Walking the Essex way

After spending three months in the old homeland now am back in my little corner of Essex.
We left Madeira just at the right time, you see days before we were being blown about by dear Emma, and on that same day, Emma went into a crescendo, after we left, therefore, closing the Airport once again.
We arrived at Stanstead on Friday night in a blizzard very cold quite a blow to the system was thinking that we arrived just in time for me to take Photos of the countryside.
So decided that I'd walk on Sunday big mistake we were already on a thaw out, luckily still managed to take some pics, a week later and there is still snow about.
Yesterday my friend and I had one of our walks, this time we take to the old airfield, naughty I know we are not supposed to walk through this area, from here we take to the new footpath to the Polish Camp as we walk through the path in the woods we spotted some old buildings through the trees, so of course we have to go and have a closer look and we discover the old and abandoned war camp. Oh, my God, we look at each other in shock, how come we had not seen this before, It's not the first that we walked this way.

Canico Storm in Madeira

Reis magos raging sea

Footpath in Essex

My favorite lake still is frozen 

Woods to Polish camp

Wood to polish camp

Blast from the past

old building blast from the past

Was really eerie walking through these buildings of long ago 

I wonder! sleeping quarters or storage

Walking Madeira way

My stay in Madeira is coming to an end. Its has been quite an eventful stay...Having family and friends to visit and entertain is a must otherwise I would've been very bored, but now I am ready to go home to my little corner of Essex way and my babies three months is a long time.
At moment we are in the middle  of a storm strong winds and rain, I only hope that it eases off, so that we can fly home on Friday.
 I know that good old blighty also is going through the ringer with snow and blizzards I only hope that i'll get back home without too much disruption. We had friends to stay and they went home yesterday, they were very lucky because if it was today they would've not been able to leave. Now am here wondering how long this storm is going to last....
Hubby and I were suppose to go on one of our trips, today but don't think we will venture out with this weather, we have been going to little corners of my little Island my paradise, my Homeland. Places that I had never been before, its surprising a little Island but with so much to see little treasures hidden from us all this years.
We found this lovely man Sr Manuel Macedo a very religious man with a heart of gold! High in the mountains in a place called Espigao with his own hands and own money and a little help from the locals he built this sanctuary where people can go and spend time picnicking cooking areas with tables and chairs all under cover with running water he even has fitted working fridges.
This visit has been the best one yet....

looking forward to more of the same for the next time

Walking Madeira way

I have been in my Homeland since the 12th of December, and have been and found places in my little Island that I had never visited or even heard of! When watching a documentary they mentioned the Ilha of Sao Jorge! Hubby and I looked at each other with a surprised look, island? we say to each other.....
So next day we decide to go and investigate and we find that the reason for it to be, that in the old days there was no road for the country folk to carry their produce so they had to carry it across the Ribeira (((River))) and since there was a Ribeira on either side, hence it was named the Ilha de Sao Jorge.
On Sunday I did a Levada walk with a group of lovely people that like me love nature. and once again I discover a very interesting story! that the Village that we did the walk from became very famous in 1962. The story goes that at Levada do Moinho on 21st of August 1962 3 months after resistance and strugle for the right to irrigation water, the populace that kept the water running in the Levadas do Moinho (((Windmill))) were attacked  by a strong police force in Cabo da Levada, resulting in the death of a student, Saozinha, also several people were shot and many men and women being arrested by Salazar's Political Police.
The peasants wanted to ensure the right to irrigation water, a right which was registered in the titles of property of the fields they cultivated which were obtained from the Portuguese State and paid with extreme sacrifices for over two decades, the State then wanted to deny the right that it had before recognized! So the people revolted.
On the 6 of May in 1962 faced with the insistence of the authorities to interrupt the flow of the water in Levada do Moinho the population gathered  in this square, and decided to keep guard in (((Cabo da Levada))) The people were there until the 21st of August, a date that become known as the Revolta das aguas da Lombada i.e (((the revolt of the Lombada water))) one of the popular revolutions against Salazar's dictatorship.
Afterwards the people continued to use the irrigation water in their Levadas. Shortly after the revolution of 25 of A pril 1974 the water was formerly granted to the population.
I wonder what i'll find out next! Only have three more weeks to go before I go back to my other Island at Essex way........

Walking the Essex way

So Christmas is rapidly approaching, where has the year gone? As am getting older the years are speeding by, it feels like only yesterday my girls were little and now when I look at them they have all of a sudden grown up! when did that happen?
My little darling to is growing too fast, she will soon be 5 years old am I the only one that feels like this? I suppose not!

This year we will be spending Christmas in the old homeland, not my idea I must say! It took me a while to decide, so Hubby convinced me in the end.  Jennifer liked the Idea though, to spend Christmas and the new year in Madeira, glad to say that son-in-law liked the idea too!

 I feel saddened that Miacarla won't be joining us, Christmas won't be the same without her.

Walking the Icelandic way

My daughter and I just got back from an amazing visit to Iceland. For a small Island< Iceland is really quite big! With its precipitous fjords, impassable mountain passes,tracks along the edge of rocky cliffs far-flung fishing villages, barren beaches with gritty black sand it reminded me so much of my Island also Volcanic, minus the snow and the bitter cold and bearing in mind that my Island has not had a live Volcano for many centuries.

Iceland just like my Madeira looks like a lonely little Island in the middle of the north Atlantic Ocean.... This great Island is graced with the most diverse landscape of mighty waterfalls,majestic glaciers, mountains fertile valleys, lets not forget active volcanoes, in fact the only thing small is its population consists of a mere 330.000

Its a country of extremes our tour guide was very good and with a very good sense of humor, with his stories of the volcano Hekla,  Which was once thought to be the entrance to hell. Other volcanoes like  Katia situated on Myrdalsjokull, and Eyjafjallajokull the great disrupter  of air traffic... Very hard names to pronounce I had to look it up myself! No wonder when the news broke out about the air pollution that stopped the air traffic the news readers across the world could not pronounce it. Even now the Icelanders talk about it with great merriment.

Aurora

Aurora-Northern lights

Walking the Purbecks way

Got back from visiting Sis and her family in Poole Dorset! Of course I had to drive, so glad that Sis Elsa came with me, don't think I would've driven all that way on my own.

The drive was pleasant enough on the M25 the traffic was a little slow at times but in all it was quite good. Arrived at Sis Connie's,and as usual its quite emotional a lot of hugging and laughing we feel so happy for this get together, we don't see much of each other since we both live on opposites sides of the country of course we keep in touch by phone or the internet, (((bless the internet))) 

Very lucky with the weather too! we were able to get about without getting wet or being blown about.I love Dorset with its hills and the walks by the sea wall...On Friday  my Sisters  and brother-in-law Nicholas go for a meander to Poole quay,lovely day! Love it there with all the moored boats a very busy place, then home  for more chat and a few more laughs.

On Saturday another outing this time to Sandbanks for a walk on the promenade once again beautiful day quite warm too! So we decide to have lunch there seating outside just taking it easy and enjoying the scenery, Sis Elsa has problems with her back but she did very well she walked quite a distance and thank goodness we did not have to carry her..

On Sunday we go for a trek on the Purbecks. This time Sis Elsa had to be left behind it would've been too much for her, such a shame she used to love  the walks. So we arrive at Lolworth and it starts raining so Sis Connie starts moaning that if it rains she wont be going on the walk....Mark Connie's son, was feeling a little cold but he was holding his council bless him of course Nicholas and I are more than willing to carry on, so we wait for a bit and the rain stops...I get my wish! So  we set off across the pebble beach and up some steps, then across the footpath to the Jurassic Coast so magical, I loved every step of the way least to say we had sun for the best part of the day.