Misty walk with Marion

I was up early to make savoury scones with sundried tomatoes and spiced red peppers, grated cheese, mustard and smoked paprika for lunch. Marion drove up from town through the fog for a walk which we had first. She’s 82 but having had cataracts and hips done she’s fine for the hills now.

We did 5 miles up through the woods and round the moor catching up on families, languages, (she speaks Russian and French fluently and is now learning German but she says it takes longer to remember vocabulary now), travel, literature, politics (we agreed to skip Trump - I told her about Beyond Borders festival), her young husband’s 70th next year, and her part in a research project for dementia. She scored 99/100 so she is better than many 30 years younger. I’m sure her bring a flautist contributed to her good result in the auditory tests where she had to classify sounds by length. As well as being stimulating company, she is a lovely person. We’ve been friends since our children were at playgroup together.

Lunch was appreciated. I had made soup by sautéing an onion, garlic and root ginger then I put in bottom-of-the-fridge-needs-using root veg - carrots, a sweet potato and a parsnip and a handful of dried apricots with a veg stock cube and water. It was liquidised and I added a swirl of yogurt interlaced with some harissa paste. We had the scone with it. Very tasty.

After she left I had to dig deep into my camphorwood chest to find a 1940’s style twin set, knitted 50 years ago, to help with clothing needed for Katy’s latest promotion of the naked calendar.

I have time now to carry on with the Arctic book.