Following on from Blog 47, here is a slightly shortened version of my diary for the second quarter of 2023:
Sunday, 2nd April – Walked along the Pennine Way from Malham to Malham Cove, Gordale Scar, Janet’s Foss, Hanlith and Airton. Discovered a beautiful stream-side footpath in Malham and took a photograph of Aire Head Springs. I was able to walk for ten miles because the ground was relatively level.
Tuesday, 4th April – Walked along the Pennine Way from Airton to Gargrave in perfect weather. When I got back to Kendal I tried to buy fuel at Asda, but I couldn’t get the machine to work. Then I tried to park at Booths, but I couldn’t get the machine to work there either. This sort of thing happens all the time nowadays. My attempts to order copies of Happy Memories using a computer have been going on for months.
Sunday, 9th April – Walked along the Pennine Way from Thornton-in-Craven to Lothersdale. Found a panorama on Pinhaw Beacon that was erected in the last two years, but the weather wasn’t clear enough for me to check it.
Finished studying the photographs in the Eyewitness Guide to India. Some of the buildings are most remarkable and make the places that I have recently visited on the Pennine Way seem to be very dull.
Tuesday, 11th April – Collected Chris and Priscilla from Prizet and took them to Staveley, where we walked to Hugill Fell and Reston Scar so that I could show them how the two summits can now be visited in a single expedition. On the way out Chris used my camera to photograph a pair of goosanders on a rock in the River Kent. On the way back to Staveley he used my camera to photograph a hedgehog in a field. If he hadn’t pointed it out to me I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. This is the first time I have seen a hedgehog since 2010.
Wednesday, 12th April – Arranged to connect to IngramSpark Direct from 3.30 p.m. until 4.30 pm tomorrow to help me order my books.
Thursday, 13th April – Walked from Caldbeck to the Howk with Chris and Priscilla.
Twenty minutes before the time of my appointment Chris and Priscilla enabled me to buy forty copies of Happy Memories. Incredibly they found the necessary equipment among my possessions. I must have kept it in case I ever needed it and then forgot about it. After that I was in a state of shock, as I was when I arranged to live in my flat in Beast Banks. When I contacted IngramSpark I found that they wouldn’t have been any help.
Friday, 14th April – Climbed Dodd from Dancing Gate with Chris and Priscilla.
Saturday, 15th April – My weight has gone down to 9 stone 6 pounds because of all the exercise I have had recently. Identified a fern I saw at the Howk as a shield fern.
Thursday, 20th April – Walked along the Pennine Way from Lothersdale to Ickornshaw. On my way home I went to Horton to look for the Ribblesdale Pods, but I couldn’t find them. I couldn’t get the ticket machine to work in the car park. Are machine becoming more difficult or am I becoming more stupid?
Tuesday, 25th April – Made sure I had everything I could possibly need in my rucksack and got nearly as far as Bowes before I discovered that I had forgotten to bring my rucksack and had to go back for it. Walked along the Pennine Way from Bowes to Sleightholme and God’s Bridge.
Monday, 1st May – Saw a mayfly on the sitting-room window (in an appropriate month).
Saturday, 6th May – Watched a coronation on television for the first time since 1953. On both occasions it rained.
Saturday, 13th May – Went to a talk by Chris Butterfield in the public library. He said some quite nice things about me.
Friday, 19th May – Went to Tarn Hows with Chris because I had never been there before. We found Rose Castle, which is more like a cottage than a castle.
Thursday, 1st June – Gave up trying to think of something to write in my June blog. My head is still full of ideas, but I can’t find the energy to get them into words. When I checked the number of visits to my website I found out that I had forgotten to do this on May 1st. I also made the more interesting discovery that the average number of visits per day has gone up from 33 to 79 in the past two months. Saw a roe deer, a hare and a weasel from the road from Penrith to Alston. Walked along the Pennine Way from Lintley Halt to Glendue Burn. On the way home I took a photograph of White Cottage and captured its incredibly remote location.
Sunday, 4th June – Walked along Upper Teesdale from Wynch Bridge to Cronkley with Chris and Priscilla and Steve Garrill. Priscilla identified wood cranesbill and heath spotted orchid using her very clever equipment. Steve asked me whether I was familiar with Iron Crag near Ennerdale, and when I got home I remembered that it was featured in Happy Memories. By coincidence a television programme about Upper Teesdale was broadcast today.
Wednesday, 7th June – Sent an email to Designworks telling them that Chris has agreed to look after my website if ever I am unable to do so.
Thursday, 8th June – Walked along the Pennine Way from Ponden Hall to Top Withens. Someone told me that people sometimes go the wrong way at the Height. They wouldn’t do that if they were using Pennine Way Companion. When I finished the walk I had time in hand, so I had a look at Wycoller Hall, which was not far away. Lost my car key, but fortuately it was at Asda and I was able to walk home for my spare key.
Sunday, 11th June – Made a mistake in a message I sent to the Wainwright Facebook site. I asked Chris to alter it and he couldn’t, which is a good thing because it means that he can’t make a change against my wishes, as the editor of Great Hallingbury Highlights did.
Monday, 12th June – Went for a walk on the Helm with Chris. It was very hot.
Tuesday, 13th June – Bought a Garmin g.p.s. unit at Nevisport in Finkle Street for £150. I had to take it back to the shop several times before I could get it to work.
Wednesday, 14th June – Went back to Pinhaw Beacon in clearer weather to photograph the view, but I couldn’t get the camera to focus using the telephoto lens. Walked along the Pennine Way from the Walshaw Dean Middle Reservoir to the Reservoir Cottages and met someone who remembered my television broadcasts.
Friday, 16th June – Phoned for an electrician and one called the same day to replace the ceiling light socket in the kitchen because I can’t change the bulb. He also changed the socket in the sitting room because I have had difficulty changing the bulb there as well. I have been waiting for a week for a plumber and for someone to provide me with a spare car key.
Saturday, 17th June – It has been fine and sunny continuously for seven weeks now, and the grass outside my window has turned brown.
Tuesday, 27th June – Finished reading the Eyewitness Travel Guide to India, which I consider to be the best in the series. I don’t remember any of the information, but I remember how much of it there was.
Thursday, 29th June – The grass outside my window is now green again.
[Altogether I walked twenty-one stretches of the Pennine Way in April, May and June, but only nine are featured here.]