Walking, without a dog

I woke in my own bed this morning, with a black cat instead of a white dog. And CleanSteve was there too! Was it all a white Easter dream: the white cotton sheets, the white house, the white dog?

I walked down to the supermarket to get some goodies for breakfast, then we read the Sunday papers and decided to go for a little drive/ walk. I chose Chalford, by the canal, because it's flat, which is good for Steve's ankle. I also have happy memories of walking in that area when my sister TMLHEREANDTHERE rented a cottage at Westley farm, on the hill, near there. Her girls were just three and eleven then, and we used to live running through the woods in our PJs and bare feet when we heard the sound of the approaching train. The cottage was named Jackdaw and the over-railway bridge is Jackdaw bridge. We never made it in time to see the train pass underneath unless we happened to be sitting there already!

Happy Railway Children days with my nieces who are now seventeen and twenty-five. Eek. The owner of the farm, Julian Usborbe, died recently. He was well loved, and I hope the unique holiday cottages will continue to be rented out.

Today's walk was a little chilly, but I loved the flowers appearing along the banks of in the canal, as seen here. I was saddened not to have a little white dog galloping ahead of me, because I've grown accustomed to her face an her waving plumed tail.

We tried to visit the new local pub, because it has reopened as a Real Ale pub, but it was not to be. Closed today because of some licensing issue. I hope to try it another day. And speaking of another day, I notice that it is now Monday and I must awa' to my bed because I have to go back to work today.