CLIMBING

 A lot has happened since I last wrote, but I want to begin by talking about climbing. I don’t mean the sort of serious rock climbing where you see people hanging on ropes dressed in protective outfits. Hill climbing is gentler, but can still be an effort. We – and I probably mean I – decided to visit the Malvern Hills a few weeks ago. For those of you unfamiliar with this feature, the hills and the town of Great Malvern which is situated below them, are part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with scenic views over both Herefordshire and Worcestershire. When I was a child we visited several times, my younger brother and I racing our parents to the hilltops and running up and down along the ridges, revelling in the fresh air and freedom. My father knew the hills well, and my parents spent their honeymoon there, although at the end of November I cannot imagine the weather being particularly good! 

But I digress. I had a sudden urge to climb the hills again, to the very top, as I had done so many years before, and while I still could. My other half had never done this, so was keen to give it a go. We managed to find one of those bargain breaks in a good hotel in the centre of the town, from where you can begin your climb almost at once. We took the route of the ‘Ninety-nine Steps’ which in itself may sound daunting. My recently purchased walking shoes took these in their stride, and the next bit of the climb took us up to a spot called St Ann’s Well, where you can sit for a while, and there is a cafe for tea and food. 

St Ann's Well

We didn’t want to linger there, and began to make our way up the long climb to the top. I say ‘climb’, and everyone we met coming down described it as a ‘climb’, but at no point to you need to pull yourself up with your hands. It’s the fairly steep gradient up which you are walking, and it becomes very apparent when, as I did, you are forced to stop to catch your breath. I had to do this several times, (asthmatic, but otherwise moderately fit,) but was so determined to reach the top that nothing and no-one would have stopped me! My other half had no such problems, patiently waiting each time I took a break.

Eventually the trees fell away and the summit began to feel closer and closer. Finally we reached it! I can hardly find the words to describe how wonderful it felt to stand in the wind and gaze out across the landscape to the horizon on all sides. There is a heady rush of exhilaration more potent than champagne ever could be. 

View east from Sugarloaf Hill with North Hill far right

We climbed to the top of the Sugarloaf Hill, which is not the highest. I didn’t have the energy for North Hill or The Beacon, which were further away and demanded more energy. We were quite happy with our views of Worcestershire to the East and Herefordshire (and Wales) to the West.

Easterly view showing Wales in the distance

View West showing The Beacon and kite fliers

Our descent using a different route, whilst less laborious, became more difficult where it had rained the previous day and was muddy in parts. Other people climbing both up and down were both friendly and helpful, one man in particular who was (astonishingly) wearing only sandals on his feet preceded us down the steepest and most difficult part of our descent, shouting out warnings and encouragement. Such people are gems. We in turn gave encouragement to others making the climb and finding it daunting. You wouldn’t want to turn back, as you would miss an experience unlike any other, and these days we need moments of sheer uplifting happiness to help us through troubled and difficult times.

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Back at home, and for the garden it's been a Summer of ups and downs, both in terms of temperature, sun and rain, and growth. In the greenhouse, the tomatoes have excelled themselves! This year I've concentrated more on 'heritage' tomatoes and my goodness they are huge and very tasty indeed. The plants themselves have been difficult to raise in terms of the June heat and a ban on using hosepipes (from May, and ongoing) meaning that all watering has been using cans which is heavy work. We spent a week in France, and are truly grateful to our wonderful neighbour Denise who single-handedly watered the tomatoes every day and saved their lives.

In the main garden it's been a bit hit and miss. My 'Annabelle' hydrangea was almost destroyed by high winds and rain in July, and it's been very sad to watch its broken flower heads lose their beauty and begin to go brown.

In contrast other hydrangeas have withstood the weather, as have the dahlias, some of which have bloomed superbly!

And speaking of climbing, my climbing rose has performed admirably:

***

I have two book recommendations for you. I read these in sequence, purely accidentally, but discovered a link between them although they are totally unalike.

The first is: 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell. I quote from a reviewer on Goodreads who sums up all of my own thoughts:

'Hard to believe there was a time when a young girl or wife or mother could be committed to a psychiatric institute indefinitely just on the say so of a doctor, a mother, a jealous sister, a father or a husband. But there was. The writing in this book is deceptively simple and oh so elegant. The characters real and complete, using flashbacks and memories. The ending... for me, perfect.'

The theme of the story sent a shiver down my spine. The world of the 1930s is nearly a century ago, when people could be unbelievably cruel and self-centred. Esme is committed to a psychiatric institute and remains there for sixty years, until the unit is closed and a relative who can take her is discovered. There's a huge twist to the story, and I found it both astonishing and riveting.

The second is: 'Kingdom of Strangers' by Zoe Ferraris. The book's description says: 'Kingdom of Strangers is a suspenseful story of murder and deception among Saudi Arabia's shaded alleys, gleaming compounds and vast lonely deserts.' 
What this doesn't tell you about the story is the struggle of a young woman, one of very few on the Jeddah Police Force, to be herself and do her job in a shuttered and repressive society. Her 'entrapment' is a kind of link to the first book. If you decide to read them both, let me know if you find the same link, and what you think - I will be most interested. Both books are superbly crafted and written, and I will definitely read them again.

Life is like climbing. You make the efforts and you reap the rewards, and it can be very hard. And then: you still have to climb down again! Look after yourselves, and I'll try not to take so long before I write the next piece.

Favourite Dahlias in July