Buckden and Beyond

These are the days...

After a stunning day on Sunday, more outdoor goodness and sunshine and movement was needed. We headed for Buckden for a shorter walk, but no less enjoyable.

The sunshine was perfect; energising without draining, streams and wildlife everywhere, tributaries of life.

Honestly, if you ever decide to go for a walk in the country and you come back exhausted and wet and with cold feet and memories of dismal experience, then try again. Take your time. Bring goodies. Beef jerky, flapjack. Stop and sit by water and close your eyes as the sun bakes you and the sound lulls you. Think about problems if you want to - they'll soon be solved or put into perspective or decisions made to help them move on. Or forget them, as just for these few hours, they're irrelevant.

And if you still don't get it, try one more time, go with a friend and share the experience.

Soon the miles will just become numbers and your only constraint to distance is the time you've allowed yourself. Soon you won't worry about a bit of rain. It's only water. You stand under it every day through choice to freshen up. Soon, what was first effort, will become your relaxation, your meditation, your secret.

This was a *great* day. The breeze was cool - just perfect, and the pub. It was in the right place at the right time. The pint was beautiful. Beads of condensation had formed on the outside - it would have made a nice photo. It made a better drink.

And then a slow meander in tandem with the river back to Buckden to sit on an old bench where thousands of others had sat and had their own perfect days, with ice cream.

And if you're inclined to share a bench for a while and see some of the other photo's of the day, I'd be delighted :o)