Hippies, Canals and Hebden Bridge...

We like walks on a Sunday, especially if the day before has been a busy plot day. There was nothing to do yesterday, the ground is still either too hard or too claggy to dig and the onions that should be going in are still dormant. But as the weather was good, i.e. not raining, we decided to go for a walk.

The plan was to park at the free car park in Todmorden, take a bus or train to Hebden Bridge, and then walk back along the Rochdale canal, a distance of around five miles. Getting to Todmorden was easy enough and we were nicely early for the train. Unfortunately, some low-life ne’er-do-wells had removed some of the signalling cables from the side of the track so we had to take a rail replacement bus. So the journey was done by road rather than over viaducts and through tunnels as we’d prefer, and we arrived, while the sun was still shining, around 11.30am.

A quick walk around the town, a browse in a charity shop and a takeaway coffee later, we were back onto the canal and plodding along the towpath. Hebden Bridge is a nice, bustling place, with plenty of boats that are lived in, rather than just left for holiday cruises. There's a threadbare alternative energy centre and a narrowboat / tipi commune, as well as plenty of natural-wool-jumper-wearing long haired Jesus-booted freaks. Pretty much right up my street really, although it was a shame to find the only public toilets were also used as rain water collectors...

The walk was pleasant, if chilly, as the sun always seemed to be just about to peek over the hills before we either turned a corner and it disappeared, or the clouds came over and blocked it out. The canal itself was frozen in places, only lightly, but there was definite ice there.

As walks go it was very pleasant, fairly flat, nice scenery, plenty of back gardens to nosey at. The only gripe, and it’s a small one, was the noise from the main road, which the canal shadows. Maybe it was just because it was Sunday that traffic was extra heavy, or maybe it was me, yearning for the silence of the countryside, just the twittering of a robin and the quacking of ducks to break the quiet.

To end the walk, and to celebrate St Valentine’s Day, I took Agnieszka to Lidl as a 'treat'. Unfortunately, this romantic gesture on my part was spoiled somewhat by the foul smell of last night's beer excaping. So if the person who farted yesterday in Todmorden Lidl is reading this, please, buy a cork…

O stony grey soil...

This winter has been an interesting one. Plenty of snow led to plenty of problems as people realised they didn’t know what to do in it, councils ran out of grit and airports were closed. For us, the poor road conditions meant we haven’t been out and about as much as usual and working on the allotments hasn’t been possible for some time.

However, last weekend was the first time in what seems like ages where we had some watery winter sun and bright weather. I was so looking forward to being out on the soil but, as it turned out, the soil was too frozen to do anything. The onions and garlic will just have to wait until it warms a bit. Knowing this country that could be next week.

So to keep warm we cleared the raspberry canes left over from last year, and hacked down the growth of sunflowers that grow permanently by the fence. The fence is in need of repair so the sunflowers must be moved before we can do that. It was so nice to be out, wrapped up, and working. I am finding my day job a real strain at the moment and to go out and cut and clip, hack and snap, was great therapy.

We also did a bit of forward planning, and realised that once the potatoes are in we are going to have very little room for anything until the winter onions come out. So this year will be a delicate balancing act, trying to get plants ready to go in as soon as something else comes out. I find I am excited at the thought of it in a way I never get excited at work. More proof, not that I need it, that I am not only in the wrong job, but wasting my time in an office.