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Thursday 23 February 2017

Two Country Mice Travel to the City

Once in a while it becomes necessary to winkle Max out of his comfortable routine around Parsonage Cottage and Owl Wood.    I make him change out of his Wellington boots and beloved work clothes and into something more suited to visiting civilisation.  

We head to Lincoln, Just a 45 minute drive along some beautiful country roads.  



We always park near the Lincoln Cathedral, then walk down the hill.    I didn't have much time for taking photographs, but I managed to take some quick snaps as we progressed.    In this collage you can see the Cathedral to the left, the upper section of Steep Hill to the middle, and a corner of Lincoln Castle to the right.    

All of these were taken from one spot - click, click, click.   No time wasted there.

It was a beautiful day, blue skies, weak sunshine, cool rather than cold.    It was also only nine in the morning, so nice and quiet.   I do love this old city.   It is compact, quirky, steeped in history and very beautiful.


This is the really steep part of Steep Hill, it has a one-in-seven gradient which doesn't sound bad until you come back up it laden with shopping bags.   Suddenly one begins to find all manner of things interesting, in order to take a little pause for breath.    Much of the way is lined with interesting little shops.  

For many years there was a wonderful second-hand book shop, half-way up.   It was called 'The Reader's Rest'.    It got a lot of trade as winded people would stagger in to browse the shelves while they got their breath back.    

My parents loved that shop.  I spent many a happy hour in there with them, for I got my love of reading from my mother and my book-collecting habit from my father.  

Errands run, commissions fulfilled, we take some time to have coffee and cake before heading back up the hills.


Another lovely drive through the countryside and we are home.   The animals greet us with great enthusiasm and love, as though we have been away months rather than just a few hours.

Max immediately gets back into his comfortable clothes and heaves a sigh of relief.
x

10 comments:

  1. Lincoln a place I have never been but then I have not been that far across the country other than Chateris. Looks like a place worth investigating.

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    1. Hello Bill, It would be the perfect place for one of your reports - and just think what you could do with a post about Lincoln Cathedral!

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  2. We have never been to Lincolnshire, let alone Lincoln, but it's a place I would love to visit. I am fond of East Anglia, living in the hilly South West, although Lincolnshire a tad north of the large lump of East Anglia.
    My husband is usually to be found in his work clothes! Snap! And neighbours have said (no sniggers here, please) that they never see him walking around the Close between our house and our son's house without some kind of tool in his hand ... a paintbrush, a step ladder, a drill ... indeed, I once made a collage of him and in every photo he was doing some kind of job ... washing the car, washing the Venetian blinds (that he hangs up outside when this job needs doing), repairing a broken window, re-roofing the shed, painting the garden walls ... you name it, I've a photo of it! But he does scrub up rather well, when I can get him into his black cords and sports jacket and Alfred Sergeant shoes!
    Margaret P

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    1. Hello Margaret, The nice thing about this part of Lincolnshire is that we do have hills, the very beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds. We live just on the edge of them, where the hills change to gentle undulations.

      Our husbands sound very alike, in so many ways!

      Storm Doris is howling around right now, we have just had a particularly nasty gust of wind which shook the place. At times like this I am so thankful that we have a low building. One of our other homes was an Edwardian house, three stories high. this was fine, except that we lived on the coast and the gales would come roaring up the avenue, hitting the roof. I was always afraid that we would lose more than a few tiles. These days I worry more about falling trees. Stay safe.

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  3. Click click click and you got some beautiful snaps of your history. Those streets and shops are full of character...fudge pantry! Oh yes please. Second hand bookshop, yes again of course. I'm sure I would be quite a while in there before I got my breath back
    Your Lincoln looks like a wonderful old English town

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    1. Hello Linda, I would enjoy showing you around. Lots of bookshops and watering holes. We would have fun! I took a picture of the fudge pantry because our grandchildren's other grandpa is called Roly. I thought it would make them smile!

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  4. Lincoln looks very qauint, beautifully unspoilt from your photos, which is sadly becoming rarer.
    Roly's Fudge Pantry looks like a great place to visit :)

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    1. Hello Prunella, Lincoln is very beautiful, but I am an unreliable witness because I really like the place! The stone is mellow, the buildings ancient and quirky. I am sure you would enjoy the fudge because there is a rather tempting chocolate shop on the other side of the street...

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  5. Oh mercy, I can't even imagine, walking back up that hill!!!!!!! Hooray for you two. You have to be much younger, than I. :-)

    I am so happy to have come across your blog! All these lovely pictures, of beautiful quaint places. Love them!!!!!!

    Gentle hugs, from across the pond,
    Luna Crone

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  6. Hello Luna, We have slowed down a little, but we still do it. My husband likes the idea of parking down the hill, but I think that is not the way to go, not for a few more years yet! Lincoln is a wonderful little city.

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.