The week of missed walks and some charity shopping

Just a few bargains to show you...below one of the 50p tops I bought last week. I've gone from zero orange items in my wardrobe to six - four tops; one pair of trousers and one skirt. I don't know why I've suddenly started to like orange. Old age is a funny thing.

The earrings are, on the right, the brown spotted ones bought last week in Royston and the blue spotted ones I bought on Monday in Save the Children for £1.00.

This is a not very good photo of me wearing the blue ones today

These pyjamas are not the ones mentioned below but another charity shop find in Donegal for 4 euros. I shall keep them for when I go away somewhere for the weekend and stay in an hotel. They have a matching camisole which is why I call them my posh pyjamas.

Can you believe my six year old grandson took the three following photos? Kids today are so technically competent  - or is it just that phone cameras are so easy to use? Or a combination of these two things?

I bought this top in an Ampthill charity shop back in the Spring, I think. It was intended for the holiday in Spain, being very light.  It's such a lovely, soft green. But I forgot to pack it so thought I'd get a wear out of it whilst the weather is still so hot.

Everything is charity shopped. The trousers came from Barnardo's in Ampthill. Can't remember where the sandals came from but they were charity shopped. Earrings and necklace charity shopped.

This week is Bedfordshire's Walking Festival. There is a walk of some description everyday; from ambles, to middle distance walks, classes on map reading and opportunities to try Nordic walking. On Wednesday, I had planned to walk with the Ramblers, but the start time was earlier than usual and would have entailed leaving home during the morning rush hour.

One of the biggest pleasures about being retired, apart from not actually having to go to work, is that there is less need to rush. In fact, the older I get the more I dislike rushing. So, if anything involves a rush, unless it is absolutely necessary; I simply don't do it! This walk would have been one such thing; a rush to get ready on time and leave the house on time - no thanks; I did that for 45 years. 

I went walking by myself instead, did just over 8 miles and had a lovely time. I saw rabbits, pheasants, rooks, blackbirds, skylarks - although I didn't hear them singing. I also didn't see any birds of prey and I usually do on this route. I saw and heard the usual countryside wild birds. That reminds me, I'm getting long tailed tits on my bird feeders now. (Stop sniggering at the back, there!) That makes three types of tit that come to the bird feeders; blue tit, great tit and now long tailed tits.

John Bunyan - author of Pilgrim's Progress

On Thursday I planned to walk with the group again. We were to meet at the statue in town at 10 am. I set off early, called into a charity shop nearby to have a browse, then went along to the statue to find no one there! I hung about puzzled at the lack of turn out -  and no walk leader and then the penny dropped. It was the other statue at the other end of the High Street. I'd been standing by the John Bunyan statue (Pilgrim's Progress) when I should have been at the statue of John Howard! (Prison Reform -The  Howard League of Penal Reform take their name from him). I raced down (or up?) the High Street but I was too late - they'd left.

John Howard - Prison reformer and philanthropist

So once again I set off on my own. As I was near to the river I decided to do a river walk and walked along the river for a few miles. I then decided to walk back via a 'new' village, Great Denham. (Since I've lived in Bedford there have been three new villages constructed to my knowledge). It makes one wonder if there will be any land left that isn't occupied by housing in the future but people have to live somewhere, don't they? I had walked just over seven miles by the time I got home.

I was clearly meant to go this way back because I found a new to me charity shop in the village! A Barnardo's. Luckily,  I had brought my purse with me. I bought a BNWT pair of pyjamas for £3.49; a pair of linen harem pants £1.99; a pair of checked leggings for winter £1.99; and a sweet little shopping bag for 99p.

When I go to town I usually bring a shopping bag and not a handbag - in case I get lucky in the charity shops!

I thought I might wear these harem pants with the soft green top, above, for my daughter's birthday meal on Monday evening. We're going to a Caribbean restaurant in Wellingborough. She is having a weekend away in London with some friends and I'm child sitting. I thought I'd take him blackberrying on Saturday.  The elder of the two grandsons is going to let me know if he wants to come or not. I think he's probably grown out it by now and wants to let me down gently!

I saw lots  of blackberries when out walking and they're looking fat and luscious. I can feel the making of pies/ tarts/crumbles coming on. I won't make jam because nobody likes the pips in blackberry jam.

My final missed walk happened today (Friday) because it began to rain extremely heavily at 9 am this morning and continued to do so for the rest of the day. I love walking - but not in the rain.  It was also a lot cooler today and is forecast to remain so. I guess the summer is finally over. If Sunday is dry I shall try and drag the OH out for a nice long walk and if not I'll go on my own or I might even make one of the walks from the Walking Festival on its final day.

How are you spending your weekend?