A Sunny Morning Walk

Hello Lovelies,

 after the boys were all safely at school yesterday I headed out on a two hour walk, so happy that the sun was shining as I passed familiar sights...........

And peeked through gaps in leafy green hedges...........

Along the verges tiny wild geraniums flowered...........

Wandering along a quiet lane I noticed the Oak trees are now full of leaves ............

Where as the Ash trees are still only just coming into bud............

I spotted a foot path that looked intriguing and pushed open the gate to explore further...........

The path led me past tumble down sheds...........

And pretty blue Alkanet still wet with dew............

Then I came across some steps.............

Which passed this mysterious round tower...........

then through a pretty wooded area..............

It was in top of an embankment. The path was so slippery from all the rain we have had lately I was a little afraid of sliding down its steep sides.

I was above the rooftops and I'm sure there is a good view from here in the winter...........

I had been looking at Ordinance Survey maps of my local area ( If you are in the U.K. you can find them free to view online HERE.....enter your post code and then change the map type in the drop down box)

I knew roughly where the footpaths were marked, but its often still tricky to find your way in unfamiliar areas.

Thankfully my detour came out near where I was hoping to explore and it was quiet a relief to have a good surface to head along for a while.............

 Then the path crossed a grassy area.............

And I was thankful for the clearly marked post showing me the way into a field..............

Across that field there was another gate and I smiled at the addition of bale twine to this gate with a perfectly good catch..............

How lovely, a natural pond.........a haven for wildlife I'm sure................

Walking briskly along this track I felt happy to be discovering new places and getting some exercise, but mostly I just felt glad to be able to get out into the countryside and enjoy such a beautiful morning .........

The sky was so pretty and here there was a great view towards the distant city..............

A Hare suddenly dashed out of the undergrowth right beside me. He sped off so quickly he was just a speck by the time I took this photo...........

 You might be able to spot him if you click on the photo to enlarge it.

Up until now the route had been pretty clear, but here I was confused............

The newly painted post showed a route up the side of this field, between the hedge and the electric fence, but it was so overgrown............

I tried walking it for a while but it was very difficult, with thistles scratching my legs and wet grass soaking my shoes.

In the end I decided to try a different route, but not before said hello to the lambs............

I always love to see sheep.............

Here the path was clearly marked through the middle of an arable field..............it seemed a shame the farmer had to chop down some of  his crop to make this path..............

 I wouldn't have minded walking around the edge.

I had been walking for about one and a half hours by this point and I was feeling a bit hot in the May sunshine............

I was heading towards a farm and the path wasn't marked here so I just had to walk through the farmyard and hope I wasn't trespassing.............

It was a lovely walk , if a bit confusing at times.....at the end I was happy to get back on familiar streets and relax, confident of my direction.

The Lilac bushes are so beautiful at the moment and I wish you could smell their scent lovelies, it really is gorgeous............

I lingered here a while, taking pictures, but also thinking how fortunate I am. I feel blessed in so many ways.

I have a wonderful family and the health to be able to get out and explore.

As I get older my priorities increasingly seem to be to live a simple life that gives me the time to slow down and appreciate the beauty that is all around us, but which we often don't really notice............

When I got near to home I met an old gentleman who had muddy footwear and his jumper tied around his waist, just like me. We chatted happily about our walks and he recommended some routes I haven't explored yet......it was a lovely, friendly end to my solo walk.

Jacquie x