Rambling Brummie

Recently read (Daily Telegraph) that AngloSaxons divided the year into two halves: light and dark, from equinox to equinox. The improbably equal four seasons came later. Worshipping the sun is not good. But we must be aware of its importance in our lives. Not a god, but we can be sure it exists.

October is transition from light and warm to dark and cool. Here in Canterbury we’ve had some lovely sunny days, some dull wet ones. A night with ground frost. Leaves of deciduous trees change colour. Apples are picked. Blackberries become pippy. Prime Minister U-turns, possibly not due to the season. Difficult for walkers. How to dress for 4 deg morning, maybe rising to 16 deg? Layers. Rain possible. How to carry excess layers?

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. In my case sloes. Like to make sloe vodka. May be too late. Use gathering skills, like our remote ancestors. Start with a short local walk to where some blackthorns are.

Sun Oct 16th, 9 am, 10 deg C, sunny. Namibia have just beaten Sri Lanka in Geelong in T20 world cup. Hello to Nathan with very white dog. Dry earthen path between hedges. Past allotment. Reverse direction on other side of hedge, next to recently ploughed field. A runner. Dog walkers. Agreed great morning. Saw blackthorn bush but not the small purple fruit, or sloes. Hurt damaged foot on rough ground. Reluctant to walk nearer the bushes. Felt need to explain to woman why i was staring into hedge. She’d heard of sloe gin but didn’t know what sloes are.

Good walk. blue sky, wisps of cloud. Last year also found no sloes here.

Keep looking.

Recently read “The unnatural woman” by local artist and author Dave Asthouart. In Trueway, an apparent utopia, nudity is the rule. Steph rebels by wearing a red dress…Book available from Amazon bookstore.

Tuesday September 13th. Walk into Canterbury centre. Keep it short cos of dodgy left foot. Need card for seven year old. Quiche. Return library books. Could be mile and half.

17 deg C. Light coloured cloud. Long trousers. Raincoat in pack. Wincheap. Food wagon open in Maidens Head carpark. Hi to Sally [Gooch. We acted in The Promised Land, about Kent coalmining and hoppicking] carrying milk from Aldi. Subway, recently retiled by the ramps. Hope better done this time. Scenes of Canterbury in the tunnel, not yet graffittied.

Like old times, when employed, shortest route to town and back. Up steps. Path next to flinty wall of Norman castle. Right on cycle route to city centre. St Mildreds graveyard on left. Three tents, probably rough sleepers. Church Lane. Stour Street. On right, multistorey carpark, once site of gasworks. On left tannery site, now residential. Preserved facade. Could look through windows and see piles of hides. Now curtained.

Entrance to tannery: old weighbridge. Old rectory. On right, Hookers Almshouses 1970, Maynards Spital 1818. Rock Paper Scissors. Water Lane leading to River Stour and punt hire. Museum is now Marlowe Kit, with Great Hall. Marlowe’s Ghost escape room.

Into Sainsbury’s local. No veg quiche. Library not yet open. Rest in Three Cities Garden, opposite. Canterbury, Vladimir Russia, Bloomington USA. Returned “Britannia AD43”, by Nic Fields. Detailed history of Roman invasion. Borrowed “Broadside” by Stuart Broad, England cricketer.

Paperchase had no 7 cards. More walking on main street. Slight uphill on uneven block paving. Card Factory had 7 cards, none i like. WH Smith. Dave, Big Issue seller is back. but not selling. Dog has had trouble with paw. Bought suitable card. Cross road to M&S. Walk thro clothes to food hall. Short search found quiche.

Bought Big Issue from man in Rose Square. Few spots of water from sky. Marlowe Avenue, past St Andrews church. Left across carpark, up steps into Dane John Gardens. Double espresso. Apple. Walked avenue between lime trees. Two pigeons fell on the path, fighting furiously. Hi to Andre Renshaw, local musician. Played in Jacobs Ladder, Camine, Triskele among others. Hugged small lime tree. Up ramp, avoiding steps, to footbridge over ring road. Union flag at half mast. Years ago stood here, bridge closed while the Queen passed underneath.

Right, past Kendall car and van hire, left onto Wincheap.

Tasks completed, about two miles walked, (In 1 hr 50min) Foot not too bad.

Usually in Canterbury i walk because i have things to do. Eg shops, library, dentist, doctor, cinema. Focussed on what i’m doing, where to put feet. Sometimes walk for pleasure or to do daily mile.

This walk is a mile circuit from home, one of several. Sep 4th i chose it and wondered why. Am obviously not a Canterbury native but have lived here more than half my life. Dry morning, about 20 deg C. Glimpse of the pinnacles and top of cathedral tower. Under Wincheap railway bridge, right on Station Road East. Footbridge over Pin Hill dual carriageway. Right on city wall, medieval on Roman foundations. Path down side of Dane John mound, British burial mound. Used by Normans as temporary castle. Left in Dane John gardens, avenue of limetrees. Past remains of Norman castle keep, closed because of falling masonry. St Mildreds church, oldest parish church within city walls. Two footbridges across Stour. Former Williamsons tannery, now housing. We don’t miss the smell. More concentrated housing where Telephone House used to be. Past Aldi (once Habitat) back to Wincheap. Not too much traffic noise on Sunday morning.

Why do i like this short walk? Realise it connects with much of Canterbury’s history. Personal memories also. Cricket with sons. Music: Wild Turkey, Skinners Rats, Here be Dragons. Picking rubbish from river in a punt with Stour Valley Volunteers. March supporting Jeremy Corbyn, a brief time when real change seemed possible.

I walk because i have to. All day indoors would be intolerable. Left foot stood up well. Spent much of the day watching cycling on tv. Tour of Britain and Vuelta a Espana.

This walk was before the UK got a new prime minister and a new monarch.

Determined not to bore you with my health. Enjoyable walk on Saturday left me with extra pain in left foot. Had to withdraw from guided walk of Hambrook on Monday. Gloom. Life goes on. Writing more about less.

Life goes on. Tuesday had to hobble around Canterbury. Dentist at 830. Library book to return. Collect book from Waterstones. Library opens ten. Slowness will use up the time. Take shortest route, avoiding crowds where possible.

Fine morn, about 20 deg. Rain forecast. Remembered to put raincoat in pack, also water bottle and apple. Past castle and St Mildreds church. Rope Walk by river Stour. Buildings on former tannery. Names like Creine Mill Lane, Old Watling Street. Crowded with dwellings. Ahead to St Peters Grove, an area saved from demolition in 70s. Left on Tower Way for wee in public lavatory. Right on St Peters Place, right again on St Peters Street. Left at St Peters church into St Peters Lane where dentist is. Nearby is St Peters Methodist church.

Main dental problem is gap where tooth fell apart while eating first cherry of season. More visits booked. Friars, past Marlowe theatre and Friends meeting house. Orange Street, memories of music club where number three son played. Heard folk legend Martin Carthy there. Sun Street. Burgate. Slight uphill. Don’t like cobbles. Wholefood for baguette and teethpaste. Cash from machine. Big Issue man, Dave, absent. M&S for Swiss chocs. Waterstones, present for number one son.

Through arcade to St Margarets Street. Some time before library opens. Coffee where? Plenty of choice. Prefer to sit outside. Noticed Cosy Club. In former Waterstones. We used to have two. Opened today. Big place. Meals, beer. Can Canterbury support all these eating places? Kentish Gazette describes it as opulent and eccentric, aimed at families rather than vertical drinkers at the bar. Good espresso at outside table. To library via main street, cursing obstructions like advertising boards. Little space to walk. Not traffic free this early. Not yet 10. Ate apple in little park opposite library. Picked crime story “Fakes and lies” by Jane A Adams. Other book i have out is “Walking” by Matthew Beaumont, professor of English at University College London. I’ve walked a lot and read a lot but can’t often see what he’s on about.

Fearing rain imminent walked along Stour St. Looked in former Cycle shop, now Rock Paper Scissors, full of arty things i think. On past Limes, Canterbury”s gay pub, under subway to Wincheap and home. Just before a few drops of rain.

Be positive. Did what i planned. Avoided rain. Foot worse. Resolved to rest it. Difficult as my activities are based on walking.

Plan for Aug 11th was to watch England Lions play South African cricketers at Canterbury’s St Lawrence Ground. Would mean a two mile walk and provide material for a blog. Amber heat warning caused second thoughts. Little shade at the ground. Devised two mile local walk: to give purpose planned to prune brambles on the way.

Earlier the better. Can’t take heat anymore. Prefer footpath work unwatched. At 8 am most people on autopilot to work, college or wherever. Little traffic on Wincheap. Right into Station Road East. Sun in eyes. After carpark right on CC50, footpath and cycle route. Runner. Railings with intrusive brambles. Secateurs. Glove on left hand. Talk with Beatrice, supporter of disabled cyclists, on her bike. Removed maybe a dozen prickly shoots. Onto Lansdown Rd. Spilt rubbish. Woman in red dress. Left at traffic light onto Old Dover Road, route of Roman Road to Dover, later called Watling Street. Crossed to be on shady side. Vernon Grange, once home of artist Thomas Sidney Cooper. Next to fire station, subway under ring road, Upper Bridge Street. Cross modern Watling Street into Dane John Gardens. Good to walk on grass, though parched. Maybe mowed too short? Shade under lime trees. Three pigeons in lotus shaped fountain. Hugged a yew tree, wondering how old. Three men on bench, drinking from cans.

Cross Castle Street, Gas Street by side of castle, closed because of falling masonry. City council has big plans for Canterbury. Could start by maintaining what we have. Path between St Mildreds Church and Rheims Way. Footbridge over river, path under Rheims Way, footbridge back over river. All this to avoid noisy traffic and enjoy more riverside. Sat on bench to eat apple. Tunnel under railway. Industrial estate, past Autocare and Bamboo Tiger. Spring Gardens to Wincheap and home. 21 deg C in shade, 28 forecast. Actual maximum in garden 25. Not very hot.

Would not have enjoyed baking sun at the cricket. Spent rest of day at home, keeping cool. Followed cricket on Cricinfo. Close of day three: South Africa 433 and 59/3, Lions 672. Tough on the bowlers and fielders.

Will keep doing my favourite Canterbury city walk. Never exactly the same walk. But should i keep writing about it?

A circuit of Canterbury’s city walls, more or less. About two miles easily doable.

8 on Sunday morning, a good time. Few people and light traffic. Shorts and teeshirt. No raincoat. Patches of drying vomit. On other side of Wincheap man with a stick, even slower than me. Large truck makes circuit of roundabout to turn into A28. Station Road East. Footbridge over ring road, Pin Hill. Right onto city wall. Medieval wall on Roman foundation. Prefer to walk anticlockwise. Less traffic noise. Sun in eyes. Cooling breeze. High cirrus clouds. Man with dog. Dane John gardens below to left. Cyclist. Dane John mound. Bus station. Triangle bus. Broad street carpark by wall of cathedral precincts. Triangle bus passes on its way to Herne Bay. Leave main road and Broad Street becomes much narrower. Used to visit dentist here. Cross Northgate by former Jolly Sailor.

St Radigunds. Exposed wall by Parrot. Three probable rough sleepers with backpacks. Memories of folk music and morris dancing when it was Simple Simons. Millers Arms. Site of watermill. Abbots Mill project nature reserve. Soon to close for work to improve habitat and biodiversity. Path by river Stour, which splits into two main branches through Canterbury, with more channels connected with the watermills. Millers Field ecopark. Across bridge to Butterfly garden, full of flowers i can’t name. Pound Lane. Sudbury Tower in city wall, named after archbishop killed in peasant’s revolt. Unusually built of chalk, eroded maybe by passersby. View of tower of cathedral. Any walk in Canterbury is likely to give glimpses.

Footbridge by Cafe de Soleil, good pizzas. Path between river and North Lane carpark. Red phone boxes with union flags over glass.

Across front of Westgate, our only surviving medieval gate. Into formal gardens. Lawns and flower beds both sides of river. At least thirty mallards in river, mostly young ones. Jackdaw on lawn. Hollyhocks. A flower i can name. Man with white hair and watering can tends flowers on Burma Star memorial.

Toddlers Cove. Hug a beech. Sit and eat apple. Two girls play on red bus, the only equipment i remember from time here with sons. All else is newer. Noisy Rheims Way, seven neatly parked e-scooters by roundabout. Past Maidens Head, whose hanging baskets were recently stolen. Memories of folk music by Chris Skates.

Home, feeling good after walk. Rest of day mostly idle. Watched start of Tour de France femmes on Eurosport. Also finish of Tour de France, won by danish rider Vingegaard.