yep, i've returned from oop North, job almost done

I say almost, whilst i hadn't intended making another trip up this side of Easter it looks likely that i'll need to go up and don my 'handywoman' hat for a couple of days when my brother actually moves. (he's absolutely useless with anything remotely like a tool!) Last time i took you up to Wednesday, not a great deal has happened since then but i'd be remiss if i failed to give you the highlights.

Thursday, with nothing really outstanding with the house clearance stuff, i had designated as a 'me' day. It started out bright and with a surprise frost but that didn't put me off setting out to walk one of Sheffield's river valleys, this time the Porter Brook which flows down off the moors above Fulwood to eventually join the River Sheaf under the main railway station. I walked down to the tram which took me to the Cathedral where i swapped to a bus for the 20 minute or so ride up to the edge of the moors at Fulwood.

It was bright but still cold enough for a lot of frost to still be blanketing the fields as i headed for my first target of the day, Forge Dam Cafe, at, you guessed it, Forge Dam, the highest remaining mill site on the Porter and indeed, in Sheffield. The old forge / watermill buildings have been providing succour to the people of Sheffield since at least 1886 and i've been visiting for over 40 years. This time it was for a cuppa and a bacon butty to fuel me on the long walk back to the city centre.

There are records that show that Sheffield's rivers, large and small, have been used for powering the cities metalworking industries since at least the 1500's, the Porter being one of the smaller has had fewer mills down it's length which means that the first couple of miles downstream of Forge Dam, you are walking through a pretty wooded valley/gorge, the river meandering its way towards Endcliffe. At Brincliffe the valley starts to widen and you enter Endcliffe Park and shortly arrive at Shepherd Wheel, a still working watermill and scythe forge owned by the city, it was closed today but if you get the chance its well worth a visit to see a tiny bit of the city's metalworking past.

Into the park proper, (think sports fields, cafe, kids playground, formal gardens) i was surprised to see a bunch of telephoto wielding twitchers aimed across the top pond. The attraction was a Kingfisher nonchalantly sitting on a branch just metres away from an adoring public. Further on, before playing on the stepping stones, i took a look at the memorial to the B52 crew who perished when their aircraft crashed in the park, avoiding the dense housing surrounding the area.

The nature of the river and my walk changed from here, gone are the open spaces and burbling waters replaced at Hunters Bar by culverts and canalised waterways between the factorys and housing adjacent to Ecclesall Road. I did my best to trace the river, there isn't any sort of path for the river trail to follow, eventually arriving at the General Cemetery, the last resting place of many of the great and good of the city. I'd never been in so i took the opportunity to temporarily leave the Porter to do a circuitous walk around the steel magnates, architects and chartists (look it up) before continuing to trace the water towards the main retail zone where it disappears into a series of culverts with just occasional break outs (notably by Decathlon) on its way to meet the Sheaf.

I, instead, walked up through the shopping area to catch the tram back out to the imminently not, family home. But i wasn't done, events last year meant i'd not been great at tending to my needs so after a cuppa and sandwich, i took myself off to my chiropodist to give my feet some overdue tlc. Then, to finish the day, my bro treated us to a mucky curry, not a bad day all in all.

Friday by comparison, was a quiet one. The day was cold and grey but at least dry for the coach journey south, we even arrived in Bristol a few minutes early!

And so to Saturday. Aunty Bev was off to visit some rels near Reading and offered me and a bike a ride to the home counties which i grabbed even if the forecast was not the best. I ended up doing a loop north through Pangbourne, following the Thames for a bit before turning more southerly towards Newbury. I'd like to tell you about the scenery but for most of the time seeing into the adjacent field was a treat, it being both cold and foggy.

At Newbury i took refuge in a cafe to warm up with tea and hot food then continued on past Highclere Castle before taking a meandering route across to Silchester. The fog had lifted at times, being replaced by drizzle which of course is when my front tyre lost all its air - the culprit a failed patch from a previous deflation. The tube change and tyre rectification cost me about twenty minutes and a couple of small navigation errors perhaps ten more even if the run north from Silchester back towards Reading was quite fast.

It was sods law that Bev was running a bit late and as i reached the rendezvous point the heavens opened. Oh well, the ride, what i saw of it, was pleasant enough, i've never ridden in the area before and only passed through by other means, mayhap i'll have to visit the area again. I ended the day with 81km ridden and accumulated a bit over 650m climbing.

Today has continued the grey theme, i ended up doing a short 20km ride to test my knee which seems to have picked up a twinge. Its nothing too bad, i'll rest it up tomorrow and see how it goes.

Of course, i've put up chapter 26 of the current Gaby tome, Smell of the Crowd. So go read Das Rind now and let me know what you think!

That's it for today, i'll be back on Wednesday,
Tschuss,
Madeline Anafrid