Of exercise and endorphins

Today has been so much better than it promised to be - it didn't rain, the sun even appeared briefly, it was windless and calm, and the effort of getting on the leggings (don't try to picture this) and dragging myself out to be on time for my lift to Pilates class proved to be utterly worth while. Our class was perhaps unwontedly jolly for a Pilates session - all these grandmas behaving like 15 year olds, laughing immoderately at each other with such unanimity that the sound, amplified by the acoustics of the studio, was like a great bark - but we were all still smiling as we left, even though some of us (eg me) found standing on one leg while giggling rather ...trying.

Once home, I did some extra Italian, finished by reading a chapter of St Matthew's gospel in Italian, and phoned my oldest friend who was at school the year below me, played with me in the school orchestra, sang in the madrigal group, went to university at the same time and sat in the English lectures together - and now does much the same in our sister church in Bute as I do in ours. A strange twist of fate, but one which means we can say more or less anything to one another and be understood...

By now Himself was in from his Pilates class; we had something to eat and then seemed to fall asleep alternately, snoring away (Himself) till after 3pm when we shook ourselves and went out into what looked like a better afternoon to the south. We walked over the Ardyne farm road as far as Knockdow, the Russian's house, now very quiet with only rudimentary grass-cutting to show any attempt at maintenance.  My extra is of a bit of the ornamental pond with the little summerhouse beyond it.

On the way we passed these two young bulls in a field of otherwise plain black beasts (and two brown ones, as you can see) - I don't know if their interesting facial patterns are a breed characteristic or a familial pigmentation issue. And on the way home we realised what had caused the wonderful green smells all round us when a tractor with a huge folded arm at the rear passed us, stopped, swung its arm out to the left hand side and continued cutting back the beech hedge and the verge below it. We watched with interest as first a car and then a bus pulled up behind it as it went slowly and noisily along; the tractor stopped and pulled in to the left and eventually let them pass. See rural traffic jams? 

And that was it, really. I did over 11,000 steps today as well as the Pilates, so I feel quite pleased with myself. And I had a lovely walk in a beautiful place. And cauliflower cheese for dinner ...

Nuff said.