Today’s guest picture shows some raised beds which our daughter Annie is constructing for her London allotment. I look forward to seeing them again later in the year.
The weather was unseasonably warm and calm today but generally rather grey and cloudy again.
Our Carlisle choir started for the new session today and in traditional Sunday mode, I made a stew for the slow cooker while Mrs Tootlepedal went off to church. When I had finished, my daughter Annie and I went out for another short pedal.
The day looked very gloomy when we set off and some cows gave us a hard stare as if wondering about our wisdom…
…but the further we got from the town, the better the weather got and by the time that we had got to our turning point at Westwater…
…there were breaks in the clouds and the sun had even come out.
The big house looked very snug, set in among the surrounding hills.
As we looked towards the town on our return journey, the clouds looked quite threatening…
…but we thought that it looked fine enough for a short diversion up the Cleuchfoot road to add a couple of miles to our ride. As well as an excellent surface, a rare thing round us, this short section of road has many charming views.
We got home after 11 miles without getting rained on and there was time for a look out of the window at the feeders before lunch. The feeders were not busy but a small flock of about ten goldfinches were interested in the seeds.
We had baked potatoes for lunch and then set off to Carlisle to sing with our choir. Annie came with us and she took a stroll round the city centre while we sang and then came into to listen to the end of the practice.
We are getting ready for a competition at the end of February and this doesn’t leave us a lot of time so our conductor got us working hard from the start and didn’t waste a minute during the session. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to sing at all as I have had a persistently ‘sticky’ throat, not sore but annoying, which I can’t get rid of. Thanks to the good warm up and not singing too loudly, I lasted the whole session.
I have been taking Sanderson’s Specific Throat gargle and Wakeman’s menthol throat and chest sweets without any noticeable benefit and I was very grateful when Annie revealed that she had thoughtfully bought me two more throat remedies while she was in the town centre. The sheer volume of all this stuff must surely get my throat cleared at last.
The slow cooked stew turned out well and we settled down for a quiet evening in.
There is no flower or leaf of the day today so a bare tree from our bike ride will have to do instead…
…but there is a faintly fuzzy flying goldfinch of the day in spite of the cloudy weather.
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That bare tree is good enough for me. Hope the latest throat remedies work better than the old ones!
Glad you were able to make it through the choir practice. I have read that eating salty things can help alleviate the sticky throat problem.
We had another ice storm here yesterday and this morning. Not as bad (or as pretty) as the last one, but enough to make travel difficult.
My daughter bought me a salt breathing device which I am trying. It seems to be helping so I shall persevere.
Have you tried Proctor’s Pinelyptus Pastilles? One left tucked between upper teeth and cheeks at the beginning of the rehearsal and renewed – if necessary – might possibly help.
They sound fearful. If things don’t improve, I may have to try them.
“For clarity of voice. Especially valuable for singers, public speakers and actors. As used by Lords, Ladies, Principal Public Speakers and Members of Parliament for over a hundred years.”
Must be good.
Hope the throat gets better soon. I have had a recurring sore throat and tickly cough for about a month! I like the bare tree and the charming view very much.
Everyone round here has either had a persistent cold or knows someone who has. It is unusual for these things to last so long.
What misery! Many people here have persistent coughs!
Beautiful scenery, worth the trio. Hope the throat improves – honey?
I have honey on my porridge every day. Perhaps I need to add a little whisky.
Good idea! 🙂
It looks like your daughter takes after her mother, and I doubt that could be a bad thing.
I like the shots of the deserted roads. If only we had some like them.
The stream looks a little low.
We have had generally very dry weather for what seems like months. It has been damp and grey but it really hasn’t rained much at all and our hilly country drains quickly too.
Isolated trees have a beauty all their own, don’t they? Hope one of the remedies works some magic on your throat.
Thanks to the sheep, we have quite a few isolated trees.
A very nice collection of birds and the views while you were out for your ride today, I hope that your throat improves quickly!
I am taking so many remedies that it will have to give in soon.
We have raised bed construction on our to-do list so appreciate the peek at Annie’s. Snug is exactly how the big house looks😊
Raised beds are worth the trouble.
Definitely. A few years ago I got tired of bending over to pick beans and built 32″ high garden boxes – absolutely no bending required!
Those really are raised beds! 🙂
Lovely views on your ride and very smart goldfinches. All the boards around my raised beds have rotted away so seeing your daughter’s hard work has inspired some enthusiasm here but waiting for better weather to start work!
Our own raised beds are also at the rotting stage but we feel a bit weak at the knees when it comes to doing anything about them.
Those raised beds look interesting. Hope everything thrives in them
Glad about the throat remedies, and that you were able to sing anyway.
Great post as usual, glad to read you’re still pedalling, making use of the mild weather. I haven’t been so lucky, yes the weather’s still mild, but I have succumbed to a viral flu and now some sort pain in my back, keeping me off my bike………doah!! Keep pedalling
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Look after yourself. Pain in the back is not a good thing at all.
I’ll look forward to future allotment photos. The stern looking cows amused me.