Inchcock Today: Incorporating Inchies Mammoth walk to see his beloved Mallard ducks

Sunday 15^th February 2015

I yet again sprang awake at 0520hrs this time, passed me morning medication time but still.

WD’d, then made a cuppa and a pot of porridge and took the medications.

Spent a good few hours trying to get my head around Serif Draw x6 without much progress. Doing lines on text involves many more steps than in Coreldraw9 and to delete a guideline needs six steps opposed to just selecting and pressing delete in Coreldraw.

Got missen washed and brushed up and set off on me walk to the Nottingham Arboretum to see the mallards and pigeons.

Around the first corner at the end of the street I managed to avoid whoopsiedangleplop on some Canine Nottingham Street-Art, presumably designed with the assistance of their pet hound – judging  by the ‘Spread’ of the artistic blobs the owner must have been in a rush and forcefully pulling the poor thing along?

The view looked like somehting out of an old black and white picture as I wended me way through the jitty onto Mansfield Road.

Sneaking some seeds to the pigeons as I whistled and looked up to the sky – then saw yobboes lurking near the passageway so took the long route as I didn’t feel too comfortable about the three lads drinking and shouting about something or other.

As I was walking down the road a 1962 Ford Zepher passed by, saw it coming so had time to grab me camera to take a photo of it. Gloriously memory tweaking seeing that, they were converted for Ford by Farnham Estates and very few were made. A rare treat to see one nowadays, and the engine sounded in good nick too.

So I looked ahead and took a photograph of where I had to walk to get on me way to the Nottingham Arboretum.

Straight on to the traffic lights on the corner of Hucknall Road in the distance on this photograph.

Got to the traffic lights and took a photo of the next stretch of Mansfield Road down to the traffic island at the junction of Gregory Boulevard alongside the Forest recreation ground.

A fair but of traffic around considering it is a Sunday.

The weather still a bit gloomy, but not me. I was feeling surprisingly perky at this stage, the ailments not too bad… apart from the angina but I can’t have it all ways can I now.

Pressed on singing away to meself to traffic islands and turned right.

To the pedestrian crossing you see in the picture and crossed over it and started to walk along the side of the recreations ground.

Where they are building something new for the kids, it might be football pitches perhaps.

Took a photograph of the piles of grit and sand stacked all over the old field because I thought how they looked like mole-hills… Giant mole-hills. Hehehe!

As I turned to carry on me walk no less the three police cars belted passed en-route towards the City Centre with their Blues & Twos activated.

A few yards further along Gregory Boulevard I turned down a path into the recreation ground, seeing these cars parked where they were, you can understand it, the sign is not big enough and they are Nottingham folk after all said and done!

Bless em!

I walked passed the cars and into and across the Forest ground on the footpaths you can see int picture, and up the hill to the right.

Half way up i stopped to catch me breath a bit, but moved n without resting as a rather large dog on its own was coming up behind me and showing its teeth!

Up the path opposite almost to the end of it and then I turned right up an old cobble-stone path steeply rising to the top and Waverley Street.

As I looked up the path I began to regret taking this route a bit… but the cobble stones first erected as a road  surface must have been designed so the horses could get a good grip when pulling drays and trams on the main roads.

Damp as it was, I didn’t slip on the hill at all.

When I got to the top of the hill Arthur Itis knees were complaining.

It was not too cold and there were very few folk about anywhere up here on the hill top.

I had a look at the memorial plynth for the local WW1 soldiers lost.

It’s been renovated and looked almost new – I fear with it being out of the way vandals may visit it soon with their grafitti or worse.

But I was soon recovered and crossed over and down Waverley Street passing the tram stop for the Nottingham High School buildings.

“Ah… this is better!” I thought, downhill to the Arboretum gates.

Still uncommonly quiet, so much so it made me nervous, bearing in mind I was on my way down this hill to go into the place where I was mugged last year.

Shudder!

No one about at the entrance to the grounds (Mind you there wasn’t last August either).

I emtered and started to walk down towards the duck pond and saw several squirrels on the grass near some bushes.

I took some photos but for some reason they all came out very smudgy and blurred. A bit disappointed with that, but the least bad one I’m posting here – if you could have seen them with your own eyes you’d have been fascinated like wot I was I think.

They seemed to be playing with each other like children.

Sorry about the quality or lack of I should say.

I walked through the trees where I was set-upon intentionally so as to break any lingering fears I thought.

Hobbled (And by now I Was hobbling) Down and around to the ponds edge and despite everything felt grateful that I could still get about and so many interesting   things for me to do locally – but mostly so glad I had remembered me free pensioners bus-pass to use to get home later.

I opened me bag of meal-worms ready for the Mallards and got the seeds ready for the pigeons and walked around the pond to the spot where they can get out and to the food easily.

I fed the little mites getting joy and satisfaction from dong so – I’m easily pleased.

I’m amazed at how well the mallards always seem to get on with the pigeons, cause mallards are not known for their passive nature are they?

The Aviary had now got some birds in the cages, no idea what they were but they had attracted a good few folk sat watching them.

My final visit in the Arboretum was to my favourite few square yards of unkempt land near the gates at the bottom of the hill end.

The wild flowers that grow here get me admiration for how they not only survive but seem to flourish against all the odds.

Nature at its best this patch.

I walked into town down Waverley Street and along Shakespeare Street on my way to Tesco to see if they had any cheesey seaweed in stock.

As I passed the Central Fire Station I looked up at the building – not a good idea as it happened and I stubbed me toe on the kerbside – Cursed, and .replied I was okay thank you to the kind young man with the gloves on who asked me if I was alright.

Called into Tesco, they had one packet of me seaweed left so I snaffled it.

As I came out to go to the bus stop I caught another Nottingham pavement cyclist and a few more Nottinghomians crossing the road against the lights at the same time. Naughty!

Caught the bus back to the hoppit.

Met neighbour who told me that a coach of visiting students had been attacked by a gang as it drove through Broxtowe earlier today. That might have been where the police vehicles I saw were going?

Got in the dump, WC’d put the kettle on and WC’s again? Oh dear…

I had six microwave sausages and some instant mash, followed my a lemon yoghurt.

WC’d, then started to update this diary.

Then made a big faux pas.

I took me morning medications in mistake for me night medications, well six of theeighboum before I realised. Then took me night medications with the Warfarin, but avoided those that were to be taken morning and night if yer see wot I mean like? – Tummy-ache within half an hour but still here. Tsk!

Must remember tomorrow INR tests (I’ve already put me record card in me bag ready so I don’t forget it again) Then I’m meeting Pete at 1200hrs at his bus stop in town.

Forget? Me?…

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