Today’s guest picture comes from Dropscone. He sent it to me to show that his daughter Susan is not just a fine recorder player but a good cook too. This is her beef Wellington.
We had another warm and dry December day here but the 35 mph wind in the morning was a forcible reminder that we should not expect too much good weather in the winter.
I had plenty of time therefore to watch birds through the kitchen window as I idled the morning away but once again birds were in very short supply and no photo opportunities beckoned.
The wind eased off a little around midday and as my cycle stats spreadsheet told me that I only had twenty three miles to go to reach three hundred miles for the month and that at the same time I would hit a significant annual target too, I decided to get my bike out and battle with the breeze.
I thought that skulking in the valley might be the best policy so I started by cycling up to Cleuchfoot along the Wauchope road with a view to doing two or three repetitions in the valley bottom depending on the weather.
The Glencorf Burn never fails to please me as I cross over the bridge on my way to Cleuchfoot…
…and I was fully expecting to cross it again in a short while. However, by the time that I got back to Langholm after eight miles, the wind had dropped to a very tolerable level so instead of coming back up the Wauchope road, I cycled straight through the town and took the main road north.
The sun was out and the traffic was light and I headed northwards in a cheerful mood. It is a very scenic route and there is plenty to look at on the way.
I stopped at Ewes Church….
…where the church bell hangs in a tree and not in the bell tower.
Behind the church, one of several little glens winds up between the hills.
At the next gap in the hills, a stone tells of a vanished tower and an intrusive apostrophe.
This is the valley where the tower once stood.
I went as far as the old toll house at Fiddleton….
…and took a look round at the hills at the head of the Ewes valley.
To the east…
…to the west….
…and to the north.
And then I headed back south to complete a most enjoyable 25 miles.
The only flower still in bloom in our garden is the winter jasmine…
…but there are plenty of signs of potential flowers to come.
Once inside, I was happy to find that Mrs Tootlepedal had made another pan of duck soup so I had a late lunch and looked out in hope of seeing a few birds.
I did see a lone greenfinch…
…but it wasn’t in any danger of getting knocked off its perch by the crowd.
I was so pleased with getting to three hundred miles for the month and hitting a significant annual target that after a shower, I sat down at my computer to put my twenty five miles into my cycle stats spreadsheet and do a bit of gloating. The smug look was soon wiped off my face though as I discovered an error in a vital column which meant that although I had indeed hit the 300 mile mark for the month, I was still thirty miles short of my annual target. Oh catastrophe!
Mercifully, the weather forecast predicts reasonable weather for tomorrow but it will be a shock when the legs find out that that they have to go out again. I hope that they won’t complain too much.
Along with the lone greenfinch, a single chaffinch flew by and it takes the honour of being the uncontested flying bird of the day.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Thanks for all those beautiful views and good luck tomorrow with both weather and the state of your legs!
Ow! That apostrophe really hurts. And, um, is there any known reason for the displacement of the church bell?
I think it was a weakness in the tower.
A lovely ride, a goal met, a good day!
Bitter sweet though with the spreadsheet error making another ride necessary.
You live in a lovely area. What a beautiful place to cycle. I’ve never heard of a church bell hanging in a tree.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. It is a lovely area and I never get tired of cycling round our hills.
The unforested hills are a great pleasure to see. You’d never see them here.
I’ve deleted that stray apostrophe a few times myself but the poor stone cutter must have felt terrible. The monument must have been a bargain.
I hope you make your target goal for the year.
It is difficult to remove an apostrophe cut into stone.
Our daffodils are up about the same height as yours. They will start blooming by mid January out by the old garage.
We might have to wait a bit longer than that.
What a scenic setting for Ewes church. Hope you hit your target without trouble.
Well done for your timely milestone achievement.
Thank you.
Fingers crossed for decent weather and agreeable legs. Love the bell in the tree!
Your fingers worked their magic and I got a good day.
The tree-bell-tower looks interesting. But this does not affect the bell?
I have never heard it ring so I cannot say for sure but I believe that it works as it should.
Exhilarating landscapes; a good flying bird; and a target reached. Here’s to tomorrow’s 30
Oh, the sudden bump of a reality check! Hope the day and your knees permit you to reach the numbers you want. That beef wellington looks delicious! Also – how tantalizing to see those spring flowers peeking out.
The day and my knees were kind. We just hope that the spring flowers have not poked their heads out too soon.
Well done!
I don’t recall ever seeing the Glencorf Burn before in your posts. It is certainly very attractive. The views from the head of the Ewes valley are wonderful! What a disappointment to find you needed to cycle another 30 miles!
The Glencorf burn certainly has appeared before (three time this year and nine times last year!) but not for a while so I am pleased that it came to you as new.
Well that shows how observant I’ve been recently! Thank you for being so patient with me! A happy new year to you and your family!
I only looked looked it up to satisfy my own curiosity. There are no exams set of blog reading here. 🙂
I’m grateful for the lovely views of your neighborhood. I prefer rolling hills to utterly flat terrain. You may notice that I’m attempting to get caught up before the end of the year, somewhat like your cycling stats. I think someone must have run off with part of the past year since it disappeared so fast,
The years go faster as one gets older and slower so be warned. 🙂
Perhaps someone could stick a bit of grey mud into that errant apostrophe. I notice those, too. Frustrating about your mileage. I’m not worried, because I am reading backwards. 🙂
I loved the landscape images in this post, along with the winter jasmine!
I was going to say that I didn’t recall seeing the Glencorf Burn before as well, but you have so many attractive streams that it’s difficult to remember them all.
I tend to photograph the same places quite a lot if I like them, I am afraid.