A step into Autumn

An 8:30 start. Up the hill to be driven by Anna off to the edge of St Leonard's forest with Anton. As we drove, we listened to a CD of nursery rhymes, as the babies were also in the car.

Anna dropped us where we had to stop our walk due to my migraine a few weeks ago. Today was very different, fortunately, and we walked into a perfect English autumn morning - warmish with a hint of mist. We walked for hours between woods and through fields and down country lanes. The woods tapping with the sound of falling acorns, conkers and various nuts including sweet chestnuts. I collected a pocketful of these to take home.

The trees are though still predominantly green but the bracken was rusty orange. And we came upon lots of molehills too, with fresh turned soil the colour of milk chocolate.

Fairly incident free walk, apart from Anton feeling hounded by dogs, and one of my knees feeling a bit ropey. Anton had a new gadget to distract him too: a big bag inside his rucksack containing litres of water, with a tube that led to his mouth so he could gulp from it like a Fremen from Dune. A new gadget has to be used, which meant we had to keep pausing for Anton to pee in the bushes. I, meanwhile, was wearing my birthday present rucksack which was hugely better than my last one.

After about 11 or 12 miles we stopped outside a pub called Ye White Heart Inn in a village called Cuckfield. Here we drank two rather fine pints of Sussex bitter before getting a taxi to Haywards Heath station where we caught a train home.

Once home, I had a nice siesta and a shower before heading off to Lorraine's house for some very nice Sunday fare before we zoomed off to see The Invasion (a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and- I found this nonsense to be very enjoyable. Some of it filmed in Baltimore (city of crabs) which I recognised from my visit a couple of years ago. Fun to be had stalking up on Lorraine like a bodysnatcher in the foyer afterwards.

Below two glimpses from the walk... And the end in sight: Cuckfield.