Poetry in Motion

I've heard of people who recite poetry whilst walking and who get enormous pleasure from committing a poem to memory. Then there are those who are inspired by their country walks to write their own verse. Wordsworth's inspiration for 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud' came from a walk he took around Ullswater with his sister, Dorothy.

In November 2010, Country Living magazine invited readers to celebrate the British countryside by writing a poem in its honour. Here is one of the runners up poems.

A Walk in the Peaks by Sue Burge

Clouds scuttle across the sky

like sheep a dreamer has forgotten

to stop counting.

Our walk is punctuated by stiles.

Slates like gravestones stacked against

a drystone wall.

We climb from Grindsbrook Booth to Hollins Cross

where the coffinbearers would pause

before the descent to Hope.

Whorls of wool litter the path as

sheep unravel in the fields.

Stones like bones uncovered by shifting mud.

Down a narrow lane a sudden breeze delivers

a swirl of blossom

transforming us into snowglobe figurines.

Ascending skylarks shatter the sky and

my head is full

of all the poetry I've ever forgotten.

I hope the lovely Spring weather we're currently experiencing inspires you to go out and appreciate your local beauty spots.

Footloose

The great artist, anatomist and all round polymath, Leonardo da Vinci said, "The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art." Who are we to argue with that? The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints (20 of which are articulated), 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles and tendons. Most of us take our feet for granted as they transport the weight of our bodies throughout our lives. If they're lucky our feet may be treated to the occasional pedicure or relaxing foot massage but generally we don't give them much thought until they ache or start to give us some sort of trouble. Perhaps it's time we offered our plates of meat* some TLC for a change.

*Cockney rhyming slang for 'feet' as in "I'm run off me plates of meat."

I've looked at clouds from (Both Sides Now)

Yesterday's walk took me from Rushton Spencer to the summit of The Cloud.

The weather man had forecast sunshine, but unfortunately it was......... cloudy for most of the morning.

This is the view from The Cloud looking towards Mow Cop 6 miles into the distance.

Cumulus clouds over Brocton Coppice, Cannock Chase (photo taken by Sarah last month).

More cumulus clouds - this time near the Glacial Boulder on the Chase (photo by Sarah).

Finally, a view from my front bedroom window - not many clouds around the evening this was taken!

(Click on any photo to enlarge.)

The Happy Wanderer

Whatever you do, don't follow The Muppets' lead!

We've Only Just Begun

but we intend to go far! The walk was officially launched on Saturday at the NWR Area Event 'Meeting the Challenge'.

Hopefully, many of those attending will now feel inspired to join in the walks, whether it be a short section, several sections on different dates or 'The Long Walk' led by Sarah over seven consecutive days.

Staffordshire Moorlands Group have already chosen the date of their walk from Mow Cop to Ryecroft Gate and a date is also fixed in September for the Group Picnic to celebrate the completion of the challenge (see calendar). Don't forget to let Marilyn know as soon as you have a date for walking your section, then we'll be able to see the calendar filling up. It's all becoming rather exciting!

Let's Get Physical

Last night I watched Horizon:The Truth about Exercise. Aside from the slightly annoying acronyms which littered the programme, there were some rather revealing, thought-provoking insights into exercise. If you missed the programme, it's available on BBC iPlayer until Tuesday 17 April click here for the link
The presenter Dr Michael Mosley was also interviewed on Woman's Hour last week and you can listen again here:

Basically, keep off your bottom, keep walking and you'll live longer (as well as saving on gym subscriptions).

Move It

I was surprised to read somewhere that in an average lifetime a person will walk about 65,000 miles. That's three times round the earth! Hard to believe isn't it? Well in case you're feeling you need a bit of a nudge out the door, here are a few suggestions for getting motivated.

1. Make walking fun by walking as long as it takes to spot say, three white vans or three dogs, then keep on walking with  a new objective.
2. Arrange to walk at a set time with a friend. You wouldn't want to let the friend down by making excuses for not showing up, would you?
3. Ask someone to buy you a pedometer. You couldn't possibly offend the gift giver by not using it!
4. Keep a record of when, where and for how long you walk. You'll feel good about yourself when you make walking a regular commitment.
5. Give yourself a reward for going out, eg a bath with essential oils, a hot cup of cocoa or a glass of wine.
6. Look at some inspirational pictures of your local landscape and you'll surely want to get out there and be at one with your surroundings.



Canal at Longsdon

White Nancy, Bollington (I know it's not part of the Staffs Way but it was beautiful even on a wet and blustery day.)