The move to our new lodgings in Galway is finally underway (it's been quite a gradual move... we have little appetite for drama these days and hence, proceedings have been uncharacteristically sedate for us) but before we complete the transition, I thought I'd finally finish this post about what I've been reading recently (it started as a draft way back on the 12th of January so I think it's time to set it loose).
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A few weeks ago, on probably the coldest day ever in England (maybe), we decided to go visit Wicken Fen, which is just down the road from us near Stretham. I've already written about how the Fens was drained in my previous post; what makes Wicken Fen special is that it is preserved wetland and is therefore a snapshot of what the Fenland must have been like before it was reclaimed. It is maintained by the National Trust and is its oldest nature reserve [as an aside, the National Trust is one of best things ever, and I'm a huge supporter of what it does - check it out here. In particular, all National Trust tearooms are so wonderful and so British - there is nothing, NOTHING nicer than settling in for a cosy cream tea on a cold day after traipsing - gently now; nothing too strenuous - around the side of a hill or across some clifftops], and I've wanted to go there for ages. Of course we decided to go while it was about minus 20 (nearly) outside, but once we had wrapped up sufficiently to minimise any risk of hypothermia, it actually turned out to be perfect weather for a visit. I love sunny, frosty days and it was just lovely to be outside, meandering along...
Some background... As mentioned in my previous post, I've recently been reading all about the history of the Fens, and in the Ely tourist office beside Oliver Cromwell's house, I came across an excellent book by Trevor Bevis entitled 'Water water everywhere: The draining of the Fens'. Although I was a bit terrified initially (a whole book about draining the Fens? Are you serious?), to my surprise, I love it! The author has a lovely writing style, and the book is filled with illustrations and maps that he's produced himself (like the one above). He writes with such knowledge and enthusiasm and love for his subject that, honestly, it's impossible to resist getting swept along. It does get a bit too engineering-y for me to follow in places, but actually, I kind of like such in-depth treatment of a subject. I've also come across a couple of tourist booklets (see below!) that are a bit more easily digested, but are still nice and informative:
November 5th has been and gone, and so, as for every year, the countdown to Christmas has officially begun... honestly, it was like a switch going on; all of a sudden on November 6th there were adverts for Christmas stuff everywhere. Kind of sad in a way, this blatant, merciless commercialization... but! I have to say I'm powerless to resist all things feelgood and cosy and the fairy lights/shiny baubles/sentimentality in the adverts get me every time. I can't help it - I'm starting to feel Christmassy and it's not even December yet.
As I shouldn't really be spending lots of time on the computer (see my previous post re: my ear infection) I thought I'd add some of my favourite Fens sky and cloud photos as I collect them instead. I've uploaded them in Gallery format so just click on them to enlarge and to scroll through. I've also included a little map of the surrounding Fenland at the start as a reference, with the places I've visited thus far all nice and circled. I do love Fens clouds. Especially when they're all dark and sullen and moody like in most of the photos here... I hope you enjoy them! I'm very excited by my first minor expedition into the Fens. Technically, Cambridge and Ely, and some other big towns, are Fenland, but I'm referring to the 'countryside' Fens, where it's all agricultural and remote and there are just fields and skies and amazing clouds. Last Sunday I dragged Anthony out of the house quite early in the morning (he loves when I do this) and demanded he bring me to the Fens. We decided to take it slow initially, and went to Haddenham and Aldreth via the Stretham Station Road off the A10, and then some other little country roads, which wasn't too far to go. Oh, it was so lovely! I was extremely pleased with myself because the weather was perfect... there was none of the ridiculous heat and harsh sun that would have RUINED the Fens; instead, it was just the tiniest bit overcast and the light/clouds were so beautiful. Of course (of course!) I made Anthony stop every few minutes so I could get out of the car and gather photographic evidence of our outing (Anthony deserves a medal but it's probably sufficient reward for him to know that he's contributing so profoundly to my Fens blog post - Anthony, I couldn't have done it without you!).
So, I've finally managed to get myself outside with my camera and I decided I would begin by documenting my immediate surroundings. The photos above and below are of the sun rising the other morning (don't worry; I don't generally take photos of my neighbours' houses - that would be weird), which I really like because of the nice colours and clouds in the sky, and the boxy shapes of the houses silhouetted against said sky (see? Taking pictures of my neighbours' houses isn't remotely odd at all, just arty).
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Really, it contains a little bit of everything, from a celebration of science and the English language to the joys of travel and the Shipping Forecast. The title ('Meanderings') is a fairly accurate description of its content: I write about different things as the mood takes me, but hopefully there's something in here for everyone... Categories
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March 2021
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