Happy thread

[Delboy]

I was envisaging not recycling my old newspapers tomorrow and cutting them up into squares...

I'm thinking that is recycling at its best.
However, I read an article the other day, that somewhere in the northeast, they have had to clear sewage blockages caused by people using newspaper.

Aye. I for one believe that Times is rough!

[daffy]

It's been a John Denver kind of day today, with wall to wall sunshine, and I took the opportunity to make my permitted single daily exercise a cycle ride around the Lincolnshire fenland.

Long, flat straight roads make for easy progress and I was in no hurry, though the southerly wind was keeping the legs working hard. My circuit was a distance of about 15 miles in all and I took my time, the ride made the more pleasurable because of the marked lack of motor vehicles due to the shutdown. Farmers were busy in the fields with all manner and sizes of machinery, but throughout my journey I was passed by only about ten vehicles, one of them a Police patrol car, keeping an eye out for anyone flaunting the new regulations, I suppose.

Villages near me are like my own, a single ribbon of houses along each side of the road and not much more, with a few very small industrial premises, but mainly farmsteads. These latter punctuate the landscape and are of course visible for miles across the open fens where hedges are few and far between, and trees are either solitary or in small copses.

The road scheme is very gridlike, north-south and east-west, enclosing very large fields by some English standards, and drainage ditches usually closely parallel the roads, the larger ones predominantly flowing gently eastward towards the sea.

The beautiful sunshine took my mind completely away from the current crisis, helped by the sight of a group of five Egrets taking flight at my approach from the biscuit-brown waters of a 'drain'; the gentle paddling of a pairs of Mallards; an ever hungry Moorhen exploring the waterline of a ditch; the gentle murmur of the fresh breeze through grasses and telephone wires as it took the effort out of my northward return to home; and the background thrum of tractors as their drivers worked them across the rich brown earth of the fields.

A wonderful day to remember, and as I gently pedalled along I found a song in my heart that encapsulated how I was feeling:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=diwuu_r6GJE

Sometimes you just need to switch off from all the tragedy that is invading our lives.

Stay well all of you.

[talisman56]

I was envisaging not recycling my old newspapers tomorrow and cutting them up into squares...

I'm thinking that is recycling at its best.
However, I read an article the other day, that somewhere in the northeast, they have had to clear sewage blockages caused by people using newspaper.

Aye. I for one believe that Times is rough!

...and the Financial Times is for those with a pink bathroom?

[David Asquith]

Thanks for sharing that with us.  An experience probably very rare these days.  Your description poetic in parts and John Denver, by me, under rated.

Dave

[Papyrus]

It's been a John Denver kind of day today, with wall to wall sunshine, and I took the opportunity to make my permitted single daily exercise a cycle ride around the Lincolnshire fenland.

Long, flat straight roads make for easy progress and I was in no hurry, though the southerly wind was keeping the legs working hard. My circuit was a distance of about 15 miles in all and I took my time, the ride made the more pleasurable because of the marked lack of motor vehicles due to the shutdown. Farmers were busy in the fields with all manner and sizes of machinery, but throughout my journey I was passed by only about ten vehicles, one of them a Police patrol car, keeping an eye out for anyone flaunting the new regulations, I suppose.

Villages near me are like my own, a single ribbon of houses along each side of the road and not much more, with a few very small industrial premises, but mainly farmsteads. These latter punctuate the landscape and are of course visible for miles across the open fens where hedges are few and far between, and trees are either solitary or in small copses.

The road scheme is very gridlike, north-south and east-west, enclosing very large fields by some English standards, and drainage ditches usually closely parallel the roads, the larger ones predominantly flowing gently eastward towards the sea.

The beautiful sunshine took my mind completely away from the current crisis, helped by the sight of a group of five Egrets taking flight at my approach from the biscuit-brown waters of a 'drain'; the gentle paddling of a pairs of Mallards; an ever hungry Moorhen exploring the waterline of a ditch; the gentle murmur of the fresh breeze through grasses and telephone wires as it took the effort out of my northward return to home; and the background thrum of tractors as their drivers worked them across the rich brown earth of the fields.

A wonderful day to remember, and as I gently pedalled along I found a song in my heart that encapsulated how I was feeling:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=diwuu_r6GJE

Sometimes you just need to switch off from all the tragedy that is invading our lives.

Stay well all of you.

Thank you for that! It reminded me vividly of my surveying days around the Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire borders many years ago. You've made this Fenland exile feel quite homesick!

You stay well too.

Cheers,

Chris

[daffy]

Glad you liked it Chris.

Oddly enough, when my wife and I moved here a little over 6 years ago I was rather dismissive of the landscape, having the regretful temerity to refer to the vistas as "miles and miles of naff all" (except I didn't use the word 'naff'  ).

Though my birth and upbringing was in Northamptonshire, and later life predominantly on Buckinghamshire, which are only slightly bumpy, I grew to have a passion for the mountainous lands. So there being no mountains in this area - save for a butchers in Boston, well known for their fine sausages, named Mountain - I think you can understand my initial feelings.

Now however I love it! And that old description has been replaced by a more fitting one: "Big sky country." And that is true for both day, and night when the lack of light pollution makes for some wonderful dark nights punctuated by the lights of the universe.

[The Q]

It's been a John Denver kind of day today, with wall to wall sunshine, and I took the opportunity to make my permitted single daily exercise a cycle ride around the Lincolnshire fenland.

So you  live near Denver sluice ?

Except we have a few more slopes I wouldn't call them hills it was a very close description to round here as I look from the garden across the fields and marshes..

[daffy]

No, not close to the Denver sluice. I'm on the top edge of the fenland. In fact in the neighbouring village a mile or so away their is a property very aptly named 'Wolds End'. The low hills of the Wolds give a northerly backdrop to my forays, and I only venture into the hilly bits there on my bike when I'm feeling 100% = which is rare.

[Newportnobby]

@daffy
Reading your post (#4401) made me immediately play Jethro Tull's album 'Heavy Horses' - a wonderful volume describing English countryside and practices

[guest311]

except for a couple of days when we had heavy frosts, the hairy beast has not been over the fields since well before christmas.

clay is holding the water, and even on a lead he gets plastered with mud, which works it's way into his undercoat and between his paws, so it's been road exercise, which has the advantage of wearing down his claws, and no need to repeatedly wash his coat, removing natural oils.

but, with the last few days of sunshine beginning to dry the fields, yesterday and today we have chanced it, and for the first time in months he's been able to run free, chase squirrels [they cheat and run up trees], chase magpies [they cheat and fly off], and hunt mice [one caught in 6 years, and he dropped it]

so, a happy husky at long last ...

[Delboy]

Brilliant. 
It's quite unusual for huskies to be off lead isn't it?
My cousin has 4 and he says the tendency is for them to just run and run if they manage to get free.

[dannyboy]

And after a couple of miles, they stop and wonder where the sled has gone. (Sorry, couldn't help myself  ).

[tutenkhamunsleeping]

Molly Spaniel came in from walkies about 15 minutes ago, covered in mud as she'd find a puddle in the Sahara.  What melts my heart, though, is seeing her taking her own towel into the bathroom ready for the habitual clean-up

[guest311]

officially when you adopt a husky, you sign to say you'll only exercise them off the lead in an enclosed area.

yeah right, where do you find one of them.

we got Oscar when he was 6 months old, and at the time we also had a seven year old rescue shepherd, Coco, who we had had for 3 years and was quite 'clingy' to me.
it was usual for me to run her off lead, and she was 100% on recall.

after about six months, I tried Oscar off lead, but on a link to Coco, and he soon learned to come back when called, well to start with she'd bring him back, or he'd be put firmly in his place by her.

after a while I was able to remove the link.

when we lost her, I did have concerns about him off lead, but found that if you were sensible, ie
empty field, no other dogs or humans in sight
no neighbouring fields with sheep or cattle
and you kept a firm eye and control of him if he wandered too far
[ie not like 70% of dog owners around here - open car boot - let dog run off - go on phone - sometimes even be in same field as dog, but don't worry if not - allow dog to run up to other dogs, even if they are on leads, and do nothing to try to recall them - allow to mess everywhere but ignore]

then he could stretch his legs, chase around like the idiot he is, and he'll return when called, as long as you keep checking your surroundings and recall him as soon as you see a distraction

if there are any distractions around, then he's on a long lead.

[Delboy]

officially when you adopt a husky, you sign to say you'll only exercise them off the lead in an enclosed area.

yeah right, where do you find one of them.

we got Oscar when he was 6 months old, and at the time we also had a seven year old rescue shepherd, Coco, who we had had for 3 years and was quite 'clingy' to me.
it was usual for me to run her off lead, and she was 100% on recall.

after about six months, I tried Oscar off lead, but on a link to Coco, and he soon learned to come back when called, well to start with she'd bring him back, or he'd be put firmly in his place by her.

after a while I was able to remove the link.

when we lost her, I did have concerns about him off lead, but found that if you were sensible, ie
empty field, no other dogs or humans in sight
no neighbouring fields with sheep or cattle
and you kept a firm eye and control of him if he wandered too far
[ie not like 70% of dog owners around here - open car boot - let dog run off - go on phone - sometimes even be in same field as dog, but don't worry if not - allow dog to run up to other dogs, even if they are on leads, and do nothing to try to recall them - allow to mess everywhere but ignore]

then he could stretch his legs, chase around like the idiot he is, and he'll return when called, as long as you keep checking your surroundings and recall him as soon as you see a distraction

if there are any distractions around, then he's on a long lead.

Now I understand. We have a Chesapeake Bay Retriever (she is 6 today by the way), and she is good with re-call but not when there are distractions. We have never lost her though. Great excuse at the moment to get out for our allowed daily exercise.