A Walk Round Yarmouth

At the beginning of the month we had a week on the Isle of Wight. With hindsight and considering what it has been like since, the weather was very good. Indeed we had two near perfect days. On one of these we had a lovely walk round Yarmouth, one of my favourite places on the Island.

We headed off past the old station that has recently been reimagined as a cafe

through Rofford Marsh

and down to the sea where we saw a couple of cormorants fishing together, and a man walking his dogs along the shore at what was one of the lowest tides of the year (usually no beach visible here)

Back through the town, the cottage gardens were looking pretty,

then on to the pier, reputedly the longest wooden pier int he UK.

From the pier we spotted children taking advantage of the low tide and glorious evening to go crabbing

All this in a gentle stroll lasting around an hour - we are blessed!

New Discoveries

One of the great things about moving to a new place is discovering new things about the environment. Today we went for a country walk in the city and the possibility of doing this is one of the things I love about Salisbury.

We started off on familiar territory going through Elizabeth Gardens on our way to the industrial estate. There we followed a grassy track down the side of one of the units which led to the river. It was like entering another world, green peaceful and a million miles away from the industrial estate we left behind. During this part of our walk we only came across two other groups both walking in the opposite direction.

On the other side of the river were stunning views of the cathedral across the water meadows.

There were lots of wild flowers but my favourites were these yellow 'flags' or irises

Then there was the wildlife, families of geese with their goslings,

I love this one with mum (or dad) eating a fish,

A beautiful grey heron,

and last but not least an egret.

Across the river we entered a more wooded area where we spotted some magnificent fungi

Finally on the way back more views of the cathedral this time with sheep!

In all a fabulous country walk without leaving the city boundaries, or having to get into the car.

If you are in Salisbury and would like to try this walk it is detailed in the Salisbury & Wilton Walking map available from the Tourist Information Centre

Settling In?

We have been in our new home for about 3 weeks now and are beginning to settle in a little. There is still loads to do, more boxes to unpack, decisions on where to place things to make, and and urgent need for more decluttering especially in the book department! All of this has meant that I haven't been out with my 'big' camera very much. Instead I have been taking opportunistic shots with my iPhone . In particular I have been taking sunrise shots from my bedroom window

The template here comes from the Project Life app which I am enjoying playing with as I make an effort to record our first year in Salisbury. I want to document the changes in our lives. We are walking more, for example, on an every day basis rather than having to take the car to get anywhere

Although we lived in lovely country before the walks directly from the house weren't that great, with a lot of shady lanes and gloomy woods when, in winter you want any sunshine that's going. So our first Sunday walk through town was a great success

While we are loving all this it does take time to settle in and begin to feel 'at home'. What is helping is small corners of the house that give a respite from the chaos of the rest and a sense of purpose to some of my outings. I captured this on Tuesday

As you can see I am somewhat addicted to using the waterloque and brushstrokes apps at the moment!

It will take a while to feel fully at home here - after all 33 years was a long time. But I see little glimmers as I place loved pieces of furniture and other objects in their new positions and think - yes that looks right! See you all soon.

New Year, New Life!

Well we made it, we are now living in Salisbury and our loving our new home. Though I have to say we will be loving it a whole lot more when we have unpacked all the boxes and can use the whole house properly. I didn't declutter nearly enough!

In between Christmas, which we spent with family in Kent, and New Year we have had some sparkling days so we played hooky from the packing cases and went for a walk.

At every corner there are wonderful views, many of the cathedral

But as usual I also like to concentrate on the detail as well as the big picture, the frosty tiles on the medieval roofs, unexpected angels, and frost encrusted walls with reeds behind looking as if they are covered in bronze.

The 'big picture' is often the cathedral, here with an already really blue sky made more vivid by the use of one of the Lightroom presets I downloaded in the pre-Christmas sales. The star discovery of the walk, however, was this tree outside one of the churches which was hung with silver balls which complemented its pink blossom.

Happy New Year to you all and enjoy your adventures in 2015