Walking the Essesx way

Once again we have another weekend glad that the weather has started to warm up the garden is loving it! and so am I.
Tomorrow is my baby birthday I still think of my girls as my baby's even though she'll be 43 wanted to have them for lunch but they have other plans. So it will be just hubby and I! Daughter number two had lunch with us last Sunday with her boyfriend we had a bq but the weather was not warm enough to eat outside so we cooked and ate indoors.
If it was up to me I would have them here every Sunday. My little darling is growing so fast hard to believe that she's 6 years old now!!!!!  Oh well I suppose we will have plenty more days to get together I love to be surrounded by my family and friends.
This is my garden waiting to be used and for the laughter to start.....

 

Walking the Essex way

Yesterday My friend and I walked towards the gravel works on the hunt for insects butterfly's and the like it was very wet, half way through our walk our trouser's were soaked but like true hunters we just kept going to the lake the swans were there swimming happily with their new family we seat there for a few minutes mesmerized, so lovely!
So we move on, the sun starts peaking through the cloud, and soon I see a blue butterfly so dainty and then there were two on the grasses we get so excited and soon we were on our knees on the wet grass snapping our cameras.  Now we can go home wet but happy, not only did we found the blue butterfly we also snapped a few other insects not many about as yet.
I joke with my friend that I cannot photograph anything that moves! But yesterday I managed to capture on film a few birds too!

so so happy.   

Walking the Essex way

Not walking this bank holiday weekend, Yesterday hubby and I went round to sis Elsa it was lovely to have someone else cook dinner, friends Vanda and her husband Khan came visiting for the weekend we sat outside lovely sunny day.
Today not so nice though, temperature has dropped a little its dry though! Once again we will be spending the day at Sis Elsa's I could get used to it hahaha.
Brain a little slow this morning just woken up a little unusual for me I normally am up very early and walking through the countryside.
Oh well probably my body needed the rest. Have to go now I just can't think.

Walking the Essex way

Paula and I had another great walk this morning, we walked past the old airfield towards the man made lakes.
We like to walk as soon its light everything looks fresh and the landscape around the lakes looks so alien almost Jurassic with the fallen trees with roots on show, we like going through to the edge of the lake and at times we have to crawl through because of the dense vegetation we always arrive home looking a mess with muddy trouser and hair looking like we had been pushed through a hedge backwards! Of course the geese were there, but I still managed to miss them when they took off, LOL if my camera was a gun and I was hunting for food I would starve!
Anyway another walk done now looking forward to the next walk and another adventure like my friends tells me when I complain that there is too many nettles or that perhaps we deviate from the footpath.

 

   

Walking the Essex way

Am still walking through the countryside, at this time of the year its wonderful to witness the waking  of the hedgerows the blossom and the scent at times quite intoxicating! My friend and I like to change our route some days we are lucky enough to see the odd deer, oh! and the amazing hares. Kestrel and Buzzards too! although am not very good at photographing them I joke with my friend that if they are moving I won't even attempt I get so excited that my hand just won't stay still lol.

Anyway on our walk this week we are starting to see the odd insect, I must say there has been a decline of insects for the last couple of years less bees too! My friend and I have commented that there has been a decline on Butterfly's we used to see them all over but these day's not so many, was wondering if its due to the climate or even pesticides.

 I get so much pleasure walking that when I miss a walk I feel that something is missing, I've been having a bit of trouble with my right foot they call it Planter Fasciitis but am still going out walking even though by the time I get home I am in pain so out come the painkillers :-(
Then I go in the garden and do a little maintenance at this time of the year everything is looking fresh and healthy that's another thing that I love my garden! I could not live without my plants and the birds that wake me up in the morning with their song, at times its like a symphony. I am a happy bunny....

Walking the Essex way

Today I had a wander down to the Park since my friend could not join me for our usual walk. It was a rather cloudy morning . I wandered around the Village taking a few photos not many people about other than one or two dog walkers. The park was still locked so walked a little more.
I have lived in the Village and my house is one of the original flat roofed houses, since 1988 and it has been interesting living and learning about how the village came to be....

Silver End was built by metal window manufacturer Francis Crittall as a site for a new factory and housing for his workers. It was designed to be self sufficient.
Within a year of Crittalls unveiling of his planes to his workers, the village factory had started production, some of the houses were occupied and Francis Crittall known to his workers as the Guv'nor was about to move into his village home the Manors.

The village was to be a total environment, with its own water and power supplies, allotments and the like he was a man with a vision, All residents were expected to live, work and play in the village.
500 houses were built in five years with great care given to ensure their modernity and efficiency.
These were award winning and as deliberate policy were designed by different architects to avoid regimentation. It was the modernist houses that attracted most comments and continue to attract attention today. The resulting avenues of white painted flat roofed houses become the trademark of silver End.

Crittall flat roof house

Flat roof house silver street

Francis Crittall house. The Manors

Entrance to the park

The iron gate that his workers worked for free
as a sign of gratitude 

the pond with a Japonese pagoda

The village hall 

The old hotel! Now an old peoples home