Overlooking Rodborough

The two Zoom events planned for today were both cancelled, for various reasons, and I admit I felt free as a result. The walk scheduled for yesterday had been postponed until today because of the weather, which was much more obliging today. Sunshine, without being baking or uncomfortable in any way.

I went through town to the bus station, where I met a friend and we walked at a great distance from each other to a track that leads across buttercup filled fields to a farm. At the top we paused to admire the views over the
Painswick Valley, before heading off through a little housing estate in the suburb know as Farmhill. We'd planned to walk back down the road to Paganhill, and thence to Stroud, but I suddenly remembered that I used travel along a footpath across Callowell fields, that ends up in Stratford Park, so we chose to take that one. Along the way, where the path is very narrow, we met a young postman, and all had to get out of each other's way. I decided to pretend that I was a bull and he was a torero... it's week six, remember?

We stopped in the park for a bit. The play equipment was taped off, but the bench wasn't. We sat on it. Much hand sanitising. It was a long bench. Maybe not two metres.
After wandering gently through the park, smelling the wisteria outside the mansion, we found ourselves near Tesco's and braved the one way navigation system to go in and buy just one newspaper. That was OK for one item. Said goodbye to friend and did more shopping in Stroud town, including some mince and jars of pasta sauce for someone who turned out to live on a steep hill, not even remotely near where I live! I slogged up the hill, and found the tower blocks where she lives. Stroud doesn't have many, and the layout of the estate was confusing, but I found someone who let me in to a block, and handed over the goods to the woman. She can't go to Iceland herself because she has two young children, and children are actively discouraged from entering supermarkets. Not everyone has a nanny... life is difficult for so many right now.

I walked home by going further up the hill, down a little footpath, up a road, down through the old cemetery, and along the path by the allotments. All in all must have covered several miles today, but it never felt arduous.
The walk and the socially distanced company did me a
power of good. Doubtless my phone was tracking my every move. I really must be careful about shopping, though: Monday's shop was for someone local, but included very heavy items. Today's shop was for someone well out of my area. Fine if you've got a car. Daft otherwise, as I found out.

At least I got a good view over the Slad valley along the way. In fact I saw four out of Stroud's five valleys today, the Painswick, the Nailsworth, the Slad and the Golden Valley, where I live, and no one can ever agree on what the fifth one is, anyway!

Today's shot is pretty terrible, but the sunlight was very bright and I was enjoying the walk too much to keep stooping!