I was in a very peculiar mood about my running today. First of all I was going to ave a day off, then I thought I'd leave that for cricket day tomorrow, then I thought "Well, I'll go to Kelham and see if there are any bluebells a the church", and then when I actually started running I felt so stiff and grumpy I just wanted to stop and buy an ice cream.
Then, I thought I'd just run 5km. I ended up dillying and dallying along the Great North Road, before finally opting to be a man, and run the back way to Kelham.
Frankly I felt like a prize chump.
Kelham is another pretty little village, overlooked by the huge 19th century Victorian gothic Hall the local council has used rather overkillingly for years, and will do until there new home in town is complete in 2017. King Charles I was held by the Scots here after he ordered the surrender of Newark in 1646 and after his own personal surrender in Southwell.
Every so often, someone drives through the bridge and ends up in the river, causing this major road route to close for ages while the bridge is rebuilt and resulting in tailbacks the length of the Nile.
Sadly there were no bluebells to be had, but I did find some more ghost signs, and on the way home navigated on more virgin running territory for me that looked promising, but ended up with an impromptu crossing of a stony ploughed field in which more lapwing were calling and displaying.
Their wings folded up, they tumbled from the sky, which is how my legs felt after hauling myself across that farmland.
Si
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| Tired common carder bee that I had no means of helping |
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| As I left town, another Newark ghost sign |
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| The back way to Kelham |
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| Gatehouse at Kelham Hall |
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| Kelham map. But who is in the river? |
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| I think it's an early mining bee |
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| Legs yellow with pollen |
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| Kelham hall stable range. Now repurposed as cottages |
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| Kelham ghost sign 1 |
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| Kelham ghost sign 2 |
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| Loads of this 4 petal white flower now out. I can't remember what it is. |
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| Kelham Hall |
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| Kelham Church |
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| Nice selection of flowers in the churchyard |
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| A new route home? |
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| Ummm, no |
Your mystery flower is garlic mustard, or jack in the hedge- food plant for the orange tip butterfly.
ReplyDeleteI feel like that sometimes when running too!
Love all the ghost signs :o)
Didn't there used to be a Monastery or maybe a church training college for the ministry or something like that at Kelham? - Nice to hear you mention the Great North Road; I had an aunt who lived in East Markham and my father and I used to walk to something called The Mausoleum - not sure where it is can you tell me anything about it? We also used to walk to a village with a pub called The Sun, sit outside and have a drink (lemonade for me as I was only about eight) and then walk back to Markham (which i remember has a lovely church). All this is seventy years ago - wonder how much of it remains.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the flower tip. Wild garlic, garlic mustard, there's a whole herb garden out there at the moment.
ReplyDeleteEast Markham is a bit far out for me, it's about 15 miles out. Had a friend who lived there who used to go around dressed in civil war attire, huge Prince Rupert boots and everything. Smoked clay pipes.
Corrected idiot mistake in title BTW. My little netbook keyboard is starting to suffer after 6 years.
Great post Simon - love the bees and Ghost signs. What a lovely village. Yes, the flower is Garlic Mustard.
ReplyDeleteI must try the pub there sometime, "The Fox". I'm on a roll with foxes, as you will see later...
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