Following yesterday’s midnight baking, last night was dull in comparison. After spending the evening dozing, nothing much else happened, apart from the fact that I went to sleep.
And woke up again around 05.00 which was not entirely convenient. But I shook a leg and prepped hot drinks and brekkie. I invited H outside onto the dandelion patch and she gracefully accepted the invitation.
We were scheduled to meet Brenda and Anthony (Marie’s husband) at Greenham to visit an Art exhibition. Brenda takes Anthony out to give Marie some respite because Anthony is so stubborn, and they live so far out in the Stix that she gets no respite at all. He won’t let her do anything independently.
In the event, just as we were leaving, Brenda rang to say that she was experiencing a medical emergency and would not be able to come. A lady’s problem. Been there and done that.
So T and I set off and walked H at Greenham. I was subjected to a full ear-bashing as to how ridiculous it was that we were out there, and as to the futility of it all. Nothing like that to lift your spirits! It was a sunny, but chilly day, with blue skies and bright yellow gorse. (At that point) I could not have asked for better weather. We were walking from the Silo gate which I don’t normally use. It’s also seems to be an ambulance graveyard. This might have confused T. But the moans were so incessant that I about turned and we returned to the car. H had had a decent run by now anyway.
Someone had a paddle.
Obi ears.
Silo
Whilst loading everyone into the car, I had a phone call from Marie, who was with Anthony, and had decided to bring him to the Exhibition herself.
I removed us to the commercial part of the Base, now officially called The Base. And there we met up with Marie and Anthony to enjoy jacket potatoes at the very nice new cafe there. It was not there when I used to walk there regularly but we will visit again when in the area.
The Honesty Cafe welcomes dogs and must be onto a winner, highjacking dog walkers from the Common, and workers from the commercial units. The food was honest too!
Anthony, who is 86, has more insight than T, but they made a good pair of old codgers and chattered repetitively through lunch and investigated the artwork together. How Anthony can eat so much leaves me speechless – home made soup followed by a large jacket potato. He’s losing weight too and as thin as a rake.
Anthony is very knowledgeable and was once a very good artist in his own right. He did a quick biro sketch of a painting there. And he clearly knows what marks to make and where to put them.
Some of the exhibition work was good, some not so.
We left the two of them and drove home, via Pangbourne where the rain started. The pie shop in Pangbourne is renown for pies and quiches and I have a selection for our visitors tomorrow. Yes, mega visit day tomorrow.
More about Old Haunts below. This post below is about my footpath for over 40 years from by the end of Yeomans Lane and onto Herbert’s Plantation or the Common. . Top walk… and all through the main lockdown.
The photo was taken on 14/4/2020. It was clearly a dry spring – in fact memories flood back of great warmth and sitting outside a lot
Sketch in oil pastel from another photo
Looking back, I found a notice relating to a public meeting in 1982 to save Herbert’s Plantation as it was about to be sold. It was a very well attended meeting and thanks to the strength of local interest, HCC and the Woodland Trust bought it. The fear was – developers.
The history and natural history of this woodland is written up in a great article, by Neil Bruce, probably only of interest to locals and can be found on the internet. But it seems it cannot be forwarded or the link copied – I think it has been protected somehow. But I can screen shot a couple of the 70 pages.
So, there is even less to miss since our move. Not that I have missed anything. But I would miss that walk if we still lived there.
Thought for the Day
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