A Little Wander....

Well it certainly seems like August has come around quickly.  It seems like only yesterday I was watching the trees turn green and planting my vegetable patch.  Time seems to be whizzing by this year.  Don't you think the days go faster the older you get?

Speaking of the veggie patch, other than being decimated on more than occasions by a certain long brown dog, we've had loads of lovely green beans this year.  Really the only success so far, other than a few delicious peas.

The green beans are to die for and there is often green bean thefts at the dinner table.

:: YUM ::

I've loved these beans so much, that I'm certain I could live on them alone. I have found that since I started working from home I spend my days eating. ALOT. The fridge is just too damn close.  My waist line is expanding at an alarming rate.  So, I've decided enough is enough.  I need to eat less, eat better and exercise more.  I'm taking the advice of my boss, who also works from home, and I'm going to pack my lunch each day to limit my eating.  I hope this works.  Do you think it will? 

Last night, with some encouragement from Big J, I decided to take a long walk after dinner.  Unfortunately there are no nice footpaths or fields to walk through or picturesque villages close by.  Although not dangerous, our little part of town, often known as 'The Dingle' or 'Westside' is starting to decline and get run down.  Too many rentals, not enough home owners, too many people with no home ownership pride - you can definitely tell the homes occupied by the owners.  Anyhoo, I'm waffling.  To try and enjoy my walk I decided to take my camera and document the lovely things I enjoyed.

Just at the top of our street I came across these amazing flowers.

On closer inspection I realized I had these in my garden!  Mystery flowers that I nearly pulled up thinking they were weeds.  Actually initially I thought they were my dahlias, because I've never grown dahlias, but clearly they are not.  But I love them all the same.

 At the top of my street we turned to go down the alley between our street and the next. You can't walk down the street next to ours, there is no verge, shoulder or sidewalk to walk on, just a steep hill.  As sad looking as the alley may be, I quite enjoy walking down it and spying into peoples gardens.  

Yes, I'm nosey like that.

 Sally loves the alley.  Lots of unsuspecting cats to chase!  No one really walks down the alley, so the one poor cat we came across got quite a surprise.

 We came across this great apple tree in the alley.  Sadly it seems that no one picks the apples and there were loads on the ground.  Seems like such a waste.

The house next to the apple tree looked sad and shabby, but clearly occupied so as much as I would have loved to pick some apples, I thought it best not to.  I think the house is exactly the same house as ours - same floor plan etc...  It has the same shutters as our house, except sadly we only have them on the front of our house, the rest were lost and gone before we bought it.  Still, since these houses are almost 100 years old, I think its amazing it still has them all.

In fact the other day I some how came across photos of the houses on our street being built! Not our house exactly, but just a couple down the way.  All of the houses on our street are one of four or five designs/plans, our house style being the least popular.  (You can see our house on the side bar of my old blog.)  They were built originally for the executives of the Kelly Springfield Tire company in 1917.

(Image from this site.) 

I'd love to find an old photo of our house as I am so curious of it's history. I do know we are the third owner and the last owner had the house for about 75 years.

Sorry about that, got off on a bit of a tangent there waffling on about houses and such.

So we're heading down the alley now.

It's steep and slippery. I like to walk on the bricks in the middle.

 Once we're out of the alley we head up to Cleveland Street.  Past some very run down unloved houses, you know, the sort with the sofa on the front porch and a dozen broken toys in the yard. I'll spare you the photos of those - well actually I didn't take any!

This little street call Cleveland, makes me forget we're in the city and think we are actually out in the woods.

 We stop for a quick photo of my boy and the dog.  I realize I have so few photos of my boys anymore.  They tend to run for cover when they see the camera, so I grab the chance for a quick snap.

Sally's enjoying a little break.

The woods on Cleveland were full of mozzies and gnats.  Both of which I dislike immensely.  Mozzies 'cos they treat me like some sort of buffet and eat me alive and gnats 'cos they love to dive bomb into my eye!

 Much to Sally's delight we come across some of her furry friends.  Well, she'd like to make friends with them, they of course think otherwise and run for their lives.  We snuck up on this one.

 After more than 20 years in this country I still get excited about seeing squirrels in the wild.  Which reminds me, I must post about the squirrels we met when we were in Washington DC a few weeks back.  Friendliest squirrels EVER.

I love these trees across the street from where the squirrels were hanging out. I think they are American Sycamore trees, but I"m not certain. I love the bark. It's white and peely and has a lovely soft velvet texture.

 We're heading down Cleveland now, back to our street.

Do you see the brown house?  It's the first house in the black & white photo above.

Nearly home.   

 Back home at last. 

My rather messy flowers are starting to look very colourful.

 Well I hope you enjoyed that little wander and ramble.  Thank you for coming along and listening to my nonsense. Very brave of you.  As I said, nothing particularly picturesque, but still a nice little walk.

Happy August!

Toodles...L x ♥