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30 May 2009 11:44 PM

This morning, after awakening later than normal, I put my head through the bedroom curtains to see what the weather was doing and, to my surprise, it was a beautiful day so I made a conscious decision, as soon as I could, to go out for a walk.

It was 11 a.m. when I reached the site of my choice and it was already 23 c or about 74f. When I stepped out of the car, looking up at an almost cloud free azure sky, there seemed to be a peacefulness in the air that was difficult to describe. 

The fields, in front of me, with lush green short grass, were occupied by sheep and lambs.  On this occasion, although I usually see it, there was no 'herding'  instinct for the lambs had now distanced themselves from the adult sheep that were grazing in twos and threes in the centre and ends of the large field.

A quick scan, over the fields, with my binoculars, found a lone Oystercatcher.

Behind me, as I sat and relaxed on an old wooden bench, I could here the one note call of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. It was a privilege to here the bird for I had only managed to learn this call today, from the Woodpecker that keeps visiting my garden. 

Along with the single note of the Woodpecker, Chaffinch seemed to be calling none stop.   

The peace and tranquillity, while sitting on the bench that was in the centre of the car park, was soon shattered by a sudden upsurge of banging car doors from vehicular movement as cars began to leave the car park. 

I decided to move on and made my way to the nearest lake.  Today, there were few midges to bite me so I was able to get close to the water's edge.  Here, it was a few degrees cooler and I took full advantage of the cool air coming from the water's edge by lingering for a while.   

By now, it was about Noon and I was surprised to see that there was still lots of 'morning dew' in the different grasses.  In 'sun traps,' the grasses were drying out and the smell, from the grass, reminded my of Seaweed that was drying out after being stranded by a turning tide. 

Moving away from the lake, now with my summer Fleece coat tied round my waste.  I decided to walk in the shadows of an avenue of trees that were growing at either side of a lane I was to  walk down; here, it was much cooler.  Thousands of seeds, from Dandelion stalks, gently floated on the wind free humid air and, through breaks, in the tree lines, the sun broke through and butterflies flitted from one nettle to the next.

Chiffchaffs, which started to sing at 4 a.m., seemed to be everywhere. 

Mixed in with the trees, there were shrubs and several slow growing Hollies trying to find a strong hold.

Mud, thrown up from a tractor, which had driven over a dry surface, lay in front of me and, as I tried to negotiate my way through in comfortable shoes I  only 'Spit and Polished' yesterday, the mud began to stick to the bottom of the shoes. 

The sound of Willow Warblers came to my ears making me forget the head ache I had picked up from the smell of the ripe and yellow 'Rape Seed' that was in fields all round me.  This kind of seed grass, when it is in its yellow canopy, is a beautiful sight but does little to free my tightening nasal passages. 

In shaded areas of the lane, I was going down, the white flowering Cow Parsley, we called, 'Mother Die' when we were children, lined the lane. 

Today, for some reason, there were lots of young lady dog walkers to be seen and several of them-in clothes designed to give maximum tanning space-felt the need to stop and chat.  One of these ladies, in a matter of minutes, told me her daughter's life story, how many grand children she had, what her husband did for a living and the locality she lived in.  Forty yers on, from the time I began to go out walking in the country, it still surprises me how friendly people become when the weather turns sunny warm.   

I moved on to an area where there were a few old mature 'native trees' and I came upon a tree which had one of its branches removed.  The tree, after losing one of its arms, did not repair itself and where the branch was once attached to the tree, a hole appeared.  Just as I came close enough to be able to see into the tree's hole, with the aid of my binoculars, a Chaffinch came out of the hole but I could not see a nest.

While writing a few notes, for my blog, I heard three articulate men talking.  Initially, I was drawn to their voice patterns from one of their party who was a Scotsman.  I love dialectal speech, but, in this case, my ears tuned into their conversation for their joviality, open mindedness and their ability to listen to the other man's point of view. 

Usually, I am the one to speak to others but, in this case, I did not get the chance for the men were keen to know what I was doing and before I knew it, I had been accepted into their group and the four of us were soon passing banter as if we were old friends

I could have stayed with the men all day for not only were they interesting to listen to, they had 'drunk from the fountain of life' and learned many things I could have never know about. 

Having said that, the past, they referred to, was only a vehicle of life's highs and lows and today began a new chapter in their lives and tomorrow was another exciting time to come. 

Their new learning curb, now that the work related time in their lives was out of their way, had moved in directions for pleasure and quality of life.  They were men of 'my own hear' and I love to be in the company of such people.

Almost dragging myself away from the men's good company, for they were all characters in their own way, I moved on to an overgrown area that lead to a wide expanse of fields and woodland.  I stood, on a high part of the area, and reflected on the beauty in front of me.  The farmer's crop was tall and strong and the tree line, I could still see through a month ago, was now packed with foliage, so thick, one tree seemed to blend into the whole wooded area. 

Before turning to go back to the area the car was in, I drank in the smells and scents that were wafting, on the breeze, in my direction.  The brain encoding, as I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, was so stimulating that I could have been forgiven for thinking that it was the first time I had benefitted from the wonderful happening. 

It had been my intensions to walk into a wood, where it was much cooler, but time was now against me so I 'turned on my heels' to go back.

My walk back to the car park, now slow to conserve my cool body temperature, for I was not carrying fluids, was completely different to when I came onto the site. 

My return journey was one of feeling the need to keep stepping onto the grass verge, of the lane I was on, to avoid lots of mature cyclists that were all 'decked out' in the latest 'kit.' 

How different things were, in my cycling days, when I used to cycle across the fields, in everyday clothing, with only string round the bottom of my trousers to prevent the material getting caught in the cycle chain. 

The look of the modern cyclist was not an issue for me for no matter who they were or what kind of journey they were making, they were enjoying the countryside, in their own way, and, more to the point, they were not defacing the beautiful areas they were venturing into. 

Once back in the car park, now in the shade, my pre planned parking had paid off for the car was still relatively cool when I buckled up my safety belt before setting off to go home.

I thought that would be the end of my blog but there was more to come.  While I slowly drove home, through narrow lanes, I took in all the sights and sounds that were all round me.  In the distance, geese were honking and the strong smell of the 'Rape Seed' kept my nose twitching all the way home.

Due to driving as slow as possible, I kept a keen eye on the car's mirror.  One second there was nothing behind me and the next there was an open topped vehicle with a young female in the driving seat.  The young driver's passenger was an old lady that could have been the driver's grandparent. 

It was clear to me that the driver, behind me, was keen to put the car through its paces and, at the earliest and convenient place, I pulled into the side and let the car go on.  As soon as the car had overtaken me, I pulled in behind the overtaking vehicle and watched as the driver accelerated away from me until it was out of my sight. 

I could not help thinking, if I had had the same opportunities, as the young driver, what I would have done if the driving experience was reversed.  My guess is, as the wind blew in the warm air, off their open topped vehicle, that they were enjoying the risk free drive just as much as I was in my sedate 'super mini.'.

By for now,

John.         

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