The Last Post (of 2016)

Well here I am up to date with my blog. More to do with the fact that injury has curtailed my activities but finally no blog-log, blog-age, blog-jam or any other made up words I find childishly amusing. A weekend in Nottinghamshire to help TBF’s mum celebrate her 80th birthday. I’m hoping that I still look as young, fit and sprightly at 80 as she does. The main event was a very nice Sunday lunch in the local pub but the previous day gave us a chance to visit Bradgate Park near Leicester

An urban park may conjure up images of muddy duck-ponds, battered play areas, graffiti and litter. Bradgate Park was a bit of a revelation.

I’d visited before on a very cold and bleak October day a few years back and hadn’t retained much of a memory. Its a huge sprawling spread of heathland, forest and lakes that incorporates a deer park. As you’d expect the deer are habituated to humans and are easy to get close to and photograph

The park is also home to the ruined mansion of Lady Jane Grey, the one who was queen for 9 days until someone got bored and relieved her of her head

Its a wonderfully open place to stroll and despite the cold we enjoyed a ramble out down the broad lower valley

Plenty more deer to spy as we walked, often only a few feet away

We stopped for tea and cake by the lake, as you do on cold winter parkland stroll and then returned by way of the higher ground up to Old John Tower and its war memorial. The views although a little grey were exceedingly fine. I especially like any vantage point where you can look down over a city skyline in this case Leicester

Light was fading fast as we reached the tower and it was pretty chilly but I was learning to love this marvellous “park” and its many natural and man made features

The photo below says “cold” with no need for words

A very fine and relaxing way to spend a birthday afternoon

And so that’s it for another blog year. We’re off at the weekend to see the rain splatter the windows at a private hostel in Ingleton with friends and then heading straight to the airport to fly out and spend the rest of Xmas break in Tenerife (to watch the sun stream across the poolside patio). That of course means I start the new year several blog posts down so normal service will be resumed

Happy Xmas and New Year to you all!