Sunday Afternoon Walk

Yesterday at 1.40pm, I changed from my pyjamas and grabbed a camera and a bottle of water before driving to meet Christian and Paulette at the bridge a little further down the lane from my field.  They were wearing jackets and suggested I bring mine, but I knew I’d be fine it was so warm.   They thought it was probably 17°C and the sunshine was so warm and bright.  

We walked along the old railway track, now a lane, towards the old station building at Lanrivain.   When we got to the junction at the station something really weird happened.  There was a man coming towards us who had a big rucksack and a strangely shaped case which seemed as if it might hold an instrument. We said "bonjour" and then I asked him what the instrument was. He unpacked it and played the strings with a large feather.

I said he reminded me of a chap who wrote a book about going round the world staying with people who offered him a bed for the night and playing music.  

I bought the book a few years ago here in Brittany.  I said the author was called Monsieur Allo. He looked up and said "I am Samuel Allo!"  Bizarre thing coincidence, isn't it? 

It was a lovely walk.  They didn’t keep to their usual pace but accommodated me.   I found it the perfect speed.   As we were nearing the end a red squirrel ran across the track in front of us.  I’ve only seen three red squirrels in my life and they’ve all been in Brittany.  I was so pleased that I took my camera as I was able to take a photograph of Samuel Allo and Christian took a photo of me with Paulette.

I didn’t find it difficult, just a perfect distance and so much nicer to walk with someone than alone.  Here is a photo of them as we walked back to my parked car. 

They are only walking without me because I had stopped to take the photo – they didn’t abandon me.  

When I got into the car, I had a drink of water from the bottle I had filled when leaving the house, and then drove over the bridge and up the lane to my field.   I sat for a few minutes watching the hens and ducks enjoying the sunshine and took some photos before collecting the eggs and driving the 200 metres back home, where I sat and ate a bowl of radishes while dipping them lightly in salt – very nice.

At sunset, I drove to the field again to put away my birds and give the goats their usual two large scoops of food – they get so excited when they see me, or is it because the food bins are being opened?   I decided to drive on up to the top main road and see if I could get a good sunset photograph.  I was bit too late, but it enabled me to look at the distance we walked with the car odometer and it turned out to be two kilometers/one and a quarter miles.  OK – we’re not talking marathons here, but for a non-walker who has done nothing at all since my operation on 18 July, I feel very pleased with myself, or as the French say, “je m’envoie des fleurs” (I send myself some flowers).   One of my friends ran 10 kilometres today at Shirley Park in England, in 55 minutes and 27 seconds – but I’m still proud of me!

I drove back to the house, and about 400 metres from my land, a deer crossed the road in front of me and ran, hell for leather, diagonally across the grass before doing a huge leap over the boundary fence into the next field.  Then I came back to my woodburner and settled down in front of the television for the evening with a bowl of homemade pumpkin and parsnip soup which was really lovely.  What a great day it turned out to be.

Three things I like:

1.   Seeing my third red squirrel.
2.   Walking with friends.
3.   Being alive and well.