Hello All
Today has been a day much like yesterday. It was a flat business all the way. In fact I worked out that the steepest hill and highest gradient I've climbed in two and a half days, was the road up to the pannier market in Bideford which was equivalent to about four flights of stairs. The result of this flat land is that I have back ache. This is nothing unusual and will go away tomorrow. The reason I have got it was explained to me by a fellow walker the other day. Apparently the motion of walking up hill and movement of the hips and lower back is a form of massage; a massage that you do not get when walking on the flat. The opposite is the case as the weight all goes into the heel and lower back causing the problem. Bring on the hills I say.
Blogging
This is the second time that I have written a blog about a walk. The first time was quite a few years ago when I walked the Coast to Coast route from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire. That was a shorter walk being only 200 odd miles and took 2 weeks.
What I was very surprised to discover was the way that the following of a blog grows and the international scope of the whole thing. I suppose it has something to do with search engines and key words. So if a search is put into the search engine of "walking" or "Coast to Coast", there is a possibility that my blog will come up as an option - maybe not on the first page admittedly.
After all we have, most of us, put in a search of our own name and it can be surprising what comes up. In my case, if you search for Rob Setter, you will have to scroll through many, many pages of stuff about red setters called Rob. It is probably worse for one of my brothers whose nickname is Red.
Anyway I'm getting off the point.
This South West Coast Path Ramblings blog is a relatively new venture, but already it surprises me that it is spreading around the world. I have access to a page that informs me where people are reading it. Nothing specific like: "in the bath" or "on a train", but it does tell the countries the readers are in . I find this fascinating. So far the countries are : United Kingdom (no surprise there), Ireland, France, Uruguay, United States, Portugal, Australia, Belgium and "AN UNKNOWN REGION". I wonder where! Could it be North Korea? I suppose I'll never know.
So, can I make a request that if you are reading from somewhere beyond these shores, that you leave a comment in the "comments" section. In fact I would love it if people did leave comments anyway. It's nice to get some feedback and friendly advice and suggestions.
One more thing about my blogs : I do struggle with two things:
1. Making mistakes, which regardless of my reading through before I press the publish button, escape me. I often notice them the next mourning. (see what I did there)
2. I spend more frustrating time trying to position the photos on the page. It is infuriating how they seem to have a mind of their own. Yesterday I thought I could get the pictures of the flowers in a nice arrangement, but what I ended up with was a haphazard jumble.
I'll keep trying and I expect I will get the hang of it sometime.
If you want to look at the old blog it's here: robsetter.blogspot.com
A Chip off the Old Block
While I was in Bideford I took the opportunity to explore a town that I have never been to before (that I can remember). I was pleasantly surprised. In the pannier market there is a group of small shops and workshops where local artists and crafts-people can be found. I was looking in the window of a shop full of amazing woodcarvings and the chap inside nodded hello to me, so I went in for a look and a chat. I too am a woodcarver of sorts but nowhere near as good as John Butler. We had a good conversation about how we both got into wood carving and coincidentally both he and I had fathers who were woodcarvers and we both had our dad's chisels.
I explained about the blog and he said he was happy for me to photograph some of his work. I just took a few photos. I hope they put across the skill but especially the humour of the subjects. John told me that he was a cartoonist previously and this comes through in his work.
The last picture is of John and comes from his website which is well worth a look
www.johnbutlerwoodcarver.co.uk
Another thing I did in Bideford was buy a sausage roll. I put it in my rucksack and walked for another hour or so until I reached Appledore. I sat on the quay with my feet up on the railings and ate my sausage roll while being watched by a gull which was waiting it's chance to pounce on my lunch should I drop my concentration for a second.
When it comes to a battle of wits between me and a bird, I will win every time. Sorry bird this is not your day.
The gull flew off in search of a less canny customer. Then I got out my last bit of Easter Egg which Rebecca gave me and ate the lot. Delicious. I love a Lion Bar Easter egg. Thanks Bex.
For the last two nights I have been the guest of Peter and Hilary in Westward Ho! (don't forget the apostrophe). They have made me feel extremely welcome and we have spent quite a few hours chatting about many subjects of interest to us. They told me a story which made me laugh at the time and again today as I walked along. Tonight I asked them if they minded if I put it on this blog. They said I should carry on and do it.
They have a friend who makes long bows. One day he looked into his vegetable garden and saw a pheasant digging up and eating his recently planted pea seeds. The bird was working methodically along the row gobbling every single pea. The man got out a bow and arrow and with practised precision killed the pheasant with one clean shot. He then collected the peasant and prepared it for the oven. So later that day he had a tasty dinner. But the best bit is, he cut open the crop of the bird and removed the peas and replanted them.....................Pheasant dinner and peas in a few months.
Take it easy.
Rob
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter
Today has been a day much like yesterday. It was a flat business all the way. In fact I worked out that the steepest hill and highest gradient I've climbed in two and a half days, was the road up to the pannier market in Bideford which was equivalent to about four flights of stairs. The result of this flat land is that I have back ache. This is nothing unusual and will go away tomorrow. The reason I have got it was explained to me by a fellow walker the other day. Apparently the motion of walking up hill and movement of the hips and lower back is a form of massage; a massage that you do not get when walking on the flat. The opposite is the case as the weight all goes into the heel and lower back causing the problem. Bring on the hills I say.
___________________
This is the second time that I have written a blog about a walk. The first time was quite a few years ago when I walked the Coast to Coast route from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire. That was a shorter walk being only 200 odd miles and took 2 weeks.
What I was very surprised to discover was the way that the following of a blog grows and the international scope of the whole thing. I suppose it has something to do with search engines and key words. So if a search is put into the search engine of "walking" or "Coast to Coast", there is a possibility that my blog will come up as an option - maybe not on the first page admittedly.
After all we have, most of us, put in a search of our own name and it can be surprising what comes up. In my case, if you search for Rob Setter, you will have to scroll through many, many pages of stuff about red setters called Rob. It is probably worse for one of my brothers whose nickname is Red.
Anyway I'm getting off the point.
This South West Coast Path Ramblings blog is a relatively new venture, but already it surprises me that it is spreading around the world. I have access to a page that informs me where people are reading it. Nothing specific like: "in the bath" or "on a train", but it does tell the countries the readers are in . I find this fascinating. So far the countries are : United Kingdom (no surprise there), Ireland, France, Uruguay, United States, Portugal, Australia, Belgium and "AN UNKNOWN REGION". I wonder where! Could it be North Korea? I suppose I'll never know.
So, can I make a request that if you are reading from somewhere beyond these shores, that you leave a comment in the "comments" section. In fact I would love it if people did leave comments anyway. It's nice to get some feedback and friendly advice and suggestions.
One more thing about my blogs : I do struggle with two things:
1. Making mistakes, which regardless of my reading through before I press the publish button, escape me. I often notice them the next mourning. (see what I did there)
2. I spend more frustrating time trying to position the photos on the page. It is infuriating how they seem to have a mind of their own. Yesterday I thought I could get the pictures of the flowers in a nice arrangement, but what I ended up with was a haphazard jumble.
I'll keep trying and I expect I will get the hang of it sometime.
If you want to look at the old blog it's here: robsetter.blogspot.com
___________________
Here are a few pictures from today
 |
| Looking upstream to the old Bideford Bridge |
 |
| Red Hot Pokers in all their glory |
 |
| A more acceptable coast path |
 |
| A field of blooming rape through the trees. |
While I was in Bideford I took the opportunity to explore a town that I have never been to before (that I can remember). I was pleasantly surprised. In the pannier market there is a group of small shops and workshops where local artists and crafts-people can be found. I was looking in the window of a shop full of amazing woodcarvings and the chap inside nodded hello to me, so I went in for a look and a chat. I too am a woodcarver of sorts but nowhere near as good as John Butler. We had a good conversation about how we both got into wood carving and coincidentally both he and I had fathers who were woodcarvers and we both had our dad's chisels.
I explained about the blog and he said he was happy for me to photograph some of his work. I just took a few photos. I hope they put across the skill but especially the humour of the subjects. John told me that he was a cartoonist previously and this comes through in his work.
www.johnbutlerwoodcarver.co.uk
Another thing I did in Bideford was buy a sausage roll. I put it in my rucksack and walked for another hour or so until I reached Appledore. I sat on the quay with my feet up on the railings and ate my sausage roll while being watched by a gull which was waiting it's chance to pounce on my lunch should I drop my concentration for a second.
When it comes to a battle of wits between me and a bird, I will win every time. Sorry bird this is not your day.
The gull flew off in search of a less canny customer. Then I got out my last bit of Easter Egg which Rebecca gave me and ate the lot. Delicious. I love a Lion Bar Easter egg. Thanks Bex.
________________________________________
They have a friend who makes long bows. One day he looked into his vegetable garden and saw a pheasant digging up and eating his recently planted pea seeds. The bird was working methodically along the row gobbling every single pea. The man got out a bow and arrow and with practised precision killed the pheasant with one clean shot. He then collected the peasant and prepared it for the oven. So later that day he had a tasty dinner. But the best bit is, he cut open the crop of the bird and removed the peas and replanted them.....................Pheasant dinner and peas in a few months.
Take it easy.
Rob
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RobSetter
