Dinner at the Cley windmill

Cley windmill
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
The windmill is in a superb position on the edge of the salt marshes in North Norfolk. You can stay there and it is also open for dinner so I couldn’t wait to book in.
When you arrive you are shown into the sitting room. It is a cosy room with a [...]

RSPB Titchwell

A flock of Golden Plover
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
The RSPB reserve of Titchwell is on the North Coast of Norfolk. There are a series of inland lakes from the sea which are great feeding grounds for a variety of birds. From the hides we saw plenty of wideon and flocks of lapwings and Golden Plover. [...]

Snowdonia

Rainbow
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips

What makes a good view? I often hear people say -”That’s a lovely view”, when all they are looking at is some agricultural fields. Does any view of the countryside make a good view. Maybe if you have lived all your life in the city it may be so but I think [...]

Thursday walk at the Warburg Reserve

Sunset
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips

In the morning it was the coldest day of the year or felt like it. I wanted to just stay in bed and read my book in the warm but I had no excuse not to go to work so I dragged myself up and made some tea. Outside it was sleeting [...]

Meditation

winter trees
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips

A friend remarked recently on the idea of Buddhist, changing your mind which got me thinking about meditation in general. Years ago I learnt to do Transcendental Meditation. I have lapsed in its use and don’t use it regularly but I do find it useful every so often to calm my [...]

Thursday walk

winter trees
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips

It was raining and there were dark clouds swirling outside but time for a walk. I set off up the hill and surprised a sparrowhawk on the ground. It flew off and perched on a post for a while. I could see its yellow claws. There were many red kites around [...]

Snape Maltings

Then you go to Snape to visit the The Maltings. What a strange name and redolent of music and Radio broadcasts – “Welcome to the Aldeburgh Festival and tonight’s concert is broadcast live from The Snape Maltings…” From seeing no-one to being with everyone, that is the Zen of the place.

The Black Venus, Challacombe, Devon

River Barle on Exmoor
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
A delightful pub on Exmoor and ideally placed if you go walking up to Pinkery Pond. I went with D&J on a wet wintry night but there was a warm cosy welcome inside and we were soon drinking some ale and looking at the blackboard menu being careful not [...]

Wild Swimming

Bassenthwaite Lake
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips

In the Lakes for a week so I decided I really wanted to try some wild swimming, inspired by Roger Deakin’s Waterlog. The question was – when and where. It was cold that week and the weather raining and grim. This was not conducive to swimming. I was staying in Braithwaite [...]

Millau Viaduct

Millau Viaduct
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
Its shadow crawls across the golden fields of the valley deep below, curving its ways across the tractor lines of the cut hay. Its seven columns are giant’s legs striding across the landscape. This is the Millau bridge.
The tallest bridge in the world, it crosses the Tarn valley using seven elegant [...]