Pooh pilgrimage
Up at 7:30 this morning to gird my loins to be ready for Anton at 8:30. Leaving Lorraine, on the first morning of half term, in bed.
Anton drove us off to Ashdown Forest where we walked about without pause for about three hours or so. A beautiful day for walking, coolish with quite a bit of sun. Great to be walking (brisk walking is Anton's new fitness tip and he has been doing lots of it in the Cotswolds and other places lately). There is something great about just sloping along and chatting, as we passed into woods under tree canopies, sandy paths lined with gorse, past a small recently burnt bit, across buttercup fields, the path of a disused railway, where with nothing in sight for half a mile in either direction we had a judicious wee in the bushes, only to discover that a poor woman was sitting tucked away on a bench about ten yards away. Also crossed Pooh bridge, with a little clot of tourists there looking down at the penny coloured water. Discussed lots of stuff that needed discussing. I was very grateful to sink into the seat of Anton's beamer in the Piglet car park as the last leg was all uphill.
Anton drove me home, I had a shower and Lorraine had returned from dropping off our old lawn mower to Laura and Braheem. Rested legs for a bit and talked to Lorraine, then we jumped on a bus to Hove to meet Krys, and to look at some open houses. Lorraine bought me a charcoal picture that I loved as soon as I looked at it, a snip at £35. It is called Heart shies away from sorrow, by Billie Eliot Turner, a young illustrator.
Then we spent some time in a house specialising in ceramics, stoneware pots and so on. Gorgeous stuff there. Krys bought a few bits in there.
Then we went to The Better Half to meet Betty for a bite to eat, after all that walking a lager was a many splendored thing. Home by bus, and a bit of TV before bed.
Below various scenes in and around Ashdown Forest.
Anton drove us off to Ashdown Forest where we walked about without pause for about three hours or so. A beautiful day for walking, coolish with quite a bit of sun. Great to be walking (brisk walking is Anton's new fitness tip and he has been doing lots of it in the Cotswolds and other places lately). There is something great about just sloping along and chatting, as we passed into woods under tree canopies, sandy paths lined with gorse, past a small recently burnt bit, across buttercup fields, the path of a disused railway, where with nothing in sight for half a mile in either direction we had a judicious wee in the bushes, only to discover that a poor woman was sitting tucked away on a bench about ten yards away. Also crossed Pooh bridge, with a little clot of tourists there looking down at the penny coloured water. Discussed lots of stuff that needed discussing. I was very grateful to sink into the seat of Anton's beamer in the Piglet car park as the last leg was all uphill.
Anton drove me home, I had a shower and Lorraine had returned from dropping off our old lawn mower to Laura and Braheem. Rested legs for a bit and talked to Lorraine, then we jumped on a bus to Hove to meet Krys, and to look at some open houses. Lorraine bought me a charcoal picture that I loved as soon as I looked at it, a snip at £35. It is called Heart shies away from sorrow, by Billie Eliot Turner, a young illustrator.
Then we spent some time in a house specialising in ceramics, stoneware pots and so on. Gorgeous stuff there. Krys bought a few bits in there.
Then we went to The Better Half to meet Betty for a bite to eat, after all that walking a lager was a many splendored thing. Home by bus, and a bit of TV before bed.
Below various scenes in and around Ashdown Forest.
Comments