season, loads of fruit out there I have picked the blackberries and the wild plumes. Now waiting for the damsons looks like its a good year for fruit...

Walking the Essex way

Spent a so so day yesterday! No walking Paula decided to stay in and work on her book she's on a deadline. I feel that I have missed on something, walking is what gets me through the day! I come back from a good walk energized.
So instead of the walk I decide to do a little gardening, when am getting into it.... The phone starts ringing so I ran indoors and its Sis, asking could I drive her to the garden center she wants to buy some plants and compost....So an hour later am back home and in the garden once again, did a little pruning picked some veggies for dinner and cooked a meal for hubby as he had to go to work, his retired really! But he has a little part time job just to keep the little grey cells busy.

Now on my own, and then the heavens opened up can't work in garden! Feeling restless I decide to bake a cake, my daughter and my little darling are coming round and Jennifer keeps asking for orange and chocolate cake. So cake done! it'll be a nice surprise for when they get here I don't make cakes that often this day's. When the girls lived at home I used to bake at least once a week but now its only hubby and I. He is diabetic so he cannot eat much cake, and I should not eat cake am trying to loose weight, LOL its a struggle since I gave up smoking three years ago I have gained 12 kgrms now I feel like a porker....Had to give in and buy bigger cloths had to go to one size up and that kills me... So now am being strong and I have cut most carbohydrates from my diet so far I have lost three kgrms...

Anyway less of me and more of our glorious countryside as I said, we did not walk yesterday and today has gone by the wayside too! looks very wet out, but the sun is trying to come through the garden looks as if its been brushed and polished its shining like a new pin. I love walking through the fields after it has rained, love the smell of freshness that emanates from the ground....This time of the year we have the blackberries, damsons and crab apples, even eating apples growing on forgotten old orchards, there is a profusion of produce on Gods ladder, Paula and I day do a little free shopping and we stock up on preserves for the winter...That is!  Paula helps me picking the fruit and I do the preserving, of course I share with her.... Have to go now! we will talk again soon...

Walking the Essex way

One thing that worries me is, how long I'll be able to walk on this wonderful countryside...Its been a year since I fractured my leg, and although I am walking I feel that my leg is till not very strong, last night I just could not get to sleep my lower leg was aching so!

The walk on Monday was brilliant! And yesterday we also saw a kingfisher, we had a little of everything the surprises just kept on coming... First we saw two buzzards a little far I know!  but Paula and I still managed to click our cameras... that's in situations like this when we wish we had better cameras.... So we walk on to watery lane, as we walk through the woods we see this clearing covered in Himalayan balsam it looked so lovely, beautiful flowers the bees flying in  and out looking for nectar, then; we spot the banded dragonfly so we get to chase them through the nettles just as well we have long trousers and strong boots! and would you believe it in our excitement we miss two roe deer! OMG.

But as they disappear through the field of wheat far ahead, we see their heads bopping up and down  so we still manage to take a couple of shots with our cameras of course! So feeling very happy! Paula is getting impatient she wants to get back to her writing so we head home but on the way we just cannot help ourselves, and of course we have to photograph a kestrel that was perched on a fence post and the butterfly's just kept on coming! So nearly four hours later we arrive home feeling very happy. I just love my little village

walk starts here

taken at quite a distance

Bee feeding 

Hares

Kestral

Red admiral

Gatekeeper

Male and female banded dragonfly

Peacock 

Speckled wood 

Roe deer

to be able to have all of this on my very own doorstep, I feel blessed..