After a day off from the fundraising challenge due to union meetings after work yesterday it’s back to clocking up the miles.
With hindsight I think this photo could have been used on Saturday to celebrate Nan’s birthday and the start of fundraising challenge.
But I wanted to remind folks why I’m doing all this.
I know I wrote a post about it about a month ago when I first decided to do this. However I think as I do this thing I’m doing in Nan’s memory I actually remember Nan.
Loki was Nan’s little guardian angel. often I give the following as an example of just how cunning attack chihuahuas can be. There was a couple of occasions when I’d come home from work only to find Loki on top of Nan’s bed with her dentures! Yes Loki is so cunning he can get the teeth out of an old lady!
Like Timmy and Rex our family dogs when I was a teenager, Loki loved drinking the remnants of Nan’s cup of tea. His head is perfect for fitting into a mug to get those last drops of tea.
But Nan loved having not only Loki but also Nico. They couldn’t wait to go round to Nan each morning.
The two little furballs were great company for Nan.
Today technically I took Dolly to the coast.
Our walk was going to be along the sea defences at The Sir Peter Scott Lighthouse on the Lynn side of the Nene at Sutton Bridge.
Start Point: TF 49335 25484
Distance: 4.91 miles
Total Distance: 8.02 miles
This was a very windy walk with the wind coming in from the west. Which meant as we walked back it would be into the wind.
The advantage of a “midweek” walk is we hardly see anyone. On our walk out the only people we saw were far off into the distance on the mud flats. And it wasn’t until we got nearly to the end that we bumped into anyone else.
Unlike the walks by North Level Main Drain there was no mussel shells, or shells of any kind. I did see a kestrel struggling to hover above the embankment in the distance. But it was gone by the time we got even close to where it was.
Other wildlife spotted were a couple of gulls, plus a couple of flocks of ducks flying inland.
One landmark you can’t escape as you walk along this part of the sea defences is the Outer Trial Bank. I’ve dreamt of stepping foot on this artificial island for years. Not just stepping foot on it but wild camping on this desolate “remote” island. One day.
As we walked along the sea defences looking out across the mud flats towards the wash and the Outer Trail Bank. It was hard not to remember younger, more innocent times on the opposite sides mud flats. When as a family at weekends during samphire season navigating the mud flats and the many channels picking samphire. Which when home mum would clean, and the boil, before pickling in vinegar. My mouth is drooling just remembering eating the pickled samphire or even having it in a sandwich. I’ll try and dig out some photos that dad took of us doing this.
About half way back we did get to see and hear a pilot practice on the target range on the opposite side of the wash. We’d hear its jets before seeing it drop out of the low clouds to do its attack run, before sharply pulling up disappearing once more into the clouds. The pilot (I’m assuming it was a single plane) did this about six times before returning to I assume base.
Once back at the car I made use of the picnic bench to brew up using the Phantom Ultralight Stove with the BCB crusader mk1 cookset. The Phantom is an alcohol stove that has carbon felt in it that soaks up the meths. So if it did get knocked over the meths doesn’t spill everywhere. However it fits really nicely into the mk1 stove, and is a nice light alternative to using solid fuel.
As you can see from the photos above I used my MERMOO YILAN Collapsible Pour Over Coffee Dripper to make today’s brew. I like that in its case you can fit some paper filters. My actual coffee was from Artisan Coffee.
I was going to enjoy my coffee at the picnic bench but more cars started to arrive, and one of the dog walkers I bumped into on my way back. I wasn’t going to get a time to enjoy the peace here. So I dug out my travel mug so I could enjoy my coffee on the way home.
Once home I measure the route we took. And I was amazed by the mileage Dolly and I did today. It’d explain why she is lying next to me snoring as I write this post.
It never ceases to amaze me how generous and giving people can be. So when friends and family, even strangers make a donation I’m so thankful. It’s not easy in this day and age for everyone. I know not everyone can donate. But there are ways that people can help that doesn’t cost anything. Sharing this post or the donation page is one such thing.
If you feel you are able to make a donation you can use one of the donation links below.
I’d like to say a big thank you for doing so and if you weren’t able to I’d like to thank you to for reading this far and hopefully sharing the page.
Total Amount Raised: £309