Stepping stones

Thursday
Roger and I had an early start this morning as we had to pick Philip up from the airport. With his ROTC/Airforce training of recent years Philip hadn't been to England for six years, other than a brief visit in 2005 for my Mum's funeral. Since he is now in e regular job, and with his grandma's birthday being on Saturday, we thought it would be a good time for him to come over. He's only coming for a week, since they're a bit short-staffed at work at present. We had decided to make it a surprise for Roger's parents - he's going to be sleeping at Roger's sister Janet's just down the road, so as not to make any more work for Edna. We left a little earlier than we really needed to, as we wanted to be out of the house before Edna got up, so we didnt have to explain where we were going! When we got back to the house, we rang the doorbell, and Bernard came to the door - I should have had the camera to capture the look of surprise on his face! It took Edna a few seconds to realize who it was, since he's obviously changed a bit in five years! So we had some breakfast, then we took Philip down to Janet's so he could leave his suitcase and have a shower, then Roger, Philip, Bernard and I went to Tegg's Nose Country Park near Macclesfield for the rest of the day to do some walking. We've been to Tegg's Nose before and had similar weather then - very grey and overcast, which is a shame since there are wonderful extensive views from up there. It was also pretty cool and blustery - it made you think about what winter must be like up there! It must have been a bit tough for Philip, who had just flown in from New Mexico, where he is currently based! We went for a good circular walk down into the valley then back up - we had to take it easy on the way up, since Bernard was struggling a bit. But we made it, then went for a late lunch at the Cat and Fiddle on the Macclesfield-Buxton Road. The Cat and Fiddle Inn is doubly famous, both as the second highest inn in England, and by giving its name to the A537, the Cat and Fiddle pass over the hills that separate the Peak District's Derbyshire Dales to the east, from Staffordshire and the Cheshire Plain to the west. It has become a popular refreshment stop for walkers, cyclists, mountain bikers, and the motorcyclists who come to enjoy the twisting road from Buxton to Macclesfield.

One year ago: "Why did the geese cross the road?"