Walkies and pancakes.

Hello! It's Shrove Tuesday today, and I've just come across a few blogs displaying beautiful pancakes.

As I write this, Hugo is battling with a non-stick frying pan that has lost its non-stick. That'll be the frying pan he won't replace for reasons best known to himself. It's the frying pan I owned as a student about twenty years ago, and it no longer has a handle. He's managed to get two thinner than paper crumbly pancakes for me out of it, which I wolfed down. And now he's working on some for himself................. oh here's another for me, from a tiny frying pan he's found. Last year we didn't have pancakes, because he didn't manage to perfect the cooking on the said non-stick frying pan without handle, so after much swearing and abandoning of pancake batter in the bin, I quietly suggested he buy a new frying pan. This year I've been much more forceful and have "insisted" he buy a new frying pan.

Anyway, I would like to show you this stone above, in the shape of an arrow, from our walk last Sunday.

That hill it's pointing up looks a little daunting doesn't it, but strangely, when walking up it, it felt flat, until the end.

It's a walk we've done before, and are fond of. We like the mid-point where we sit on top of a hill and eat our picnic surrounded by sweeping views of hills and mountains, it's very dramatic.

The landscape, with its heather covered hills, is always on the brown side, which isn't everyone's cup-of-tea, but we like its unpopulated wildness. I always think it's the sort of landscape that has to battle against severe weather conditions, so it demands a lot of respect. And awe.

There must have been a lot of rain recently, because the sheep looked like they'd been to a beauty parlour, they were so clean and fluffy.

This one above resembles a powder puff, don't you think?

I do take my knitting with me on these walks, I like the idea of knitting on a hill surrounded by sweeping landscape. But on Sunday, while there was hard bright white sunshine, the air was brisk, and my hands were too cold to knit. But having taken my knitting with me, I felt I had to take photos of it, just to prove I had really and truly taken it.

And inevitably, there had to be some doggy photos didn't there. Can you see Douglas hiding behind Hugo's legs? Ellie stars in the other photos of the mosaic.

Since doing the piece of work I showed in my previous post (Millie with her Beautiful Betty), I found myself thinking of all the sheep as "Beautiful Bettys".

I think all sheep will be Beautiful Betty's from now on.

Hugo's given up on the pancakes. Shall we place bets as to whether he'll get a new frying pan?

Cheerio, and I hope your pancake stories are beautiful ones. Love Vanessa xxx

 

Comments

[Liz W in Missouri, USA]

I love the wildness of this landscape. I've spent most of my adult life in the Western United States in the Rocky Mountains, and it's this particular wild, empty feel that I miss the most. But the sheep - now aren't they fun? I wonder if they are as soft as they look. Wouldn't you just love to sink your hands into all that fluff? I notice that Douglas isn't in the backpack - so he must have had a wonderful time with Miss Ellie out in the sunshine. Good Times!!!

[June]

What a beautiful landscape - wild and free. Love those sheep with the horns and black faces. I remember going on holiday to the Peak District and trying to take a photo of sheep with horns - they all kept running away - which led to the accusation that I must have tortured sheep in a former life!!
Love the photos of the dachshunds!
June.

[Alice and Raymond!!!]

Hello Vanessa! WHat a gorgeous post, I loved seeing the pictures of your local landscape! And good for you, taking the knitting! I was going to take mine up the Tongariro crossing but my bag was so heavy with water I just couldn't do it!!!
I took Karen for a walk through your blog last night to show her all of your papier mache, right from your very first one and she loved them all and we marvelled at how clever you are and how you are able to capture personality so well!
Wishing you a lovely week, I'm craving pancakes now but might have to go and have jam on toast, next best thing!
Love Alice XXX

[Alice and Raymond!!!]

oh, and do you think your arrow stone is an artefact?

[Teresa Kasner]

Dear Vanessa, that's quite a walk! Love the landscape and wonder if it greens up. The doggies are adorable. I am wondering why don't you surprise your dear Hugo with a lovely new frying pan? :-)

Hugs from Oregon.. Teresa

[Pipany]

Gorgeous photos Vanessa. I get a real sense of the vastness of the landscape x

[Lynne]

Ohhh, I've loved catching up with you. What gloriously fun, interesting, magical photos and posts. I just adore your figures. I enjoyed reading how you enter your own world when you work. How fantastic is that! I think the pictures of Pig are just delightful. I can imagine children laughing at that last picture.
Talking of pictures, what a delightful first photo, is that Ellie?
And I love that you take your knitting on your walks.

[Richard Rose]

We cheated, we bought our pancakes ready made. :)

Beautiful photos, btw.

[mlleparadis]

well! that blew out the cobwebs! xoxo!

[Kate]

Classic doggie photo at the top!
Those are indeed absurdly clean and fluffy sheep.Possibly the wind has blown all the mud clear off them.
Pancakes tonight as Tuesday night is football night.
Can't wait.

[Victoria]

Ellie and Douglas are just too gorgeous for words. x

[Jenni at Baa-me Kniits]

What beautiful scenery and so alone you both are :-) That must be hard to find in such a populated country. I loved the fluffy sheep, definitely a powder puff and your knitting looks gorgeous in that setting. We haven't seen any of that for a while and it looks like its coming along nicely :-) Your puppies are adorable and your shoes....I envy, I love good solid walking shoes!