Autumn in Timperley

Richard's 60th birthday. Readers have I know been waiting for this entry. We treated him (and me, Sue and Jenny), to some of Daryl's excellent salmon fillets. Mary Berry's 'Make it Easy', 'Salmon and Herbed Hollandaise Pavé', with suitable starter (asparagus), accompaniment (Sprouts with Peas, Shitaki Mushrooms and Cashew Nuts) and dessert (Raspberry Parfait). This made for an excellent meal, helped by a bottle of Bollinger that we won in a Jazz Club raffle!

Autumn in Timperley has provided some lovely colours despite there being grey (but mainly dry) days with not much sunshine. I think we had half an hour of sunshine in 11 days.

The following pictures were taken more or less a stone's throw from home from the canal towpath, but De Quincey Park has also sported some lovely autumn colours.

Near Walton Park

Walton Perks cafe doing good business

By the cemetery near Marsland Bridge

Sale Marina

The above pictures were taken on 12 November. The couple of snaps below were taken on the misty morning of 13 November on the bit of towpath that you can see from our house. The water must be quite good here, sustaining lots of fish. This is evidenced by the frequent sight of fishermen. 

Kingfishers fly up and down, and there's a resident cormorant as well as an egret and a family of jays. Grey wagtails get under your feet, but not as much as the Canada geese. On the water there are lots of mallards, a few moorhens, and the occasional coot. Swans glide past looking for bread, and herons take their places at regular intervals beside the path, ignoring humans. At this time of year the peace can be shattered by a flock of black-headed gulls, and a colony of starlings who roost in a poplar tree. There are numerous hedgerow birds as well - blackbirds, robins, sparrows, song thrushes, sometimes blackcaps, and an assortment of tits, below which feral pigeons, wood pigeons, and sometimes a collared dove, all scavenge for left overs.

Here are some pictures from De Quincey Park taken on 17 November.

De Quincey Park - 18/11/24

De Quincey Park - 19/11/24

De Quincey Park - 19/11/24

Bridgewater Canal - 21/11/24

Tuesday 5 November 2024 - Shutlingsloe

Today was one of those days when but for the advance planning we would probably have stayed at home. As it was, Graeme and Andy joined Sue and me for a familiar and enjoyable 12km stroll over Shutlingsloe from the Leather's Smithy, to Wildboarclough and back via the Hanging Gate Inn and the Gritstone Trail.

On the summit - cool and misty - three fell runners who were doing the 'Cheshire Three Peaks' - Tegg's Nose, Shutlingsloe and Shining Tor - appeared out of nowhere, the only people we saw out walking today. Photos of the respective groups were taken, and the jolly threesome set off towards Shining Tor.

We thought of another Andy, who last night said he would be able to spot us on the summit from his living room above Bury.

Once we were out of the cool breeze, we stopped for coffee and chocolate digestives. Here there was a good crop of assorted Wax Caps.

Down in Wildboarclough, despite the greyness of the day, autumn colours were most attractive.

There's a well marked path from the Crag Inn to Lower Nabbs. We thought of Sir Hugh (aka Conrad), a friend who has recently been having a few problems with stiles and gates, and we thought he might be able to negotiate this metal kissing gate without too much of an epic adventure.

There were more Wax Caps near here, and further on, as well as this pretty Petticoat Mottlegill that we left in situ.

It was good to see that the Hanging Gate has reopened, but not on a Tuesday.

So we continued onwards, eventually reaching the small ravine from which the steep exit brings you out at the Ridgegate Reservoir a few metres from the Leather's Smithy, which was inundated with customers today.

Tomato and basil soup went down well.

Here's the 12km route, with about 400 metres ascent, taking us a leisurely four hours or so.

Here's a sample of our findings, and there was also a bag of Meadow Wax Caps that made for an excellent starter.

Monday 4 November 2024 - Some Jazz and a Park

Monday night jazz at Eagley Jazz Club brought a great evening, courtesy of the 'Night Owls' and their repertoire of jazz classics from around a century ago. The present band members appear to include Justin Trudeau and William Hague!

That was after one of our many visits to De Quincey park, returning home via the canal towpath, currently home to a family of kingfishers and a lone cormorant, amongst the usual selection of wagtails, ducks, geese and swans, etc.

Common Ink Cap

Saturday 2 November 2024 - Wythenshawe parkrun #592

Wythenshawe was a popular parkrun venue for run number 592. Above, you see many brightly coloured runners gathering ten minutes before the start. Large numbers of 'Couch to 5K' and 'MileShyClub' runners had decided to join us. That was great for me, as it offered a chance to finish in the top half of the field, which is very rare.

A few minutes later the 'Couch to 5K' brigade were joined by the regulars, making a total showing of 468 participants, the third highest ever at Wythenshawe and a good hundred more than usual. Here they are at the start.

I start very slowly these days, and can sometimes accelerate a little towards the end, which brings familiar faces into view every week. Here's Paul, with another friend, who I sometimes pass in this way. Other times they finish some way ahead of me. It's not a race, but we do have a bit of fun passing and mutually encouraging each other and those around us, especially the children.

Not pictured here at the finish is Colm, who in my last two runs has finished just behind me, not for lack of trying, he tells me.

It's a rare occasion that I can picture Sue coming through the finish. I had to wait 17 minutes for this!

Full results are here. We enjoyed the usual post run coffee/cake/socialising.

Friday = Isabella Day (78)

After a nice ride in her new car seat with drinks holder that will stay in my car, obviating the need for recovery expeditions when the seat gets accidentally left in another car, Isabella spent some time with the campervan and it occupants.

Then the farmyard was visited, together with some of its naughty animals who didn't undersand the meaning of the fence.

After that, it was time to paint her nails to match today's pink outfit.

Then, while Grandad went for a coffee and chat with Fechin and Mike, Grandma and Isabella went 'scootering' at Wythenshawe Park. Fresh air and fun as usual, but no pictures.

Lots of beans and fish fingers later, a drawer in the living room yielded a fold out haunted house. This new toy provided endless fun, and it finished up at Isabella's house in Didsbury.

The campervan lady with the pink hat did lots of exploring.

Strange things were afoot at the back of the haunted house.

Jenga is always around in our house. Isabella hasn't got the hang of the actual game, but the tiles are good for making towers.

And what do children really enjoy?

Isabella decided a dance floor, with suitable music, was needed for the campervan family to enjoy their holiday.

Then there was time for some colouring - Isabella has got much better at this over the past couple of months - before she went home. She had been awake since 5:30am so we were instructed to avoid napping, and we managed that thanks to light traffic for the 20 minute journey and much rendering of  'There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly'. We hope she woke a bit later on Saturday...

Thursday 31 October 2024 - The Fallowfield Loopline - A Bike Ride

Despite it being a damp morning, a record number of eight people turned up for this bike ride, which I've done at least four times before (see here), though not recently. That's my excuse for being a bit vague about the route at times. Only a couple of photos were taken on the outward leg as we pressed on through Fallowfield, across the A6 and into Reddish, where a convenient bench marked an opportunity for a coffee break. Sadly only Sue and I had brought such refreshments, but we were able to hand out a few chocolate digestives.

By the time we reached Audenshaw, on the outskirts of Ashton-Under-Lyne, we had left the loopline and hit the cobbles of the Ashton Canal. More photos could now be taken, as the cobbled areas next to the locks weren't really suited to those with skinny tyres.

We eventually made it for a long coffee break/chat at the Velodrome's café. All very civilised.

So we had plenty of energy for the ride home. Here I'm with Sue and Jenny, waiting for others to negotiate a steep descent in the background.

Soon after this, we came to a place where the towpath was closed, and we had to use roads to get through Piccadilly (where the towpath is good fun when open), and soon after we had regained the towpath another closed section sent us down Whitworth Street. Anyway, we made our way to the Castlefield Basin and crossed the distinctive bridge that leads to our route home.

I just managed to catch some of the laggards as they crossed over the bridge.

A clear run saw us regrouping at the Throstle Nest Bridge, from where the others can be seen on the towpath as I look back towards town.

Jenny took a picture of us on the top.

Further on, we all reached the bridge at Waters Meet without incident.

 

We regrouped, and I took my final picture of the day.

We then headed on to various points at which we left the towpath to arrive at our various homes. Richard and Jenny would be first to peel off, but they got stranded at Waters Meet thanks to a thorn in Richard's tyre. Never mind, they got home, like the rest of us, in time for a slightly late lunch.

I recorded 42km, with about 150 metres ascent, in around 4 hours, quite a bit of which was spent in the velodrome café.

A lovely outing despite a bit of damp in the air. Thanks everyone for your company. The next ride is on Thursday 14 November - Laureen's Ride - a convoluted route in Cheshire of up to 60km, starting from Timperley Bridge at 9.30am or the centre of Hale at 9.45. Café en route. We will probably do just about 30km. 

There's a walk up Shutlingsloe on Tuesday (5 November). Details here.

Our Dolomites/Engadine Trip - 18 June to 11 July 2024

Index of Postings

Tuesday 18 June 2024 - Charlecote Park (Europe Day 1)

Wednesday 19 June 2024 - Reims (Europe Day 2)

Thursday 20 June 2024 - Tuttlingen (Europe Day 3)

Friday 21 June 2024 - Around Tuttlingen and Möhringen (Europe Day 4)

Saturday 22 June 2024 - Corvara (Europe Day 5)

Sunday 23 June 2024 - The Pralongia Plateau (Europe Day 6)

Monday 24 June 2024 - Puez Odle Circuit (Europe Day 7)

Tuesday 25 June 2024 - The Pinnacles (Europe Day 8)

Wednesday 26 June 2024 - The Pisciadu Cascades and the Edelweiss Terrace (Europe Day 9)

Thursday 27 June 2024 - The Setsas Line (Europe Day 10)

Friday 28 June 2024 - Col dei Bos (Europe Day 11)

Saturday 29 June 2024 - Sils (Hotel Maria) (Europe Day 12)

Sunday 30 June 2024 - Val Fedoz (Europe Day 13)

Monday 1 July 2024 - Via Engiadina (Europe Day 14)

Tuesday 2 July 2024 - Alp Muntatsch (Europe Day 15)

Wednesday 3 July 2024 - Lagh Da Cavloc (Europe Day 16)

Thursday 4 July 2024 - Piz Chuern (Europe Day 17)

Friday 5 July 2024 - Boval Hutte (Europe Day 18)

Saturday 6 July 2024 - Pont-à-Mousson (Europe Day 19)

Sunday 7 July 2024 - Around Pont-à-Mousson (Europe Day 20)

Monday 8 July 2024 - Montreuil-sur-Mer (Europe Day 21)

Tuesday 9 July 2924 - Knole House and Park (Europe Day 22)

Wednesday 10 July 2024 - Wimbledon (Europe Days 23 and 24)

To work through these postings, click above on where you want to start, and at the end of each posting either 'Return to the Index' or click on 'Newer Post'.

I have also experimented with a photobook from Photobox, as I was concerned about derogatory reports on their new software. It took me 6-8 hours to produce a 24 page book - Large Landscape on Glossy paper, Layflat style - costing £33 including postage. You can view the album on-line here, I'm not known for my IT skills (quite the opposite!), but the new software worked ok for me.