Christmas Adventures #2

On Friday my cousin, Rowena, came down from Mersehead, an RSPB reserve up in Scotland (http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mersehead/) where she is Assistant Warden. She is staying with us until NYE. 

Rowena at work on the Reserve at Titchwell, Norfolk

For someone who spends most of their working life outdoors, I'm sure she was utterly delighted when I suggested a long walk this afternoon from Hampton to Hampton Court before going over the bridge and walking all the way along the Thames to Shepperton. We even managed to persuade Dad to come too (the dog on the other hand didn't need asking twice if she wanted to go on a W-A-L-K but even she might have bitten off more than her doggy legs could chew - she is dead asleep this evening!). 

We started off across Bushy Park again to give the dog a good run round and on the way to Hampton Court Palace I found a number of Hawthorn Trees just covered in berries so I know I will be back the next day or two to fetch them. I have plans for this new stash. Jelly? Pah! Been there, done that! BORING (done in a sing song voice)! I am now thinking schnapps - perhaps based on this recipe: http://www.danish-schnapps-recipes.com/hawthorn.html 

Haws are apparently good for the heart ergo hawthorn schnapps should have health benefits, right? 

As mentioned in the earlier post, the weather has been very bad this week (this is the first proper nice day we've had in a while) and hence the river was very swollen. We walked over the bridge at Hampton Court by the palace (which looks really pretty with the skate rink in front of it) and walked along the river path for the next seven miles through mud and mire. We went past Garrick's Temple, which the playwright built in honor of Shakespeare, St. Mary's Church, the old water works and the resevoir at Sunbury. 

I also found a couple of crab apple trees on route and was able to collect a small number of them (sadly, most were a bit past it). I havn't mentioned it but I now own, thanks to Levi, a Totnes twinned with Narnia Bag as mentioned in an earlier post, which I got for Christmas and now it comes with me wherever I go, just in case!

Eventually we got to the Weir Pub at Sunbury (http://www.weirhotel.co.uk/) where we had a pit stop and Levi and I had a well kept pint of Sharpe's Own. The pub was warm and dog friendly and the food is reputedly very good. 

Finally, we got to Walton-upon-Thames and then Sunbury which was a blessed relief for all of us and the dog. This is the longest walk I've done since I dislocated my knee (about ten miles in all) and though I'm very achey this evening, I have a real sense of achievement and am making walking plans with Levi for the New Year. All I need to do now is to put my feet up and decide what to do with my little collection of crab apples! Please be in touch if you have any ideas - I have enough for a small jar of jelly but no more... maybe I could combine them with the haws I'm going to get tomorrow... Anyhow, it is here, then, that Christmas Adventures #2 comes to a close.