Tuesday 27 December 2016 – Dunham Massey Winter Garden

We’ve reported from the Winter Garden on numerous occasions – here.

This was our first visit of this season to the garden, but first….

our relatives in Nantwich provided an excellent Boxing Day party before announcing themselves ‘shattered’ after their various exertions. Having merely provided the odd bit of food, and having caught up on lots of sleep, Sue and I were far from shattered, unlike our sprout dish.

Luckily, all the left over sprouts had been consumed, closely followed by this lonely morsel of whisky cake.

So we were well fuelled for a stroll to Dunham Massey beside the glassy canal.

The park was full of multi-generational families, shiny new bikes and scooters, and a multitude of small dogs. Luckily it’s a large park, with plenty of room for everyone.

The Winter Garden announced its first snowdrops and daffodils. Sue had forgotten her camera, so the following images are courtesy of my inferior skills (if not lens).

We soon came across this lovely scented daphne, just coming into flower.

Witch hazel, also pictured at the head of this posting, is blossoming nicely at present.

Somebody has been busy washing the trunks of these birch trees - Betula utilis 'Doorenbos'.

The bright red branches of Cornus alba Westonbirt are a principal source of colour just now.

The tiger bark (Prunus serrula 'Tibetica') is pretty pretty…

A splash of purple is provided by Callicarpa bodinieri giraldii.

Inside the Orangery, there’s a succulent plant with pretty leaves.

I suspect this is the first of a number of Winter Garden postings, perhaps a little repetitive with regard to previous years, but bringing a splash of colour to the current pages of this on-line diary.

Enjoy!

Christmas Day in Bacup

Thanks go to Kate and Simon for hosting Christmas dinner. It was delicious, and a very civilised and enjoyable day for us. Here are a few of Sue’s pictures.

Waiting for plates – 3 grandmas and an uncle

Let’s play Mario on our phones…

Little Miss Mischief

Thank you for my present, Great Grandma

Catching up

How, why, what, when, where?…

Christmas with a Great Grandma

This is what I think of you, Grandad…

When I grow up I want to be a firefighter

Merry Christmas Everyone

Hello All

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy and fulfilling New Year.

With Very Best Wishes

Martin and Sue

Wythenshawe parkruns 267 and 268

Last weeks’ parkrun was attended by a healthy 208 runners. Considering the dull day and the wet conditions, a pretty good turnout, but way below the record of 340 back in August 2015, before the parkrun at Stretford was established. The latter is a dryer, faster course and now attracts a large following.

Still, we enjoyed the muddy passage that is a key feature of Wythenshawe’s course. What I didn’t enjoy was the effect of the run on my already sore calf, leading to ice packs and hobbles and very little exercise over the following week.

Here are a few more images from run 267:

The report on run 267 includes the following sentence: “There aren't many people who have the gall to dress up as Rudolph and then pronounce to the assembled throng that he is the Reindeer-ector.”

Anyway, the reindeer-ector must have been appreciated as some 353 souls turned up today, Christmas Eve, mostly in some sort of Christmasy fancy dress, for another trudge through the mud. A record turnout, with many staying for bacon/sausage butties at the café, which opened specially for us, afterwards.

Today’s 28 pictures, including 12 from Andy W (thanks Andy, yours are the ones starting with ‘Sprint!’), are all here, and there’s a taster below. I wasn’t able to take many as the tree outfit is pocketless. The photos seem to concentrate on just a few people, but we have made many many friends as a result of this weekly activity. New people join the ‘club’ every week and it’s a delight to see so many friendships being forged. This is happening all over the country and ‘tourists’ are always welcomed.

I’m overcome with a feeling of warmth!

Andrew, Alastair and Sue

Jeanette, Paul the Pixie, and Martin the Tree

Martin, Paul, Jeanette, Cary and Sue

The usual suspects plus Andy W

Say hello to the Hardings

Charlotte and Syd and friend

Sue and I started slowly, as she has a sore foot and my calf was a bit better but still sore. Our slow pace (33.11 for Sue, 29.58 for me) seems to have worked as neither of us have serious after effects, though Sue claims to be ‘tired’. I finished at the same time as Jeanette, who managed her first 5 km run since breaking her kneecap about 18 months ago. A long and tedious recuperation. Well done Jeanette.

I crashed this photo (taken I think by Kate H) and then nicked it from the Wythenshawe parkrun Facebook page. I’m pictured with Mark and two other stalwarts.

Then we zoomed back home to prepare lunch for Dot, who is staying with us for Christmas for the last time due to her increasing lack of mobility, Kate, Simon, Jacob and Jessica, Nell and Keith, and Mike and Sarah. And a good time was had by all…

PS Here are some of Andy W’s pictures:
’Sprint!’

Cary steams in to the finish

Prancer get the magic wand treatment!

Emily and Charlotte

Andy at the finish

Diana, Richard, Martin, Sue and Cary

Thanks Andy.

Friday 16 December 2016 – A Shutlingsloe Evening

Ever since I suggested White Nancy, above Bollington, as an alternative, this jaunt seems to have become an annual tradition. Before that there were just a handful of us, but after White Nancy was rejected (though I think we did both in that year) this stroll up Shutlingsloe has been well attended.

This year the Roberts family were unable to come, so I thought numbers would be depleted. But thanks to friends of friends, grandchildren, nephews and children, not to mention a strong showing from Wythenshawe’s parkrunners, there was a record turn out of 18 people. Richard, Diana and Joe turned up with their friends, Roddy and Sharon, Graham B arrived with grandson Connor, Cary brought Clara along, parkrunners – Andy, Kate, Andy W, Paul and Jeanette – swelled our numbers, and my cousin Toby paid his annual visit to our walking group. Andrew J, who rejected the White Nancy idea all those years ago, faithfully turned up and set off before half the attendees had arrived. Thus he had a chilly wait on the misty summit.

Photographs didn’t come easily, as any flash was reflected by the mist. I’ve included a couple from Andy W, whose backlit efforts were better than my misty ones. The header image is his ‘On the Top’ effort.

Conditions were good, apart from the mist, with it being reasonably warm and calm. The rocks, which are often coated with verglas (ice or frost) at this time of year, were merely slippery.

Cake, tea, coffee and something stronger were supped on the summit before the sound of a Christmas Carol rang out over Wildboarclough.

Here’s Andy W on the summit. When he saw this image on the back of my phone he had to try to capture the ambience more realistically.

Here’s Andy’s resulting attempt, which he has entitled ‘Waiting for ET’.

After quite a while on top, we ambled back down by the direct route, covering 5.3 km with 250 metres ascent in around 1.5 hours.

Then most of us adjourned to the Leathers Smithy for refreshments – another worthy tradition…

Thanks for coming, everyone – put Friday 15 December 2017 in your diaries.