Wednesday 8 April 2020

Above the River


Now that we are on our Easter break, all home schooling has been pushed to one side for the time being and along with it so has any semblance of structure we had to our days. With no real sense of purpose our mornings have turned into very lazy affairs. Usually busy, I'm finding this slower pace of life is taking quite a bit of getting used to and this last week I have been undeniably feeling the effects from a lack of daily routine.
It's not surprising, therefore, that the one thing I am so very grateful for during this time is my daily exercise. I feel so blessed that each afternoon I am able to leave the house to take a walk in the local area. Such a treasured part of the day where, for a short while at least, everything is as it should be, nature is doing what she does best, and I am reassured by the sights of springtime all around us. There are several walks which we can access easily from home. One of my favourite routes at this time takes us up the hill, through the village and along the lane, finally crossing a bridge before dropping down towards the river.





Here beneath the trees lies an abundance of wild garlic. Usually, I walk straight through along the main path but on Monday I took a slight detour, up a small track which led me to some fresh, new green shoots. I didn't  hang around long, just enough to grab a few handfuls which I carefully tucked  away in my bag, with plans to turn them into a delicious pesto later in the day.




The track skirts along the edge of the fields, above the river, the once muddy footpath, now hard, cracked and dusty following the recent dry, sunny weather. Lambs are scattered about the fields, some old enough to wander independently now. They are curious ,but soon scatter as we approach. There are younger ones in the field on the opposite bank, and many more still to be born.


We take another brief pause, closer to the water. Just long enough to rest our legs and catch our breath, before the path leads us away from the river, through fields and along the lane, to return home once again.




Following a quick rinse, the wild garlic leaves are blended with olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan and pine nuts to create this delightfully green paste, which tastes delicious stirred into fresh cooked pasta.
Although, at the moment, we are repeating the same walks over and over, I'm finding great comfort in that.  The constancy and familiarity  is reassuring in what are very uncertain times, and the opportunity to experience the beautiful countryside right here on my doorstep will never again be overlooked.  
J. X

60 comments:

  1. Thank you for taking us along for the walk with you! How lovely to be able to walk in such beautiful surroundings! I'm glad you were able to pick the wild garlic for your pesto and the resulting meal looks delicious! Have a lovely Easter break, and enjoy the slower pace of life while you can. :)

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    1. Thank you, Bless. I'm going to bake a cake later today and tomorrow Lily and I will be making Easter nests. X

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  2. What a lovely walk to be able to go on and thank you for the photos. Wild garlic - a funny memory - we used to go to The Lakes with our parents and me and my sisters once spent a happy hour secretly gathering bunches and bunches and bunches and bunches of pretty white flowers as a surprise for our mum. We stashed them in the carboot so we could surprise her when we got home. It was 1976, the hottest year ever - can you imagine the knock out stench in the car on the way home?? we were all car sick that day hahahah

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    1. Your mum would have loved that! :D It must have taken ages to get rid of the smell. I know it took me a while to get it off my hands, even with all the extra washing they're getting at the moment. X

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  3. I'm sure each time you cover the same paths, things have changed and given you a new perspective. Lovely photos, as always. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. You're right Chris, there is always something new to see. We were counting toads yesterday! X

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  4. I've been on the lookout for wild garlic but it's too dry here at the moment. It does make good pesto.

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  5. Your walk looks delightful and that pasta dish yummy!!!

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    1. I never thought I would feel so happy to find pasta in the supermarket. X

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  6. I love the photos you take on your walks. And that pesto/paste looks amazing. The colour is so vibrant.
    xx

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    1. Thank you, Joy. I feel so lucky to have these walks straight from my doorstep. X

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  7. Thank you for the lovely virtual walk

    Julie xxxxxxxxxx

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  8. You are so fortunate to have such beautiful walks right on your doorstep and how wonderful to make them your daily exercise, I certainly am envious. I love to see Spring lambs, we could see them a short drive away but of course that's not allowed now.
    Stay safe and well x

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    1. I don't think I will take it for granted ever again how I have easy access to the countryside here. I'm sorry you are not able to walk where you would like to. X

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  9. Look at all that wild garlic, how wonderful to be able to have it growing within walking distance of your house. I haven't found any growing so close to me, I usually go to a wood a short drive away. I love the colour of the pesto it is such a spring colour isn't it.

    Your local walk looks lovely, so many wonderful things to look at and enjoy. We are blessed to have this on our doorstep.

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    1. The colour is amazing isn't it? I don't think I've ever seen a more greener shade of green :) X

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  10. I love the river view and the lambs :) It's great having nice places to walk straight from home, there are several walks I can do from here and I appreciate every one of them even though I've done them all many times over the years.

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    1. I'm so grateful to have this countryside on my doorstep. The lambs are adorable aren't they. X

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  11. Lovely, lovely walk Jules. Even though it is no longer possible to go to some of our favourite spots, we are still extremely fortunate to have access to these gentle places. xx

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    1. Thank you, Jayne. More than ever before I am realising just how fortunate we are to have easy access to the countryside here. X

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  12. You are lucky to have such beautiful spaces within walking distance of your front door.
    I must make some pesto before all our wild garlic disapears, now what I can use instead of pine nuts? xxx

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  13. The promise of lambs would encourage me on that walk if I needed any more encouragement than the beautiful countryside. The woods are filled with wild garlic just now, I keep saying I'll make some pesto but I still haven't, your pasta looks delicious.

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    1. I love to see the lambs and they are growing so fast. X

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  14. The pasta looks so good!

    I don't think I've ever been as happy with myself as I am now. I started exercising first thing in the morning last year and have kept up the habit. Were it not for that I might be wedged into my armchair by the end of the outdoor restrictions.

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    1. I wish I could get into the habit of exercising at home. Maybe now would be a good time for me to start :)

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  15. Spring has always been my favorite season, but never before in my long life have I ever appreciated it’s beauty more. Walking around the woods and trails and seeing new life growing is what we all need now. We just have to be vigilant and keep our distance from others.

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  16. What a beautiful walk you took us on with such stunning views. There is a comfort in the familiar. A delight to see the lambs such a wonderful gift. Stay safe.

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    1. I think we might take a different route today. I hope you and Gerard are keeping safe and well. X

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  17. (And there is so much Spring Changing, going on, right now!!!)

    Not on computer as much,
    due to *achy* back.
    But reading some posts,
    And hate to read,
    Without even a tiny comment.
    -smile-
    ~~~~~~~~~~
    Stay safe
    Stay home
    🌸💛🌷💛🌸

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    1. I'm sorry you're not feeling great and I hope you are managing to rest up as much as you need. I hope to catch up with my blog reading later. X

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  18. It's actually nice to do the same walks throughout the year as you get to see the changes Mother Nature brings, in Spring a new wild flower tends to pop up everywhere. X

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    1. Yes, it won't be long before the bluebells appear. I'm looking forward to seeing them more than usual this year. X

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  19. The lambs look like they were checking you were following guidelines on your walk!
    Plenty of greenery and how lovely to be out in the sunshine. I'll wander along you walk with you as i'm not allowed out at all :-(

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    1. The lambs are so cute, aren't they. I'm so sorry you're not able to get out at all just now, but it's reassuring to know you are keeping safe and well. X

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  20. I too have been following almost the same route everyday and it is remarkable the little changes you notice each time. Cute little lambs. x

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    1. We've also discovered some toads by the river bank and just yesterday we saw some ducklings. X

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  21. What a lovely walk. I like to take the same walk again and again... there is always something new to see. Here, the wild garlic is only just coming up, maybe next week will be good for picking. Enjoy your Easter weekend x

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    1. It doesn't take long for wild garlic to grow once it appears, and bluebells are gradually beginning to flower. I'm enjoying these shorter walks straight from home but I'm also making plans for when I can go further afield once again. X

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  22. How lovely to be able to use the wild garlic. I think many people are discovering things that they didn't previously appreciate now that we are all 'forced' into taking walks. Our town is bordered by some lovely countryside but we have to drive to get there, so we are contenting ourselves with walks around the estate (as in 1960s housing estate rather than the grander meaning of the word!) and taking a lot of notice of people's gardens! We even saw a lovely old cottage behind some trees. After living here for the past 23 years, we have seen it for the first time.

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    1. I was thinking of drying some of the wild garlic this year, so if I get the opportunity I might try and grab a few more handfuls on my walk today.
      Isn't it surprising the new things we can notice on these familiar walks. I've discovered much smaller tracks which lead away from the main path and down to the river. X

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  23. Please can I ask whether you toast the pine nuts first. That looks so vivid and tasty. It's made me want to have a go at making some pesto.

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    1. It's a fabulous colour isn't it. I didn't toast the pine nuts, and you can always use almonds or walnuts if you have those instead. X

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  24. 4/12
    Happy, Happy, Happy...💛💚💜

    & Please keep blogging...!!!! 💛💚💜

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  25. Lovely nature photos! You're very fortunate to live in an area that offers such marvelous outdoor spaces. There are so many people who don't have that. Never had wild garlic leaves but it sounds good. I love to make pesto in Summer with my garden basil. Oh the lamb...just adorable! I am your new follower! I enjoy your photography and writing. Have a great week!

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    1. It's lovely to 'meet' you Angela and thank you for your kind words. I feel so very fortunate to have easy access to the countryside, especially just now. X

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  26. A lovely walk. I've really enjoyed seeing it through your camera. Thank you.

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  27. I missed your post when it was published but was just checking and discovered it. I remember your wild garlic post last year. I've been searching for it ever since. I make my pesto conventionally using basil where you used the wild garlic. I'm told there is some on the Island but I've not found it and no one seems to know. I'm sure it will be in the Castle Grounds but I've not been there for three weeks even though it's only 7 miles away and where I usually walk.
    As always I love your walks: you have shelter from the wind and you have the river. Heaven.

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    1. I suspect it will be within the castle grounds, it is usually found in woodland and we have an abundance of it here (the smell of it makes me feel hungry when I'm out walking). I know I'm very fortunate to have this countryside on my doorstep, especially just now. Stay well. X

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  28. I’m a bit behind on blog reading, so catching up!

    That was a wonderful walk you took us on, Jules. I have to admit I did zoom in on the lamb with the dark chest, just to check that was his colouring and he hadn’t face planted in a pool of mud! :))
    Like, you my walks have been mainly the same routes. But every time I go along the same lanes, I do notice wildflowers in bloom that weren’t there before. It’s lovely to see nature going on as normal regardless of what is happening in our lives. Your jar of pesto is a fab colour and the pasta looks delicious! Keep safe xx

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    1. I'm a bit behind myself, Ann. I think people are posting more regularly and I'm trying to keep up :)
      I had to look at the photograph of the lamb again, but I see what you mean now. It does look like it has taken a tumble in some mud. Still cute though.
      I don't know about you, but I'm noticing much more than usual on my daily walks. X

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  29. I'm rather (ok, very!) jealous of the abundance of Wild Garlic. There is NONE near us which is really annoying as I usually pick it in Northumberland and make Pesto- grr!
    I have done a bit of foraging though so at least I've found SOMETHING!
    I have been doing the same walks and very happy to have lovely fields near me!

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    1. Just like you, I feel so very fortunate to have easy access to some lovely walks right now and there is always something to be foraged. X

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  30. That looks like a lovely walk! I say I will make wild garlic pesto every year and never do!

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