Breathing

 So, I dropped off the radar.

When not working, we've been going on micro-road trips almost every weekend. For us, at the moment, road trips don't mean we are doing overnighters, we still come home at the end of the day once we have squeezed every last drop out of our adventure.

We love to walk the quieter paths and the less trodden routes and we have learnt over years of walking that the casual dog walker tends to turn back soon after their dog has relieved themselves - the evidence is the give away 🙄 and the day-tripper-walkers (especially now) tend to keep to the 'honey-pot' places where there are easy to pootle along pathways, with outdoor cafes and obvious beauty spots to visit. Good for them and hopefully good for struggling tourism post the pandemic drought.

We've not travelled far either, we don't have to drive miles and miles to find quiet trails in cool woodlands or to find panoramic views, there are so many places to visit locally that very quickly become 'off the beaten track' with a little effort.

Having Zeb (van) has elevated our walks to micro-adventures. The delight of pulling up into a parking space and while we are getting ready for our day's walking, listening to the kettle whistling a merry tune. The pleasure of sipping freshly made piping hot tea while we fill the flasks and lace up our boots.  And the relief (and I do mean relief) of being able to nip to the loo before we go and knowing that when we return from our walk we can use the bathroom, wash our hands, pull off our hot boots and slip into a change of shoes. Bliss.

And we've agreed food tastes better when cooked and eaten outside.

Yesterday we walked over a fairly high and isolated moorland ridge littered with limestone pavements, it made for tricky walking as we picked our way through the slabs and, today, despite feeling like I have been through the wringer - it was a good adventure.

Even the most heart-breakingly beautiful view is made better by tea and a dilly dog. Talking of tea and dilly dog in the same sentence, when we stop for our brew and a biscuit or two, so does she. We get out flasks for us and water for her. 

On Sunday we munched our way through Anzac biscuits and she tucked into gravy bones - we need the energy boost and it only goes to reason that she does too 😊

There is something restorative in the simple pleasures of hugging a mug, sitting next to your man while watching the sun go down.  

These photos are just a small selection from our walks and micro-adventures over the last couple of weeks since lockdown has been easing.  

So, a tentative toe has been dipped back into blogging, it is not that I have nothing to say - I always have some story or other.

It is not as if I've not done anything, not been anywhere...it is just when I start to write a post - nothing happens ... ... ... except me staring at the draft page then shutting down the laptop or deleting what I have written.

I will return to blogging, blog hopping and commenting, but at the moment - life is busy, I am still grieving for a small and furry and my personal time is precious - stay safe, enjoy life, have adventures big and small and don't wait for 'things to get better' you have to grab the moment and make it yours, make it different, make it better - and do it RIGHT NOW.