Stroud, Housesitting and...a thermal cookpot! What on earth is a thermal cookpot?

Preparing our first meal for the thermal cooker

The thermal cookpot arrived, so I read the recipe book and decided on a simple recipe to follow to the letter for a first attempt, so had breakfast and started on dinner, felt slightly odd but.... chicken portions in the pot, with fresh herbs out of the garden, potatoes, onion, carrot, garlic and stock. Heat to boiling, simmer for a couple of minutes, put into the outer pot and leave for a minimum of four hours. 

It was going to be longer than that as we were heading off to walk from the house, to the canal, along to Stonehouse before getting one of the slightly oddly timed trains back. 

The new canal viaduct, old railway viaduct and river Frome behind

The woman in the canal information centre was very helpful, and very enthusiastic, really good to talk to. They have spent lots of time and lots of money restoring the bit of canal near here, including building a complete new section to go under a viaduct, where the original route is now a road. Apparently there is funding agreed to complete the section so it will join with the canal network at Gloucester, the timescale however is still a long way off. It was a pleasant walk, lots of information boards as well as little signs pointing out the bend in the gas pipe where it went round a Telegraph pole, or that the smell you were smelling came from the baize factory where they still make baize for billiard tables.

We got to Stonehouse with minutes to spare or an hour and a half, so tea and cake can wait, we rushed to the station. Perfect timing. As we walked out of the station in Stroud it felt like somewhere we’d never been before, only a couple of steps and we’d got our bearings, so tea and cake, or a pint? We found the pub first....

The restored canal in Stroud

Got back to the house, no smell of cooking, but there shouldn’t be, still somehow disappointing though. Eventually, the moment of truth, open it up and there is chicken falling off the bone, along with perfectly cooked potatoes, magic. Chilli is cooking for tonight with rice in the separate top pot, hope it’s as good.

Saturday, a lovely day for the farmers market, probably as well we’d just had breakfast as there was lots of yummy looking food, so we were restrained with a tartiflette pasty for lunch, to take us back to the Alps, and a Steak and kidney pie for a later dinner. 

Sheep racing at Frampton

We followed this with a trip to the sheep racing, we weren’t racing the sheep, they were meant to be racing each other, though in the event they weren’t that bothered, but with their colours and jockeys strapped on they looked the part. The first race, the only one we bet on, only one sheep could be persuaded to complete the course and jumps, though it did stop for a quick nibble of a jump on the way down! The whole event was for charity, so piece of cake wasn’t for our benefit.... it was a laugh, and a lovely family atmosphere. Here's a link to a news article on the Gloucestershire live website about it: https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/thousands-flock-village-watch-annual-2009698

Not so much as a 'race' more a 'follow my leader'

Yesterday we walked a bit of the unrestored canal, from the source of the River Thames, well a stone saying it was the source of the River Thames, though with no sign of any water, so a bit of a damp squib really, popular though, we were one of three groups being unimpressed on a Monday morning! Found our way to a pub, at the entrance to the long tunnel where the canal path was no longer viable, so not a complete wash out!

The stone marks the source of the River Thames

Tomorrow we may look at Gloucester as we have to collect some new ear protectors for Big Ted, before leaving Bramble on Thursday. Bramble who has finally decided that it’s ok to spend a day on the sofa with us rather than hiding upstairs, who has got us completely wrapped round her little fluffy paw with her huge purr and pathetic miaows. We’ve both had quite long conversations with her as she humours us, all the while thinking just give me Dreamies.....

So plans are coming together, depart for France a week on Sunday ish with a menagerie sit, in Brittany from mid October, cats, dogs, chickens, geese, ducks, goats, a pot bellied pig and a free flying African Grey Parrot.....

The writing on the stone plaque. It says "The conservators of the Thames 1857 to 1974. This stone was placed here to mark the source of the River Thames" This is it's location: 51deg41'40N 2deg1'46W

We walked another mile south hoping to find water. This, believe it or not is the first evidence we found of the Thames. Jackie is standing in the middle of the River Thames!

We walked another quarter of a mile to what was shown on the OS map as a small lake on the Thames. This was it, not a trickle of water to be seen, but there is evidence water sometimes flows here. It's been a dry summer! (51deg41'05N 2deg0'59.1W)

This is a field, but the Severn-Thames canal used to run here and under a bridge behind that tree. The plan is to restore the whole canal, so this just shows what a huge job it will be

This section isn't quite as bad, but still lots of work

The entrance to the 2.7mile long tunnel that forms part of the canal to be restored. Apparently the centre section has collapsed and other parts need major work. 

Our pub lunch stop at the Tunnel House 

Our walk took us over this main railway line. Time for a bit of fun, we thought. We walked over and up the bank and then....

A train thundered past. Hmmmm!

Bramble cat and Jackie have a serious chat at the breakfast table

My favourite photo of Bramble cat. "Where's my breakfast?"