Canal hawthorn

I was ejected from my house today to allow for secret preparations to be carried out for my birthday. So I went on a blip walk along the Thames and Severn Canal to Brimscombe.

What an idyllic couple of hours! If you ever want to de-stress, take my advice - this is the place to do it.

There was not a soul to be seen, and the only sounds were birds tweeting, ducks quacking and the rustle of the leaves as the breeze occasionally strengthened.

There was also a delicious golden late afternoon light, with long shadows growing longer by the minute.

It was a far cry from this morning, when I entered the Saturday morning bear pit by attempting to drive across Stroud to collect a parcel from the postal sorting office. How people can stomach this hell on a regular basis is beyond me. Give me a pair of walking boots and tranquility any day.

Moving slightly further back in time and I have to mention a wonderful 'full English' that started the day perfectly.

I only every have egg and bacon once in a blue moon, but it has become a little bit of a tradition to enjoy one when I'm on holiday from work. Today's was just perfect.

But now I'm hungry again. I'm going to have to break off to do something about it.