Hopcott and Home

I have always loved to walk, or ramble, where ever I have lived.  One of my earliest memories is walking on the South Downs in Sussex with my family.   In summer we would often stroll on a Sunday Evening, ending up at a cosy inn somewhere not far from home.   Perhaps that is why I like to walk so much now. 

Rambling has many happy associations :-)

I also like to walk when I need to think.  2009 has been an eventful year for us, and as the end of the year approaches we have had a lot to think about, and some important decisions to make.  And so plans are made and steps are taken :-)  

Walking really clears the mind and the head and I recommend it :-)

Hopcott Common is not far from home now.  It is a great place to walk.   There are so many paths and over the years I think we may have covered most of them.   Those that I have not yet covered I plan to walk very soon.   I am not sure of today's definition of a common,  the land belongs to Crown Estates, but thank goodness we are still allowed access.  We are so lucky to have this right on our door step!    Searching the www I have found a map to show just how many paths there are!  

 For more info on Dunster Forest Walks - please click here.

As always its important to remember that people live and work on Exmoor!  

Please remember the Country Code it is there for very good reason.

The weather here yesterday was wild.  The photo below gives some indication of how strong the wind was in our garden!  Incredibly most of the leaves are still clinging to the branches.

And right outside the kitchen door these mini chrysanthemums are in full flower, even if soaked!

Enjoy your walk - where ever you are :-)

Minehead Beach - Sunday Stroll

The good thing about changing the clocks is that it is lighter again in the mornings. Having no alarms today was an added bonus :-) So far, it has been one of those lazy days which start with tea in bed and Sunday papers :-) We decided to walk after breakfast, the weather has been stormy in the night but the sun was breaking through.

Taking a different direction this week, we walked along Minehead Prom. The seafront car park was full and there were plenty of people around as a cycling event was taking place.

We decided to move down on to the sand. It was obviously raining out in the channel but we managed to stay dry on land. The wind was still strong and blew us along the beach. You can see the sand being whipped up into the air. It was not so pleasant walking back again but being sand blasted certainly blew some cobwebs away :-)

The view of North Hill is always pleasant whatever the weather. For some reason it often takes me by surprise. I have always lived near to the coast but grew up in a more urban area of Sussex by the sea.
The waves make me feel at home though. I love the sound of pebbles in the surf and the distant crash of waves.
And finally, just to prove we were there :-)

I hope you had the chance to Sunday Stroll :-)

Garden Colours & Halloween Grumps

It has to be said that I am a bit of an old grumble weed at Halloween :-) I simply believe that another of our traditions has been hijacked by the commercial world. My own children still remind me how I refused to let them go trick and treating :-) I think they may have forgiven me :-) I have just never liked the roaming around the streets in plastic masks or the fear that some of our more vulnerable people are subjected to.

I'll move on :-)

Although the trees in our garden are just beginning to turn to autumn colours (I am expecting the forecast gales to strip them nearly bare tomorrow) there is still a lot of colour in our garden. The Kaffir Lily (Schizostylis coccinea) is beautiful again and I really must get around to splitting and replanting it. Our Japanese Anemones, one of my all time favourites, is still in flower near the house. The mock orange, bought a couple of years ago is covered in little orange globes. The cyclamen have self seeded in the gravel again, forming little clusters of leaves. The fatsia is in flower and is producing a mass of little buds.I am puzzled by the holly in our garden though. One holly tree was already in place when we moved in and for about 15 years I did not see a single berry on it. I have been told that only female holly trees bare berries and so for all these years believed that our holly tree must be male! Its not a tree that is pruned harshly, I only cut a few sprigs each year to bring indoors. There are many holly trees in this area, several homes around here are named after it. Birds drop so many seeds that little holly saplings shoot up regularly around the garden. So why has this particular tree produced berries this year. Has our holly tree undergone a sex change? :-) Has anyone else noticed that a tree has changed its habits of a lifetime :-)

Spring Forward, Fall Back

Commenting to a friend this week that I could never remember whether the clocks go forward or back I learnt the following

Spring Forward, Fall Back.

Its so easy! Will I remember in six months time though :-)

As darkness will come at least an hour earlier today we decided to head out for our Sunday Stroll just after lunch. I wanted to photograph glorious autumn colours and shades. Although autumn is clearly here though, the weather has been very mild and many of our trees are still relatively green. I once read that it is the daylight hours that affect our trees, I'm not sure that is right. Light or temperature?

We were not disappointed in the woods with fungi however. Here the Stinkhorn was easily spotted! I don't know what these are, hope someone will tell me! I would never pick or eat anything that I had found. I simply don't trust myself enough to identify them!
The rain clouds gathered as we walked today. The wind picked up and we were showered with drizzle.

While out at sea the sky was blue.

This picture was taken a fortnight after the one in my previous post. Perhaps in another week the view will be gold :-)

I invite you all to Sunday Stroll!

A Short Walk at Webbers Post

HG and I decided to take a short walk today. We have had a week of colds and sore throats and sneezes. Driving to Webbers Post, and leaving the car in the car park, we took the 'easy path'. Although it is only a week since my last post the weather has definitely changed. We are, of course, officially in autumn now. Autumn Watch and has begun on the BBC so there is no doubt :-) The temperature has dropped and the clouds were low, not a crisp dry day but a more traditional grey damp one :-)
The trees are still hugging their greenery at the moment though. The ferns have began to die back and the heather has lost it colour but the view generally is still green here.
Our Rowan Tree is not the only one covered in red berries this year.
Most of the Rowans have plenty of food for the birds.
We sat for a short while at this pretty little seat overlooking Dunkery, Horner and Ley Hill. With a seat pointing in four directions you can always find one out of the wind here :-) It was not the weather to sit around though!

We headed home and lit the wood burner :-) Everyone needs a treat sometimes :-)

Rock Heart

I walked with friends this afternoon along the prom towards the old harbour. The water was blue, the air was warm, the sun shone. It was like a summer's day, hard to believe it will be October next week. This pool had been left by the outgoing tide and from the prom you could clearly see the shape of the heart, it would have been missed from the beach perhaps :-) Hope you all had a great weekend!