Friday 23 November 2012

Thinking Time


I'm not planning to blog every day but I’m keen to get started with a proper first post, so here goes.

Thinking time is as important as writing time and the best way for me to let the mind wander is to take the body for a walk. Not always easy with the erratic weather we’re having at the moment. Normally it’s one of the best times of year for walking but this year so much of the land around here is either water logged or flooded.

However, taking advantage of a fine day a week or so ago, I took my camera to Bradgate Park. Normally I’d walk there across the fields and avoid the car parking charges but as the footpaths have been reduced to quagmires, I drove. It was worth the money though.

Bradgate Park consists of about 830 acres of bracken-covered hills interspersed with ancient trees and rocky out crops. It was once a medieval deer park and is still home to herds of red and fallow deer. Bradgate House, now just a ruin was formally the home of the Grey family and birthplace of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey.

The low sun at this time of year brings out some amazing variations in colours, not just in the oranges and reds that you might expect but also here and there, splashes of purple and magenta. It’s truly magical. I'm not sure my pictures do it justice but they’ll give you a taster.

And to think they once planned to build the M1 motorway right through the middle of the park!




4 comments:

  1. Hi Sally, I've not been to Bradgate Park since early January, when I went on a 'Pole Walking' taster session. I was amazed how beautiful it was then, even though it was minus 8 degrees!

    Lovely pictures, I want to go now with my camera, and I totally agree, walking is brilliant for thinking, I often take off somewhere when I'm stuck with a scene, or an idea...and usually it'll come to me.


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  2. Thanks Maria. Give us a shout if you do I might come too!

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  3. Okay, I might just do that...but I'll be sure to give you some advance warning first. I believe they have a very nice tea shop in that area too? Perhaps, you'll have to nip along first and sample the wares?

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  4. Hello Sally, enjoyed your blog and quotes above. Virginia Woolf is one of my favorite writers for her descriptive powers.
    Look forward to reading future posts. I am relatively new to blogging too as am working on my third post.Congratulations on going live.

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