Sunday 27.06.2010

Ah well. At least we`re beating the Aussies at cricket.
And there`s always the tennis. Come on, Andy!

Saturday 27.06.2010

Dog had a couple of friends over for the weekend. One`s a Hairy McLairy wannabe and the other`s an indeterminate Lab cross. Neither of them can be trusted off the lead and would probably get dog into trouble as well, so the walk this afternoon was a fairly sedate affair as we ambled up the road and round a newly mown patch of the woods, dog swankily trotting off in front, lead-less.
The "Yellow`s On The Broom", swathes of cow parsley rippled in the breeze and altogether it was a very cheerful stroll.
The mood of the walk tomorrow rather depends on the outcome of a certain football match.

Monday 21.06.2010

Too cloudy for a spectacular solstice sunrise this morning but there was plenty of mystery and magic in the air as we set off for the woods at about 25 to 10 this evening, the grey cloud still dominating the sky but with splashes of pinks and blues and oranges. Didn`t mean to stay out as long as we did but it was irresistible, the air thick with summer scents, the sound of birdsong and the sight of dozens of ghostly white moths fluttering up out of the long grass.
As we came down the road towards home a couple of oyster catchers began their noisy piping alarm call and swooped backwards and forwards, not returning to their nest until they were satisfied they`d lured us several hundred yards further on.
By the time we got back the bats were out and about. Magic indeed.
If it wasn`t for the fact that I`ve work in the morning I`d have lit a bonfire and stayed out all night.

We spent most of yesterday over near Aviemore and amongst other things discovered a small and beautiful plant nursery that has what must be the best sticky cake tea room if not in the world then at least in Scotland. What a treat.
www.drakesalpines.com

Saturday 19.06.2010

If ever there was a day for taking your troubles to the top of a mountain and letting them go, this was it. Blowing a hooley at the top of Bennachie this afternoon, absolutely freezing up there, in contrast to the sylvan surroundings down below, all dappled shade and babbling brooks. Dog delirious to be there and found the most cumbersome sticks she could and at least the cold kept us moving along at a brisk rate. England, or at least that part of it which follows the football, in collective shock at the appalling game last night.

Friday 18.06.2010

Not walking but pacing, up and down, up and down, enduring the usual frustration of listening to England play football. Back from the kempt and beautiful Cotswolds to the wilds of the north-east. Walked after work last night amid cow parsley and buttercups. Cool, blustery and damp this evening,in sympathy with the football maybe, but on a lighter note managed to get tickets to see Frank Turner later in the year. Wheeeee!

Thursday 10.06.10

A gentle stroll, in flip-flops, round a classic Gloucestershire Cotswold village. Cool and damp and a strong smell of wild garlic as I climbed steep steps to the churchyard, past old lichen covered gravestones in an overgrown patch of ground, to the neatly manicured environs of the church itself, with its more recently tended graves shaded by beech and yew. The sort of place to make you wonder if there`s "honey still for tea."

Tuesday 8.06.2010

Dog on her holidays again as I prepare to trek south for a few days so walked alone this morning but it`s definitely not the same. Have finally, finally, finished the very difficult book (for a non-scientist like me) on the reading brain* and wish that every single teacher and politician would read it too. I`m not holding my breath though.

Train journey tomorrow - yippee!

*Proust and the Squid: the story and science of the reading brain by Maryanne Wolf

Friday 4.06.2010

Put in a ten hour day at work in stuffy buildings so walking this evening was a blessed relief - thank goodness for the long summer nights.
Well past nine when dog and I set off and the sun was still up but preparing to put on a good show as it sank below the horizon and turned everything pink.

Deer,rabbits,bleating sheep, noisy crows disturbed by our progress, swirling around their roosts until we passed.
Cobwebs well and truly blown away, spirits raised, dog happy - though she gave the stream a slightly wider berth tonight - and it didn`t cost a penny!

Wednesday 02.06.2010

2 o`clock this afternoon before I stopped trying to look busy in the garden. Warm by then but a very brisk breeze so dog and I took off into the woods, everything suddenly shooting up, looking green and lush. Soon the grass will be armpit high and I`ll need a panga to make my way through it but I just thank all the Gods there are that I don`t suffer from hayfever.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to dog I was carrying a small bar of soap and as we reached the stream I attacked her and gave her a good wash as - yet again - she had rolled in something disgusting and smelt unbelievable. She seemed to prefer it to the bucket of water she usually gets thrown over her but, being temporarily fluffy and `cute` looking, has spent the rest of the day hiding in case next door`s cats see her and laughs.