A perfect winter's day

We get up a little later this morning, around a quarter to eight, it must have rained and then hailed in the night, because the garden path is frozen and studded with little pellets of hail. It is a clear, cold morning and promises to be a nice winter's day. The glands in my neck are down and the sore throat almost gone, so with luck, I should be getting back to normal. After breakfast we collect Dolly and Teddy, park in our usual spot and then set off into the woods, Teddy and Norman let off the lead. Normy is walking gingerly at first, so I check his paws to see if he has picked up a thorn or a stone, but there is no sign of damage and a few minutes later he is running happily across the meadow, that the kids call Telly Tubby land. That's because Newbegin Pits are where chalk was quarried by hand in olden times and the mounds of debris have become grassed over, which giive it its unique, hillocky character. There is just a hint of a northerly wind and the sun is shining brightly out of a cobalt blue sky, high pressure dominates the weather and we have a picture perfect winter's day. The ground underfoot is still frozen, except where the trees have sheltered it from the frost, so the walking is clean and easy too. I put Normy on his lead before Black Mill, as I want to walk to Burton Bushes this morning and enjoy the fine weather, and the old guy might just vote with his feet for a swift return to the car. We walk past the gorse bushes, which retain their yellow blossoms all year long, and then make our way by the Western edge of the common. Blackbirds are feeding on bright red hawthorn berries in the trees, the frozen ground denying them their usual fare of worms and grubs. When we arrive at Burton Bushes I sit on a bench in the lee of the wind and enjoy the pleasant feel of the sun on my face, Norman sits next to me, resting his little legs and the terriers watch a couple with a white Jack Russell follow in our footsteps across the common. As they get closer, I recognise the dog, his name is Milo and he belongs to a friend from the running club, Elaine Julien, she is accompanied by another running club stalwart, Pete McNally. Pete is a couple of years older than me and seems to have taken Elaine under his wing, since her husband died in the summer. Elaine tells me they walk two or three times a week, and she seems much better in herself, than when I last saw her. We walk with them down the hill and then part company as they climb up towards Black Mill and we make our way back to the car. We have been out for over two hours and the fine weather and seeing friends, has lifted my spirits. After dropping Dolly and Teddy back in Cherry, we call at Morrisons to buy cleaning products and a French stick, before returning Louis' book to the library and collecting a Cormack McCarthy novel that I had reserved online. Lunch is goat cheese salad and the remaining Parmagianna, that I warm in the microwave and then share with Norman. We both rest for an hour and then refreshed, I bake a fresh batch of oaties and give the kitchen a good clean, before vacuum cleaning the hall, bedroom and Garden Room. Normy has dry dog food for dinner, as he ate a lot at lunch time, as well as his full English this morning. At seven thirty we set off for our walk, the sky is clear bright and starry, but it is a cold night, the pavements are like an ice rink and Norman cunningly leads me in a circle, that takes me back home after fifteen minutes. After his long walk this morning, he is allowed to skive off tonight, although I would have enjoyed a longer stroll. I must be feeling better.