Beautiful Kenninghall in Norfolk

Kenninghall in Norfolk is well worth a Sunday walk if you are feeling a bit cabin feverish. It is dog friendly and the beautiful heathland is restful and refreshing. I have played with these photos a bit as I am sure you will see!
I will let the photos speak for themselves from here on it and keep it on your to-do list for any time of the year.

Classic heathland...

I think that these trees are my favourite.

I could follow this forever.

The trees have a sculptural quality

And the light is an invitation to a magical land.

I am sure that you will agree that Kenninghall is worth a visit. It has great organised parking and is not over run so a peaceful walk is possible. Pack a picnic and enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by!
Debs
xxx

Around Lynford Hall, Norfolk

Hey friends!

I have just returned from a fantabulous day out with husband Rob biking around Lynford Hall in Norfolk. Definitely recommend it if you have a couple of hours to spare. We packed a picnic lunch and set off for the wilds of Norfolk.

Take a look for yourself....

First stop was St Mary's church in Cranwich. This is a very old building but, funnily enough, that is not what made it interesting first up. It has a warning to ghost hunters on the door. Apparently, the Bishop of Norwich bans this activity across the diocese as it upsets the parishioners! Should think so too. 

I don't believe in ghosts at all, however, such is the power of suggestion that I felt a little eerie feeling inside the building. Stuff and nonsense naturally. The parishioners of St Mary's have a beautiful old church and can be justifiably proud to have it in such wonderful condition. 

Through the door and back to the outside world. 

The graveyard is old too and the church itself is in the middle of nowhere in particular. All in all, I thought that it was perfect and kudos to the Bishop for keeping silly people at bay. Rant over!

Next stop was Lynford Hall, the real star of the show today. Bikes out of the car and we set off. This was the view whilst we ate lunch on a beautifully placed bench.

The pond with an abundance of lily pads. Bit too much sun for me though.

Everything is so GREEN!

I wish that this was my backyard pond. Ours is just a titch smaller.

The house itself and some nosey Canada Geese coming over to ask what we are doing.

No scraps left from lunch unfortunately.

Very tame birds and well used to visitors I think.

Deeper into the woods now. The sun is coming out a bit and I rushed for cover. I love these tracks and I must follow them. This has been a habit since childhood.

Who could resist this.....

The only bad thing about this woodland is that it is not so big. Before we knew it, we were emerging once more into the sunlight and facing the lake.

This time, the watchdogs were a small family of swans. They came to us quite readily.

Three lovely babies. Teenagers actually.

And they all posed for the camera. Apparently studied books on swan poses and the practiced in front of the mirror.

We continued on around the lake and came to another copse. Then suddenly, this gave way to an open avenue of huge trees. Husband Rob lent a hand to give some idea of scale. Thanks HR!xx

The last glimpse of the lake.

Heather and (below) thistles and bees.

What a beautiful day and what a lovely place to spend some time. I can clearly see that the seasons are changing. The chestnuts and some of the poplars and beeches are turning golden and yellow. But when the Autumn comes, then we can do it all again and it will be totally different. Happy Days!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Debs
xxx

Wonderful Wales!

I have Just spent three days in lovely Wales. My visit was for business this time and I was in Wrexham which was pretty and friendly. Naturally there was time for a little leisure so I went walkabout with my camera. Here is the result....

Welcome to Wales - certainly was!

We took a walk Tuesday evening through the woods near Erddig Hall. Pretty with wide green vistas and crystal water trickling along and refreshing the countryside.

View through the green valley.

Pretty Wrexham.

The view towards the church. Boy was it hot - and regular readers may know that I am no fan of sunlight!

Magnificent Chirk Castle. This is the edge of the estate.

A walk up through the woods very early in the morning led us to the castle itself. Thank you to John for allowing me to explore before the hordes arrived! This was the first day of the hols after all but at 8.30am, all was calm...

Love the Welsh flag. Not enough breeze to lift it though. I had this picture in my mind's eye.......

I finally had to admit that it was time to leave beautiful Wales for the time being. Just before we crossed the border we stopped to cycle down a tow path beside the Ellesmere Canal and watched the canal boats. 
This beautiful canal has one foot in england and one in Wales so Husband Rob and I were pleased to childishly take photos of each other in different countries. Well maybe you had to be there but after living in Australia for so long, cycling to another country is a buzz! Just give me this one folks....

That is a definite earmark for a future vacation idea. Actually, rather stupidly, we had packed our folding bikes and then almost forgot about them as we set out on a 1.6km walk to the aqueduct! The car was pretty loaded with things. Remembered the bikes just in time, spent the requisite few minutes feeling silly and then cycled off on the nicest ride I have taken in a long time.

The aqueduct is a beautiful structure, opened in the nineteenth century it was built by Thomas Telford. It is 70ft high and has some of the best views around. The picture shows the railway viaduct is the one which can be seen in the photo and I am standing by the canal on the original Thomas Telford construction. That was quite a bike ride actually. There is a 70ft drop on one side and water on the other.. The path is around the width of a dining table. I am not great with heights so lots of concentration was required. 

I miss you already, lovely Wales. I will be coming back soon too.

(C) Debbie von Grabler-Crozier 2014

Sort Of Mango Sorbet

This recipe is one of the biggest sneaks that I have ever set eyes on! It is a complete fraud as far as a sorbet goes – it doesn’t even have any added sugar in it. Everyone knows that sorbet is loaded with sugar so what’s this all about? 

Well, it goes like this, mango has a lot of lovely natural sugar and if you have chosen a really ripe specimen, you do not need to add more. But one tiny warning - don't ignore the sugar thinking that because it is natural that it is all good - sugar is still sugar and this still counts on your daily intake tally.

Sorbet has a pretty special texture and trust me, you will have it without the hefty calorie price tag. And it’s easy. Let me show you what I mean.

Makes: 6-8 servings

Takes: 10 minutes plus freezing time

Nutrition: The best taste in the world and no added sugar means that this is a better choice as a slimmer’s dessert. You can have a scoop of this and know that you are only eating whipped, frozen fruit. Try it for fibre rich children’s ice lollies too.

Gather These Supplies:

3 large ripe mangoes of any variety

Here’s How:

This recipe does require some forward planning but that is usually not a problem – I am actually only referring to five minutes before bed. Grab a flat tray with a bit of a lip or a shallow cake tin and put just enough water in it to cover the bottom. Lay a piece of baking paper over it and press down so that the surface tension of the water holds the paper in place. Put it into the freezer and keep it level. Now go to bed. The rest can wait until tomorrow.

When the water is frozen, take the flesh from 2 of the mangoes, dice it (that’s the easiest way) and put it in a single layer over the baking paper. Pop it back into the freezer and leave it until it is quite solid.

When it is frozen, blend it in a blender until it is chopped up then add the diced flesh of the remaining mango and blend until it is smooth and creamy (looking!). Scrape down the sides of the blender if you have to and it may need a little fluid in the form of orange juice or even strained passion fruit if it is too dry. This can be a seasonal variation and it is quite unpredictable.

Put it back into the freezer to almost solidify and then serve it in decorative bowls. It will be too hard to serve straight from the freezer. Always remove it to a room temperature spot like a bench top at the beginning of the meal, it needs about 20 minutes to soften to usable consistency.

Variation:

Try an orange and mango version by proceeding as above but when you blend the frozen mango cubes, add a generous tablespoon orange zest and a 1/3 cup good quality unsweetened orange juice.

Remember, this is not a no sugar recipe. Fruit has sugar. But it has no added sugar so it is as good for you as it can be. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by.

Debs

xxx

Warrnambool, Victoria

On the road again and this time to show you the seaside town of Warrnambool in Victoria, Australia. Many of you will have heard of the Great Ocean Road of the Apostles fame and this town is famous for being the start of it if you are travelling from South Australia.

Warrnambool has nice beaches and good wild walks. It is a pleasing town too and it is the site of Deakin University, my old school so I have a good feeling for it. But I am not going to take you into the town this trip. I want to show you the beaches where I have had a lot of beautiful walks when we lived in Australia.

It is another trip best done by car as although there are buses and there was once a train (may be again - I haven't lived in Australia for a while now...) but when I did, the public transport links were scarce and a car was needed to get you to the places worth seeing.

Anyway, this is going to be very much a story in pictures and I am going to let the sea speak to you and tell the story for itself....

I couldn't decide which one of these photos to leave out. They look the same but yet, not really...

The textures are wonderful, the soft limestone weathers quickly and the landscape can change just as fast. There was a limestone bridge one evening near here and the next morning it had fallen into the sea, altering the iconic view for ever. The old postcards should be worth more now!

This last photo is a rather poignant memory, it is the last glimpse of the sea at Warrnambool before I left it and Australia for good.

If you find yourself in Melbourne or over the border in South Australia, make sure that you include Warrnambool in the itinerary. There are two ways to get to melbourne from mount Gambier in South Australia actually, inland or coastal. Take the slightly longer but far cooler coastal route and see the Great Ocean Road but allow plenty of time to stop and photograph. The journey from the South Australian border to melbourne takes roughly five hours, allow much more if you choose the coastal route. Worth every second though.

Words and Pictures (C) Debbie von Grabler-Crozier 2014, 2009