Cotherstone

I arranged to meet my old friend Andy in Darlington for a catch up after work... so as I was picking the car up at midday, I had a couple of hours to kill, so I revisited one of my favourite haunts from the time I lived in the area when the girls were wee bairns... Managed to find the "secret" (unsignposted) way down to the river with a place to park... and there were no cars in the car park and in an hour there I saw one couple walking their dog. I love the natural beauty of the place - not 'quiet' as such due to the sound of rushing water, birds calling, trees creaking in the wind - but peaceful, for sure. The bird on the pic is a heron that was an accidental capture - as I put my phone away I saw it land and wondered if I'd managed to snap it! Being there did give me a longing for the wilder parts of Britain I've been lucky enough to live in / near - I like Lincolnshire, but it doesn't stir the passions like these places. Still, I can visit and enjoy periodically, can't I? - and for a daily walk the nice flat tarmac Water Rail path will increasingly be more practical than a rocky, muddy up-and-down upland ramble...!
The car is lovely of course (extra for quick snap, I'm sure she'll feature many times in future!), though perhaps inevitably there's already a couple of "issues" which I'll need to contact the selling dealer about (indicator light cover on side of car missing on one side, hanging off on the other...; can't get front seats to push forward to allow access to the back seats...), and of course there are loads of other "issues" as you get when you change car (eg took an internet search whilst pulled up at the petrol station to work out how to open the petrol cap :D, couldn't work out how to switch the interior light on, or how to turn the headlights off... etc). But generally I think we're going to be very happy together, and she's in remarkable knick for her age!
Picked Andy up and he suitably waxed lyrical about her (he's good like that), had a good chat in "22s" (Luscombe Ginger Beer for me!), his mate Russ always manages to mix "real conversation" with light-hearted, dry humour - he could do stand-up I reckon...
Then fish and chips back at Andy's with his better half Sandra, and I was on my way. Following a lay-by snooze half way back (seats are very comfortable "bucket seats" so ideal for that!!), home by 10pm - missing all the jams and road closures that were apparently out there today - took Gert 8 hours to get from Basingstoke to Hartlepool. A very satisfying day completed by finding a decent wine order on my email when I got home.