June 2
Today is Day #6 of our travels here in England and I'm finally on schedule with today's post. That is if I succeed in getting it on by midnight! As I master the ins and outs of blogging it should get better.
Today, another one of those some sprinkles, some sun days, Bill and I opted to hike around Rydal Water, home territory for William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. They were great walkers who often walked miles and miles staying overnight with friends if they failed to set off before sunset. As it is everywhere in the Lake District, the scenery was lovely with pretty vistas. The walk was an easy one, mostly on fairly level ground, with beautiful trees and patches of bluebells and yellow primrose. Two of my all time favorite wild flowers! Nearing the end of the walk we happened upon Badger Inn where we enjoyed morning coffee and hot chocolate with heaps of cream. As soon as we stepped out the door we detoured and followed the signs to Dora's Field and imagined it filled with daffodils. The poem was made famous by Wordsworth and it begins:
"I wandered lonely as a cloud/That floats on high o'er vales and hills,/When all at once I saw a crowd,/ A host, of golden daffodils"; The path led to the church where Wordsworth worshipped while living just up the hill from it and its ever so pretty churchyard. Having visited Rydal Mount many years ago, I settled for meandering on a footpath up above the house where I looked across Rydal Water to the paths we had enjoyed on our earlier walk. Beautiful clematis 'montana' covered the roof of an attached building and the front of the house was covered with wisteria in full bloom. The garden--and in fact the whole area--was aglow with bright pink, orange, yellow and purple azaleas and rhodies. They look even more beautiful against the Lake District slate roofs and stone houses. Certainly these flowering bushes are always an extra attraction to luring us here in late May and June. The combination of a pretty walk, beautiful blooms, and super scenery made a great morning for us. When we arrived back at Butt Hill cottage good smells welcomed us home. Malcolm had a yummy lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches prepared for us and Dolly had a homemade rhubarb pie baking in the oven.
At dinner time we drove out Langdale way for dinner at Three Shires Inn/pub where we each feasted on our meal of choice. Bill chose their Cumberland sausage dish (always a favorite), I feasted on a plate of succulent grilled lamb, Mediterranean couscous, and a mint yogurt (oh, so delicious), and Malcolm and Dolly selected the beef and ale pie. The tastiest of choices! A good and happy day was had by all! And I'm happy to say I believe I'm up-to-date on my travel blog.
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