The Salt Way and Crouch Hill

 We have been so busy at times that getting out walking has rather taken a back seat. So when we had a window of opportunity we put on our walking boots, wrapped up well and headed out along the Salt Way.



 






On route collecting a few items for our home made wreath for the front door.





It certainly was a crisp morning but perfect for a brisk walk to wake you up and enjoy the fresh air. The fact we can just walk out from the house into countryside is a real bonus for us.













People have been telling us that we should go up Crouch Hill. So we pressed on a bit further to take in the views it gives you.



So passing a friendly sheep we made our way up the hill through a copse at the top.

It was a delight to look out north and north east. It makes you realise that Banbury is surrounded by countryside. 

We have noted that people often comment on the new housing that is being built all around the town. Just a slight sense that the town is growing and is that a good thing?
 Having moved from Sheffield, living in the inner city where the population in our local wards were as large if not larger then Banbury as a whole, we see it very differently. The desperate need for affordable housing is of course a major issue for the country. A balance has to be struck.



The view and sense of being so close to countryside is a great attraction to this old market town.









Goal achieved we headed back home through an area that is being made into a wild life meadow.




Looking at these photos you wouldn't think it backs on to housing.


















So back home and we were able to add some items to our Christmas wreath. It's made entirely from materials in our garden or from our walk, well apart form the ribbon which we can reuse.
We are quietly pleased with ourselves.











Creator God
we thank you for the gift of your creation
and to be able to soak up its beauty
and feel refreshed in its presence.

May we care for it wisely
and enable all to share its
abundance.

We pray
that we have not left it too late
to avoid its destruction
but that all nations
all people
will learn to live in 
a more sustainable way. Amen   Mark Goodhand 15th December 2022





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A new begining

Image
 It is now six weeks since we left Sheffield after 14 years living and working in the inner city.  But I need to re wind to Palm Sunday and Easter Day before I start on living in Banbury. On Palm Sunday I shared in my final service at St Peters LEP Ellesmere. It was a wonderful time with a delicious buffet that followed. The warmth of a community that I have increasingly grown to love and care about was very tangible. I will miss people and leading worship in their great worship space.  The pleasure was added to a couple of weeks later when Jill and I joined Bill at his 100 birthday party and to be invited to say a few words was a genuine privilege. There will always be a special place in my memory of St Peters, a community that welcomed and accepted everyone without placing demands upon them. They really are Christ like. Rosie , Jean and team went to a lot of trouble to make it a wonderful time. Then Easter Day saw my final service in Sheffield and it was everything I could have hoped
Read more

40 years and counting

Image
 Everyone says it and it's true "where have all those years gone?" So we decided we should celebrate 40 years. As it rained on our wedding day and only briefly stopped as we came out of church, we hoped we would get a dry day otherwise where would everyone go? We became obsessed with checking the weather forecast which in true British fashion kept changing right up to the finally day. So we managed to get two awnings to play safe. Thankfully we had a dry and sunny day so everyone could sit under shade or wander around the garden. We had a lovely cake which one of our daughters had arranged to be made. The cake  like all the food we prepared needed to be Gluten Free, so our grandchildren and son in laws, who have been diagnosed Coeliac had no worries about what they could eat. No one knew at all. It was so lovely, if somewhat challenging, to invite friends from all around the country to share the day. We were just so delighted that folk came considering it was in the summe
Read more

How inclusive is the Church ? Or your Church?

 Our five year old grandson has been diagnosed with being coeliac which explains a lot in that his growth has slowed down and so we are thankful we now know that there is something we can actively do to help. As I enjoy cooking and baking the challenge is on to make 'Gluten Free' (GF) foods for him, not least Gluten Free Bread as he is a bread lover, especially granddads. So we now have GF mince pies, Yorkshire Puddings and with a change to a recipe some excellent GF biscuits which he likes oh and some GF chocolate brownies. I did make a first batch of bread only to discover that the yeast was not GF so it couldn't be used. It's going to take us sometime to adapt what we do to ensure we enable him to be GF while seeking to make it as normal as possible. Key will always be making sure you don't cross contaminate foods when preparing them. I now have an app to check purchases to ensure they are GF. During lockdown when we were able to return to 'in person worship&
Read more