If you go down to the woods today...

Another day spent mostly outside.

David, and Alan's support worker Blake started the day by taking our old garden dining table and chairs to Blake's house, after he won it in the draw we did on 18th May.  His wife wouldn't let D take it till Blake had tidied the garden!  :-) I am so glad they can make use of it as there's plenty of life left in the set yet.

When D was taking the cushions for the garden set from the storage box he discovered the start of a wasp's nest at the bottom of the box, so called the local pest controller who said he would be with us in the afternoon.

Bagels with bacon and maple syrup for lunch followed by something a little  more healthy, delicious honeydew melon.  Lola helped us out with the melon.  Had to put the sun umbrella up as the sun was so hot.

Came indoors when the pest control man arrived.  I'm a bit phobic about wasps.  Didn't take him long to remove the nest as it was just the size of a tennis ball.  He showed D the wasp nest he'd removed from a client further up our road this morning.  D says it was enormous!!  Apparently our road keeps him in business.  The wasps seem to like it here.  

D had a singing rehearsal at 7.30pm so the plan was he would drop me off at Ele's while he was at his rehearsal and I would finally get to see her new kitchen.  She wants me to do a painting for her downstairs loo, which has recently been re-decorated so I also wanted to see the colour of that. 

We set off five minutes later than planned at 6.35pm.  Got on to A9 a few minutes later and had driven about a mile when the traffic came to a complete standstill just before Blackford.  It was clear we wouldn't be going anywhere.  A few minutes later the sound of sirens could be heard and two fire engines and two police cars sped past.  No ambulances but I assume they would have come from Larbert as Forth Valley Hospital is much larger and better equipped to deal with trauma victims.

As we sat there in the beautiful sunny evening I couldn't help but think of those involved in the crash and hope they were ok.  How life can change in a blink.  And I shuddered to think if we'd left on time, the crash might have involved us.  It's why I never get annoyed when we get held up because of an accident.  There for the grace of God and all that.  

The outside lane was moving slowly but only because traffic was turning off at the Blackford junction, which is exactly what we did.  Change of plan.  

As we were both geared up mentally and physically to be out, we headed back to the house, collected Lola and headed to our local park where we parked the car and took the circular walk through the woods.  When we moved here in 2012 it was just a dirt path through the woods, popular with dog walkers and joggers, but a few years ago the council laid a proper tarmac path making it accessible for prams and wheelchairs and cyclists. I'd never been along the path before and was very excited to go through the woods and see all the lovely wild flowers and sunshine through the trees.  I asked D to grab my camera when he went indoors to collect Lola, which he did.

As we headed into the woods the beautiful scent of the gorse bushes was intoxicating.  A reminder of my childhood :-)) We hadn't gone far till we met the first lot of tiny wildflowers carpeting the wood's floor.  Camera to eye...click...nothing.  Damn! (or a word like that) Card still in laptop at home.  Sigh.  Oh well, phone would have to do.  And it did.  

What a wonderful walk it was (some more pics in extras)  Lola was very well behaved and walked beautifully, well apart from when she saw two bunnies in a field and was desperate to chase!  I was in seventh heaven seeing so many beautiful flowers and trees and ferns and cows!  Yes, there was even a herd of cows who came to say hello, thankfully from the other side of the fence :-) And all the beautiful fragrances in the air.  I was sniffing as much as Lola! 

The walk took us in a circle back to the park.  The sun was very low by this point and the temperature had dropped (we'd stupidly left our hoodies in the car as it was so warm when we set off) so we were glad to get into the car and get home for a cuppa.  

It may have been my first time on the walk, but it won't be my last.