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Published: April 16th 2020
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Snuggling up inside the duvet it was hard to make the decision to wake up fully and rise . The sun was slowly rising above the trees . There was a hint of a chilly morning out of the sun . Walking early is a pleasure before the rest of the world has woken . Over a morning panad (the Welsh word for a cup of tea) I mulled over where to go . What direction should I take ? Head into the sun seemed a good decision . With gilet on, nose was poked out of the back door and the air sniffed and tested . It felt cold . There were signs of a slight overnight frost . The tips of the grass were silver . The car roof was glinting in the sunlight . Cool in the shadows but lovely on the sunny side of the road .
Sadly where we lives the word hills crop up a lot . Going down the hill means coming back up it at the end of the walk . Circumnavigating it one way still means the return journey will bring the walker back to the hill. It is impossible to
avoid it . So a bit of a plan hatching it was time to head off and head west . The east walk yesterday left me with the notion that east was not best . The plan had to be head west and keep heading west where the empty countryside would welcome me.
Hill House Lane does what it says on the tin . Walking down I smell the wallflowers and want to bring them and their scent into the house . The scent of wallflowers replaced within minutes with the smell of chickens , farmyards and manure . A battery chicken farm behind a dry stone Derbyshire wall .
My feet are running away with themselves . That is a problem with downhill. They want to run . My head says no . Walking is fine but going downhill I find my step quickening . Over the brook. A brook passed many times on this route . Up the old road which is no longer used . Over the stone gate into the field where no doubt cows will be put out to graze later in the morning . Now I have the field to myself .
I could walk it in my sleep . The route is there. I don't need a map. The last time I walked this way feet had travelled along it before me . The sun had not had chance to dry out the footsteps of the man who had walked the path before me . I walked a dog . The pawprints had not dried out . Today I was the first to traverse the tiny brook again and head off in search of Stubbin Court .
There it was a pretty Georgian pile. Looking like a wedding cake with fancy parapets . It overlooked the Great Pond of Stubbing . A mallard duck flew over the stone wall. Canadian Geese graced the fields . My path now would head across another field . I knew where I was heading . Across the brook , up man made steps , made to make the climb easier . Did I find where I wanted to end up . Sadly not . Too many footpaths and I had to turn round and retrace my steps . With aching ankles and knees I walked the same way back . This time heading east
. It will not defeat me . Tomorrow I will attack the route from the other direction . I will find my way round the Great Pond of Stubbing . Sometimes you get lost . Follow your nose you wont get lost . At some point you find a way out . Today though I got lost . But what a lovely place to get lost in .
So back to Hill House Lane but this time the climb that took a lot longer to negotiate . Home in time for coffee and cake . It was time to start on the plans formulated as I walked . Jam Tarts - yes I will bake some jam tarts and some Mincemeat tarts . How about a couple of custard tarts to use up the eggs ? And then there is dinner .........................
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