Curlew, from Same sea, Different Boat collection

Friend AP wanted to go for a walk today. She has no sense of direction whatsoever, so I always have to choose the route. I chose Stratford Park, because I wanted to revisit an exhibition, and walk in the woodlands.

The Same boat, Different sea exhibition was created in 2000, during the first lockdown, out of many small artworks (10 x 10 cm) created in print or textiles. They are going to be sewn into a quilt, apparently. I've included some info in extras, and I also blipped the banners last week, around the end of March, outside the museum in the park. The museum itself is not going to reopen until May, apparently.

After viewing the banners again, and vowing to look up the Laurie Lee walking trail, which I've never done, we headed off for the woodlands that flank the park, high above the A46. Wild garlic was not yet in bloom, but the aroma was unmistakable. Many well maintained footpaths crisscross each other, there are bridges across the stream, and a miniature railway which now runs just once a month (when permitted). Altogether it's delightful , paradise even, considering it's so close to town.

We returned to the main park, then I went to Tesco's, where I had to wear a headband as an ill-fitting mask, and had a fight with the self-checkout machine. (It obviously thought that my bag must be full of stolen vegetables because it wasn't light enough). We ate the ice creams I'd bought, and drank our tea in the park again, then walked around the part that we hadn't covered already. Then A headed off again, having failed to persuade me to go and move logs from her allotment to her house. I walked around the far side of the pond and home again, via the high street and a coffee shop.

I was already tired, and the morning sun had turned to fleeting rain. Settling down into bed to read a book, I soon found myself dropping off. Ah well, at least the pedometer said I had done 11,000 and something steps.

Prince Philip died today. He was the Queen's husband, and was 99. He'd had heart trouble for some time.