Rain in the Lakes ....

Having a week off work in the new year is something DH and I have done for the last few years. Neither of us takes much time off over The Christmas and New Year weeks, preferring to take the first full week of January, just as everyone else is going back to work (including DD). It gives us chance to catch up with jobs or just take it easy, whatever comes along. 

Yesterday we couldn't get out anywhere as we had to wait in for a delivery of a replacement hob. The one we had, we discovered, had a small crack on one side. Thankfully having insurance meant that we could get a replacement sorted fairly quickly without having to save up to buy a new one. So we now have a brand new hob (again).  

Today we decided to go walking. The weather forecast gave it brightening up by mid-day after a pretty wet start. We started at the southern end of Thirlmere heading by the side of Wyth Burn ......

It wasn't  just a bit wet - it was A LOT wet!!!

We were walking over extremely wet/boggy fields, and then it started raining. And then we saw a bit of blue sky!

It eventually stopped raining and we decided to turn back and trudge through yet more muddy fields. 

We didn't go straight back to the van though. We opted to do some of the lakeshore permitted path, and had lunch looking out over Thirlmere. 

Although it was a very wet walk, it was still a good walk, and we managed to find two geocaches before the light started going and we had to head home....

Afternoon Tea!

Yesterday was my birthday. A bit too close to Christmas if you ask me. After all the chaos and excitement of Christmas it seems to be a day that a lot of people forget about. Thankfully my family don't forget and I was given a special treat of being taken out for afternoon tea by DD who insisted on driving. She did really well considering she hasn't had a full licence for a month yet, particularly as the place we went to is a few miles off the main road down some fairly narrow country roads in places. 

But this is what we had .....

A fabulous Afternoon Tea Picnic Table! It was all delicious. And because I wasn't driving I was able have a glass of prosecco. Lovely! I had some lovely presents too - a beautiful bead for my Chamilia bracelet off DH ....

....it might not show up very well, but the bottom bead has an otter on it and it's lovely, and a very nice Space pen - a couple of books off DD and a cute Minions phone case - and an afternoon tea voucher off my mum (another afternoon tea to plan!), amongst other things. 

DH cooked the meal at night, so I had quite a lazy day really. 

Then today it was time to get the walking clothes out for our first walk of the new year. It was a beautiful day, but very, very cold at times. We headed over to just outside Abbey Village and walked up to Great Hill. 

There was quite a bit of ice around along with quite a bit of mud .....

As you can see, there was lots of blue sky today. 

We even managed to find four geocaches today! What a start to the year. 

And then back to the van via the woods .....

....and just time to have a quick cup of tea and piece of stollen before heading home.