The river's been high this past few days, remarkably so on Tuesday morning after really heavy rain all through the night.
By Wednesday morning (when I took this photo) it had gone down by a good couple of feet, even though once again we had had a wet and windy night. The daffodils that had been underwater in the field across from the river just the day befor were once again visible and drying off in the wind, it's amazing how resilient they are. I love the power of nature, but the high winds buffeting the van and causing thuds, bangs and strange noises have made the last few nights a bit disturbed.
Although little Suky snored through it all.
She loves her morning and evening perambulations around the riverbank. She keeps her eyes open and her nose twitching looking for leftover food that has been thrown out for the resident wild ducks, but rarely finding any ... they're a greedy bunch and gobble up anything they are given.
Most mornings we cross the bridge into the fields on the opposite side of the river, dogs are allowed off their leads there and Suky has a little mooch around before rejoining me for a plod along the raised banks or round the far field.
We watch the trains rumbling past us high on the embankment, crossing the arched bridges every few minutes. Passenger trains carrying people along the northern lines and long, long goods trains. Every now and then I stand and count the goods wagons, I like the thought that every container being pulled by an engine is one less lorry thundering along the roads and motorways. Sometimes there are more than thirty being pulled by one engine ... railways are good.
Crossing back we walk along the bank on our side of the river, circling the park and playing 'spot the difference'. At this time of year, right at the start of the season, vans are coming and going. Being moved on the back of large lorries into or off the park, or towed from one position to another by the park owners tractor or Landrover as their owners decide they fancy a new location for the coming year.
We're happy where we are ... I don't think we'll be moving anywhere for the foreseeable future, especially after all our work last year around the Van.
Strolling back through the park owners vans ... the ones they hire out to weekly holidaymakers ... we head back to our van. The thought of getting warm and a mug of hot coffee, and perhaps toast with homemade marmalade makes me quicken my step ... and Suky sensing we're homeward bound is happy to follow suit.
But there's just enough time to have a peek in the windows of the row of new vans for sale. I love seeing the different layouts and imagining what I would do with them if they were mine.
It's not a long walk, it takes us around half an hour on a wet day and up to an hour on a nice fresh day, but it's enough exercise for little Pug legs, and enough to get me in the mood for breakfast and of course more coffee ... always more coffee.
Sue xx
It's no life without coffee, is it? :-)
ReplyDeletexx
Haha .... most definitely not :-)
DeleteI'm impressed how they put that new van between those two trees (and very pleased someone didn't think "oh, easier to chop the tree down").
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a lovely "Pug-sized" walk.
And definitely with you on good coffee. Treated myself to a Bialetti Moka pot at Christmas - "oh baby", you know you've had coffee when that pot is empty 😀
They've chopped a few trees down this year, but they were mostly fir trees and Leylandii style trees that had really grown out of control. I love that they have pruned but kept the old trees. Amazingly some of the tourers that visit, that use the space where the caravans for sale are parked, struggle to get their small vans in that gap and yet they have neatly put a twelve foot wide static in there!
DeleteI'm a Nescafe girl, simple tastes but copious amounts ;-)
Loved going on your riverside walk with you and Suky. It looks such a lovely area, very picturesque and what a smart caravan park it is. All looks like a little piece of paradise.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely previously family owned site, well looked after and with some fair rules for the van owners. No vans over 20 years old for instance, BUT if you have an older caravan and it is very well maintained, nice and clean and with a good garden they will relax the rules for you.
DeleteWhat a beautiful place to walk! It's always nice to be able to walk beside the water, and notice all the every day changes in the seasons. When you are heading home, does Suky know which van is yours yet?
ReplyDeleteShe cottons on at the last moment, but I vary the walks so much she must get confused. There are lots of paths through the caravan park to follow so she never knows which way we are going. We always start or end on the riverbank though, as you say it's nice to watch the slight changes and differing lights that each day brings.
DeleteThe park and area look very nice. We always holiday out of season in a static usually in Cornwall - if it's a stormy, blustery night I can never sleep - it always sounds worse than it actually is when you're in a caravan. Light rain pitter-pattering on the roof is a very relaxing sound though!
ReplyDeleteIt IS really nice here. I have always liked to holiday out of season too, there's something special about being one of a few holiday makers rather than being part of a crowd. And I think the slower out of season pace just suits me so much better
DeleteWhat lovely pleasant walk it looks and not too far until Suky can go off lead and have a wander around by herself. The site looks lovely and well kept, hope you've had a nice day and plenty of coffee xx
ReplyDeleteShe likes to be off the lead for a few minutes and she is well behaved, but after a while she just walks at my heel as if to say 'lets be together again Mum', and then I know it's time to put her lead back on.
DeleteWhat a lovely place to go for a stroll!
ReplyDeletePractical query - did you have to register with a dentist, GP and vet so that you can be taken care of wherever you are?
It really is lovely. :-)
DeleteNo we are still just registered at home. I've lived in Wales for over five years now and visited the Doctors only a couple of times for minor checks. My teeth were all sorted out before the practice in Wales shut it's doors for good, so we will have to find another one soon. Likewise with our animals it's years since either of the dogs were at the vets. Suky can't be vaccinated as it makes her really poorly. She was for the first few years of her life but had a worse and worse reaction with each booster, so the vet agreed it's just not safe for her now.
I used to love it when it rained on my parents' van and we were all warm and cosy inside. The park looks lovely and I also used to love looking in the 'for sale' van windows too!
ReplyDeleteThere's something very special about being in a structure that seems so'temporary'and yet being snug and cosy against whatever the weather can through at you. I can't help but peep through the windows of the 'for sale' vans virtually every time I pass :-)
DeleteYou are living in a lovely area. Those vans are just perfect tiny homes.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Last year watching the 'Tiny Homes' programmes on television I couldn't help but think why don't you just buy a caravan! They are already planned out so well, and yes you can add solar panels and individual things to them or redesign the interiors to your hearts content ... but the basics are all there, the plumbing, the storage the bathroom etc. I love it.
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