A new footpath

This afternoon I explored a footpath up a hillside I've not walked before. It's only a relatively short stretch, leaving Park Lane through a kissing gate and cutting across a meadow then up a grassy bank towards the top of the ridge; this last stretch, through a narrow strip of woodland, took me back onto the lane. I don't often go that way because the walk starts at the far end of the village and involves a steep, very narrow lane between tall banks and hedges, with no space to move into if cars need to pass. However, it's only a relatively short stretch and the path across the field was lovely: as I climbed the bank of rough grass at the far side, the views of the village gradually improved, with a little cluster of rooftops and the church spire half hidden over the brow of the next ridge. Then, as I passed through the gate back onto the lane, I found myself on the edge of a huge, open ploughed field, richly brown under a high blue sky, a startling contrast to the dappled light under the trees.

This morning I stewed a big bowl of apples for the freezer and did more sorting and tidying; after my walk I picked rhubarb, a few courgettes, a couple of small heads of calabrese  and a pile of chard. Our evening stir-fry included lots of vegetables from the garden - cabbage, onion, a few fine French beans, cherry tomatoes, courgettes - and was followed by more of our orchard cider, which is improving by the day. J had a nice day too, with S to help her with screen printing experiments and massage.    

I have now belatedly blipped a few of Wednesday's photos from our day out to the beautiful Nyman's garden, if you have time to look back.