19th February

22000 steps I took yesterday. **22** thousand (and fifty, but who's counting?)!!!! It's no wonder I slept like a beaten up log last night!!!

We were out and about with T and G. Our plan, I think, was to walk the length and breadth of Sheffield. And we very nearly succeeded! After a leisurely start to the morning, in which TB and I ate tomato and mushroom fritatata, followed by toast with homemade jam, and then I stitched and TB read his book, T and G lobbed in about 11:30. F and M (who had come back to our place on Saturday evening) declined the invitation to join us. So off we headed to the Heeley City Farm, a small-holding and market garden hidden away in an inner city suburb a mile or so from the city centre. It's not much above a mile and a half from our place and I've never ever been. Sent T and G on a reconnaissance mission a couple of weeks ago. And it's fantastic. There are sheep and cows and goats. There's a very friendly ginger goat that gets taken for walks on a lead! There's a huge big enormous pig that I scratched behind the ears. There's a large black Shire horse called Blaze who has an arthritic hip and can't trot on hard ground. He has a littler, fluffier horse companion. There are fluffy chickens and bunnies and ducks and geese. One of the geese seemed to decide that the young volunteer washing out food bowls was nicking its dinner and chased her out. She hopped over the fence very smartish! We had a lovely time patting the animals and wandering about. They also have a garden centre. There's also, apparently, a new shop but I didn't run across that -- or not that I noticed. I think we may amble back in a few weeks and buy some herbs and small shrubs for the courtyard and the allotment. They've loads of interesting things. I'll have a hunt for the shop as well. I'm given to understand that they sell seasonal vegetables and eggs.

There are some houses across from the farm that are up for sale. Might have to buy one. How cool would it be to wake up a mere mile or so from the city centre, look out the bedroom window and see sheep in a paddock across the road?!?!?!?!

So. The farm having been explored we ambled into town and along to the Riverside pub. They do fantastic food at the Riverside - though the last time we were there the carrots left a good bit to be desired. Not this time, though. And the buttered cabbage was sublime. The meat is locally produced. They sell local real ales and not local real ales and ciders. T's friend Rob joined us for lunch then disappeared again. I was roundly defeated by my plateful of food :-( Then we headed off to the Fire and Police Museum. I've been past it numerous times and never thought to go in. In fact, the opportunity to go in doesn't always present itself for it is only open on Sundays. It's ever so cute (though you wonder how anyone ever thought to open such a museum!). It's run by retired and active fire officers and has some fantastic old fire engines, including a horse drawn one and a steam powered one. There's a lovely little model railway, complete with disasters at which the fire brigade might be present. A crossing accident, say, or a plane ploughing into a mountainside. Somebody must have made a donation to the cause, because if you do a sparky young man will drop down the *enormous* fire pole. Very quickly. Buggered if I know how he stopped before he crashed into the floor two storeys below. It was great fun. We must go if you're ever out this way!

We dropped into the Old Queen's Head on the way home. TB and G had never been in there. It's a nice pub. It's the oldest commercial building still in use in Sheffield and dates from sometime in the mid 15th century.

And so home, via a quick explore in the wildlife wilderness across from Waitrose and an amble through Broomhall. Tea and wine, then T and G went home. Neither TB nor I were hungry really so I took the last two crusty rolls out of the freezer and we had them with blue Wensleydale cheese and some homemade chutney. Hmm. The last two rolls. There's no bread. Hmm. The supermarkets have closed, it being Sunday. Bother. Nothing for it but to bake a loaf of bread. Which I did. You would have found us later in the evening munching warm bread straight from the oven with some of that blueberry jam I made when I ran across some punnets of fast fading blueberries in a shop one weekend last autumn. Very nice. We've got the rest of it for lunch today (but without the jam which would be silly with a tuna salad!). Home made bread is really very nice. Don't know why I don't bake it more often. A nice quiet evening. Fell asleep in front of the telly. Must have been the effects of the warm, yeasty bread!!!!