15 March 2018
After the snow came the rain. It seemed to go on and on with one cold, grey, damp day following another. Walking was something to get from a to b as quickly as possible rather than an enjoyment. There was plenty of it but nothing that warranted pulling my phone out of my pocket. Today though, there was a brief dryish spell and I had an errand that took me along the riverbank. Continue reading Lovely weather for ducks
21 April 2017
In our house early starts usually mean races and it was certainly early when CJ and I left the house. We were heading for Mansbridge and a race but any similarity to a normal race day ended with the early hour. For one Commando was still at home in bed sleeping off the night shift. There were no trainers, no race kit and there would be no medals at the end. My camera was in my bag though. We’d been reliably informed there would be a whole lot of ducklings to see and I didn’t want to miss them. Continue reading Quacky races
17 March 2016
The sun was shining and it felt as if Spring was in the air so I thought a walk along the river was in order. The bank leading to the park was a mass of bright daffodils dancing in the gentle breeze. It felt like a great welcome to the river side. The tide was very low. White swans stood on the exposed mud and black swans swam in the shallow water. There’d be no point struggling down the steep jetty slope. There was no water underneath it. Continue reading Daffodils, graves and geese
As April 2013 was drawing to a close I had one more long Moonwalk training walk ahead of me. This was the big one, twenty-six point two miles. The longest walks or runs on most marathon training plans stop at twenty or twenty-two miles. The logic being, if you can make it that far, you can do the whole marathon on the day. This is not something I’ve been comfortable with and, for both my Moonwalks, I’ve trained to the full distance. Whether this is a sensible approach or not remains to be seen but it does at least leave me confident I can finish a marathon. April 26 was the day of the long walk…
Continue reading The last long walk…almost – first published 26 April 2013
19 April 2015
Our little group left Monks Brook through the gate and crossed the road at the roundabout. This is where I usually carry on along Wide Lane to Eastleigh but Bob turned to the right and began to walk towards the railway arch. There was a milestone beside a fence that I’d never noticed before, much like the one on the Main Road that I keep meaning to take a picture of and never quite get round to. Close by there was another gate between the modern housing complex called The Grange and the Fleming Arms Pub. Bob went through it and we followed. Continue reading Monks Brook Meadows a really exciting find.
14 April 2015
Not wishing to disturb the nesting swan, once I’d taken my photos, I quietly left and carried on along the bank of the lake. On the next viewing platform a duck was looking out at the water, the only other bird I’d seen at the lake. There were fishermen on the opposite bank. A little further on bluebells were growing at the water’s edge but there were no more birds or any sign of more nests. Seeing the swan’s nest had made me greedy for more. Continue reading From lonely Lakeside to raucous Riverside
