Author Archives: Whitehall1965

Walks around Hooky

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Recently I have been testing the walking routes that will be in the revised Walks around Hooky booklet the local history group are producing. Here are a selection of images from my travels.

  • Footpath and farm track leading to Coldharbour Farm near the north Oxfordshire village of Hook Norton
  • Parched footpath leading from the north Oxfordshire village of Hook Norton towards Lodge Farm
  • Swalcliffe Tithe Barn, a 15th century half cruck barn in the north Oxfordshire village of Swalcliffe
  • A line of trees on the side of the long distance fotpath, the d”Arcy Dalton Way near the north Oxfordshire village of Swalcliffe
  • Kissing gate stile in field on a footpath near the Oxfordshire village of Great Rollright
  • Recently installed flight of steps on a footpath by Cowpasture Farm near the north Oxfordshire village of Hook Norton
  • View of a footpath passing through a barley field near the north Oxfordshire village of Hook Norton

Woodworking – a new skill

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I’ve already made two planters for the garden. Having found an unused set of wheels for my tool chest I thought I would make another that can be wheeled around. It is large enough to accommodate a grow bag if we decide not to fill it with plants.

I’ve been setting up my “workshop” before I make anything else. YouTube is great for getting ideas. In recent weeks I’ve made a table so that I can use my jigsaw inverted. As I bought a trim router table from the US my table can be used as a base for it too. Using battens and thumbscrews it makes a solid base. A circular saw track has also come out of the workshop. Now to look at YouTube again to see what I can make – a bird box is on the cards…

The finished planter….
Router/Jigsaw table and circular saw cutting track….

Garden Work

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We have had a busy two days. Last week we had a delivery of bedding plants from Yarnton Garden Centre. They have now reopened and I went down on Sunday to buy more bedding plants. We have now potted them all up and these photos show some of our efforts. There are still more plants to come that we ordered online so we are not quite finished yet. Hopefully they will be with us in the next week or so. Then we can enjoy the garden save for grass cutting and the weeding which seems to be never ending at this time of year.

This post makes a change from the doom and gloom of our “lock down” experiences!

Lockdown – Week 5

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Home made planters

Still in lockdown, but now getting used to it. I’ve been making full use of the good weather and have produced these two planters for the garden. I’ve also made another smaller one. Just wondering what to do with the rest of the wood I have. I don’t want to use it all up at once as our local DIY stores have yet to reopen. There are big queues at the ones that have opened.

Spirits still okay, plenty of food and toilet roll! At least we won’t starve, neither will Jimmy, the dog! I suppose we are getting used to this new experience, but it will be great when we can actually do away from the “social distancing”. We can speak with friends but still have to keep 2m away from them or shout across the road.

Lockdown – Week 4

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Week 4 in lockdown now underway. UK is on track to have the most deaths in Europe as now over 10,000 people here have died. We are well and staying safe in line with guidelines. Jimmy, the dog still needs to be walked, however, living in a village, there are not so many people around compared with cities. We can take him for walks and not see anyone.

It is so quiet with little traffic around. This means that we can hear the birdsong which cheers us up and gives us hope for the future. Still no sign of when the current lockdown rules will be relaxed. I can still see us having some form of lockdown for at least another two months.

We are both experimenting with cooking which is fun. The days seem to have gone quite quickly, perhaps the good weather has helped. At least we can spend time in the garden. We feel sorry for those who are stuck in flats with no garden to enjoy. It must be hard for them.

Living in lockdown….

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The UK is in virtual lock down in a concentrated effort to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. We are allowed to shop for essentials, virtually all shops have closed save for supermarkets and other food retailers. We are lucky that our village shop remains open albeit with reduced opening hours. Exercise is allowed but we have to keep a 2m exclusion zone around us if we see others whilst we are out.

On Monday I was able to get into Banbury to buy compost and others bits and pieces to keep us occupied should a “lock down” be implemented. Fortunately the weather during this past week of “social distancing” has been very sunny and mild. As a result the garden has been tidied and the car cleaned both inside and out. We are lucky in that we have a fairly large garden and have therefore spent a lot of the days outside.

Non essential car trips are discouraged as last weekend several parks and beauty spots up and down the country were overwhelmed with visitors. The police now have powers to hand out fines to anyone they consider to be breaking these new “rules”.

We are taking turns to walk the dog. As he is 15 we do not need to go so far with him. Naturally we would like to go further but it is best to adhere to the guidelines that have been put in place. From what we have read online and in the newspapers there are varying degrees of virus. These range from very mild symptoms through to death. The death rate is rising and even some with no underlying health conditions are succumbing to it. However, so we are told, the majority will only get mild symptoms.

Are we worried? Not really, but it is a niggling thought that we might end up getting it. We have to remain positive and put up with the inconveniences that have been thrown at us all in these uncertain times. Theatres and cinemas, pub and restaurants will all reopen at some point and we look forward to these days.

Coronavirus – Covid-19

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This whole pandemic sounds as if it is from a science fiction novel. However, it is not, it is actually happening. More and more countries around the world are taking extreme measures to slow down the spread of this virus. Conspiracy theories will no doubt come to the fore. Was it a scientific experiment that went horribly wrong? It is now making its way around the world and is affecting our everyday lives.

In the UK it has not yet come to lock down but it seems to be going that way. Schools are closing, students are being sent home from further education establishments. Panic buying is commonplace. Toilet rolls, nappies and cleaning products have flown off the supermarket shelves. People are stockpiling leading to shortages. The powers that be do say that there is absolutely no need for this as there is plenty for everyone.

Life for us in north Oxfordshire goes on as normal. The dog still needs walking, the garden needs tidying. It has been said that everyone’s gardens will look good this summer. We still go out to the shops for food, however, between the fridge, freezer and larder we should be able to get by for a bit if there is total lockdown. Well, I hope so!

Stay safe and well.

Sarah Outen – Home

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I don’t normally write about films I have seen, but Home is an exception. It is about Sarah Outen’s efforts in circumnavigating the world. Worldwide travel is commonplace these days but some travellers make it difficult for themselves. Sarah’s journey comprised, kayaking, cycling and rowing and was not for the faint hearted.

The film records the emotional highs and lows. It was not an entirely solo journey as Sarah was joined for parts of the trip by others most notably Gao who travelled part of the way across China with her.

Rowing was an entirely different matter, this was a solo effort and involved many months at sea crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

I watched the film in Oxford in early March. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Sarah. The majority of the questions were from female members of the audience and centred more on the emotional and hardship side of the journey. On her return Sarah did indeed suffer from PTSD which she has now got to grips with. As a male and a photographer any question I may have asked would no doubt been of a practical nature. How many memory cards did she use and what capacity? How long did it take to recharge her batteries using solar power? Did she do any editing whilst travelling?

Would I have attempted any of what she did? Definitely not, even if I was her age!

All in all an entertaining film. Did she achieve her goal? Well to find out you will have to see it when the cinemas reopen post Covid-19. However, if you cannot wait it is available to stream from Vimeo – https://vimeo.com/ondemand/sarahoutenhome

Gun Salutes

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The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery is the Army’s saluting battery and can be seen on numerous occasions during the year in the Royal Parks in London. The first salute of year was on 6th February – Accession Day, the day Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne following the death of her father on that day in 1952. Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip were staying at Treetops in Kenya when the sad news was received.

The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41 gun salute at noon in Green Park. 21 shots mark the royal occasion plus a further 20 shots as it takes place in a Royal Park making 41 in all. At 1pm the Honourable Artillery Company fires a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London. This is made up of 21 shots for the royal occasion, a further 20 shots as the Tower is a Royal Palace and a further 21 shots will be fired for the City of London.

It is a spectacular sight as the horses canter or gallop depending on whether it is Hyde Park or Green Park to the area where the guns will be fired. Some of their 13 pounder guns saw action during the Great War.

The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park, London firing a 41 gun salute to celebrate Accession Day on 6th February 2020 on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of King George VI on 6th February 1952. This was the day Queen Elizabeth II acceeeded to the throne.
The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park, London firing a 41 gun salute to celebrate Accession Day on 6th February 2020 on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of King George VI on 6th February 1952. This was the day Queen Elizabeth II acceeeded to the throne.
The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park, London firing a 41 gun salute to celebrate Accession Day on 6th February 2020 on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of King George VI on 6th February 1952. This was the day Queen Elizabeth II acceeeded to the throne.