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Goedemorgen to you all . We would have probably woken up in Belgium this morning having dined on waffles or frites last night . I am sure that the sun would be shining as we rose . The sun has arrived here so the chances are Belgium would have been just as lovely . We would have hit the road and I would be saying goodbye to Belgium and goedemorgen to Holland . A few days would be spent taking in the delight of this flat land known as Gwlad Isel in Welsh . Aptly described as literally the Low Land . We had pencilled in windmills , Amsterdam , a museum or two , Delft factory to look at the blue and white china. A castle along the way . Instead of course I am sitting here pondering on the day and what to do with it .
I went for a swim this morning . I had forgotten how lovely swimming was . The water taking the weight of my body . Breast stroke up the 25 metre pool , Backstroke on the return . 64 lengths . A mile swam easier than walking a mile . .
Then the children came in . The lifeguard was blowing his whistle . Only it was not his whistle . It sounded wrong . It sounded more like an alarm clock going off . I woke and realised my swimming was a dream and it was indeed the alarm clock reminding me it was time to get up.
I could not make my mind where to walk . I felt devoid of ideas when Glenn came up with the plan. "How about you walk all the way down to the main road " Ok I thought but I had done that many times over the past 45 days . Is it 45 days since lockdown ? I had no idea . I don't suppose days matter any more do they ? Each day even today Saturday feels the same as yesterday and the day before . "where to next ?" I asked . "You can go right up to the big laybye and there is a path across the fields towards Tupton " "You have never done that bit before ." It sounded OK to me . A little of the same but some of the walk on a
path I had never been on before .
I don't really know what I can say about the walk other than there was an ulterior motive for the choice of walk. I had not guessed it but Glenn wanted me to take a photo of the sign of the farm which offered top soil for sale . I set off with my mission set . Downhill - a runner in front of me disappeared quickly out of sight . As I walked my thoughts as always were all over the place . The five tests - Boris needed the UK to pass the five tests before he would consider lockdown could be ever so slightly lifted. . I tried to remember them . I failed miserably having remembered the R rate must fall below 1. The R word the reproduction rate of the virus . That had already happened . The hospitals not to be overwhelmed . Number two of the five tests . I lost the will to remember 3, 4 and 5 even though at Boris o'clock we are reminded of them constantly. I reached the sign. It was not there . It was there the last
Post boxes
I found a George VI and now a very new one time I walked this way . Had it fallen into the hedgerow ? Had the farmer taken it down ? Probably the latter rather than the former . Having failed in my mission to secure the phone number I carried on walking. All the way to the path across the field . It was not the most inspiring of paths . Even the last part of the walk was uninteresting .
I passed the open shop which was whilst not doing a roaring trade seemed to have ample shoppers going in and out . I passed the school with a sign warning that anyone throwing stones would be fined . A throwback to a distant past . I failed to take a picture as the fencing to protect the children obscured my view . As I walked I pondered on thoughts about random acts of kindness . My chiropodist have pushed an envelope through the door last night . It contained a keep safe until I see you again message and two sachets of mint foot balm . Very welcome this morning .
So what about Day 45 ? It is nothing special . If you add an
E in front of it then it might just become interesting . Those of a certain age who remember Terry nappies might remember E45. Liberally rubbed all over our childrens bottoms to prevent nappy rash . It also came into its own in the elderly softening and caring for legs. Preventing cellulitis . It was and still is a useful cream.
But there is something else about the name E45. Much more interesting and up my street . Travel across Europe and you will come across it often. You will travel along its length. You might criss cross it. The E45 is the road that starts in Norway and travels through Finland, Sweden . Germany , Denmark and Austria before it ends at the bottom of Italy in Gela in Sicily . With a length of about 5,190 kilometres (3,225 mi), it is the longest north-south European route . We have driven on the Munich section . over the Brennar pass into Bolzano and on to Trento . Through Verona towards Modena , Bologna , Perugia down to Naples . Finally we have the covered the last stretch on Italys mainland down to Villa San Giovanni where the ferry crosses over to Sicily and the road picks up again . One day I hope we will travel the northern sections of the road and down to Sicily . The road does sound a lot more interesting than the cream .
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
I am also fascinated by long roads...
especially the first ones built across the U.S., not the interstates. We have tried to drive these, such as US1 down the east coast and US101 down the west coast, and US50 from the Atlantic to the Pacific. US66 is probably the most famous, which goes from Chicago to Los Angeles, so not all the way across.