Sundays in the Slow lane

Sunday 13th September

A beautiful day – perfect for another river swim. River Dart Henbury Woods. A dipper was on the waterline of the far bank with a tiny fish. I was able to swim right up to it- the only problem was – without glasses- I could not focus on it !

• 

• 

Sunday 6th September

A different walk from Shipley Bridge up to Black Tor. Looked like rain was possible but it held off. A lovely rugged top with a 360 degree view.

Sunday 5th July

A walk around East Portlemouth. Utterly beautiful and not that many people.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Sunday June 28th

A walk from Bolberry Down to Bolt Tail.

Lovely to be out in the air ( it was very windy ) and to hear the sea. The surging waves against the shore were dramatic and the clouds played marbled patterns across the surface of the sea.

• 

• 

• 

• 

A walk from Lady Wood to the edge of the Moors 6km .The beauty is that there is a little bit of everything: one of the tallest viaducts, woodland, streams, meadows, lanes, a cobbled way, ancient farmsteads and moorland.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Lovely walk across the fields with my besties.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Splash with Paint Day 4

Determined to paint before the end of lockdown, I decided to use one of my photos from a regualar running route. day 1 just messsing around ( far right) on a wet day. Problem – the gate. Simply hadn’t counted the bars or got the perspective. Day 2 and 3 (centre) rubbed down repainted , rubbed down again.The gate was better but the scene was flat. Day 4 – this is always the most fun, because all the structure is in place and I could have fun playing with colour, texture and depth.

• 

• 

• 

I guess there is always something special about a Sunday morning. It is different from other days, by virtue of the fact that there is no work clouding the view. To say that there is nothing we have to do would be wrong – there is always routine but Sundays are different. The difference is usually that Sundays evolve and are not planned.

Sunday mornings don’t get much better than this: scrambled egg, a pot of coffee and a good book. @TheMontyDon

• 

A walk from Lady’s Wood up onto the Moors

The feeling of going for a walk, other than from the door, was exhilarating. A sense of freedom, meant a walk done many a time seemed as fresh as if it were the first visit. Different sights and sounds abound along this route: the bluebell wood ( albeit a week too late); the close cropped pasture beyond the style leading to the Southern edge of Dartmoor; the narrow footpaths and the open moorland which opens up in all its glory, and the first call of the cuckoo in the scrub- land on the edge.

These routes once formed drovers tracks from our village to the moorland where sheep would graze over the summer months before being brought down to the pastures here for winter. Signs still exist of the ancient route, namely in the cobbled paths and dry stone walling. This contrasts with the high Devon banks, just a couple of miles away. I confess that I love this route on a warm evening, the moor gives such an ethereal backdrop for awesome sunsets and some memorable runs in crimson and purple haze. Today, by contrast, it was vivid and bright and one could not help but marvel at the open space and wide skies.