Where's the Bus Stop?

This is the path which leads to the town, and starts directly behind the house. I hope to be walking along the length of that path soon, my aim being to have a recce of the town but without my husband in tow, because he would get irritated with the non-manly trawl through what the shops have on offer. There is a womanly need in me to see where things can be bought, as I would like to stop buying off the internet and support local shops if possible. We have already managed to locally source four kitchen appliances and a broom. 

I do not have a map of this area in my head at the moment, so it would be easy to get lost. At the moment my husband does the driving, but I am an independent woman and need to go solo. However, since the operation I am prone to dizzy spells so am not safe to drive, although on foot I am OK because I can park myself up by leaning on my walking pole until the dizziness goes away. I am working on finding a solution to the dizziness and it is reducing. I just need to get my confidence back.  

According to my neighbour, a bus into town passes directly in front of the house. All she does, apparently, is to stand on the kerb and flag it down, but this does not appeal to me because I would feel an idiot waving my arms at a bus whose driver may, or may not, stop to pick me up. For me, the most logical thing is to find the bus stop nearest to the house, so that when I walk into town I can catch a bus back. So, walking along the path to the town has become a 'To Do' project. I shall drive again, but not yet. 

Boots on, walking pole in hand, and off I went for a hunt for the bus stops, but first to do a practice walk along the path. which just so  happens to have the  coffee shop I was telling you about in a previous blog......

 So if you were me, what would you do if a deluge of rain was suddenly unleashed upon you, just as you were passing in the vicinity of the coffee shop? 

 You would stop and take shelter, that is what you would do......

And do you think that it would be impolite to take shelter without buying a coffee and a bun?

I thought so, hence.....

A very dishevelled, wind swept, and rain soaked me!

..... and so happy to have a bun and a hot drink.....

All done!

And returning home, still no bus stops found, but I had a joyful time in the rain after being fortified by coffee and a bun! 

Bye for now, 

Vx

1.5 miles!

And so it became for The Walk. For several days my OH had been making it his planned project for the weekend, that he would take me out for a walk around Colemere, shepherding me should I feel doddery, assisting me should I feel my energies failing. His expectation of me was similar to mine...... that it would take an effort to walk round the lake, because that is what Colemere is ...... " a deep expanse of water shaped like a giant's tummy button, with steep sides and filled with icy water in its lower depths". (www.shropshire-guide.co.uk). Of course I was not going to be going in for a swim, though, because I do not own a swimming costume, and there are huge fish in the lake anyway, which my imagination would turn into the biggest of sharks tout suite as soon as I was ankle deep in the water. Much better to stay on dry land. Much more sensible. 

Here is the lake and surrounding woodland. 

Here is NOT me, but someone else 

- a photo poached off the internet because I forgot to take a similar one of the lake myself!

But here IS a portion of me walking along the path beside the lake, just to prove that I did have my walking boots on and was stoically marching along albeit at a sedate pace.

..... and my OH moving ahead of me because he was a tad fed up with me trying to photograph my feet  in walking mode.....

...... and the wonderful sparkling of sunshine through the trees.....

....a pause for a snack, and Maz hoping for a morsel to come her way.....   

It was a grand day out, 

and I managed to walk, at a goodly pace, for one and a half miles!

It was a personal achievement for both my OH and me. 

I never thought I would ever walk a hundred yards, let alone 1.5 miles.  

Keep on going, that is what I have learnt, and don't give up.

I might not ever be as fit as I once was, but I am fitter than I have been recently. 

Bless you in your journey, 

Bye for now,

Vx

New fields........

We have moved!

And here is our new home.......

...... It is so different to the house we renovated in France, at least this one was ready to move into, which was a joy. I have done with old houses. The French farm house was at least two hundred years old, and the rented cottage here in England was about the same age, and both were difficult to live in because of the tendency for damp and the tendency for my bones not to like dampness. Anyway, this house was built in around the 1970's, with a pseudo Tudor look which was popular at that time. Building regulations had improved, so the house is dry, which has my bones very pleased. 

The house is on a housing estate and close into the town, which I can walk to when my legs let me. Or else I can get a bike. Or even a scooter. Or even catch a bus. Having lived in a rural community it is nice to have people around. Living remotely is OK, but does tend to make me feel 'not of this world'. There are a lot of people around here, and I like this. It makes me feel 'in life'. 

 I feel very blessed that this is the house which has become our home, and now opens up a new chapter in my life. This house, and its environment, will not let me give in to being elderly. I am, after all, seventy four year old and with a major operation behind me. But no! This house will not let me be weak and feeble about my advancing years. It will not let me park up on the sidelines and let life pass me by. For a start, there is an excellent coffee and cake shop,  which is a ten minute walk along a green lane just behind the house.  Do some walking exercise.....stop at the coffee shop..... have a chat..........then return home. Now that seems like a good idea! 

Part of the back garden. Unlike our farm in France which had thirteen acres of land, this garden is small ..... but big enough to have a garden full of flowers. 

And this is the lower part of the garden, which I have not gone into yet because the steps are a bit steep for my legs to manage. Not to worry........ a few more walks to the coffee shop and back, should get me up and down those steps in no time!

So, bye for now. 

In love and light,

Vx