Ordinary Adventures

Last week was the half term holiday and the weather was kind so I was able to spend some time out and about. Today I thought I’d share some of my adventures and experiences.
I do a lot of walking these days. I love being out in the countryside and if I haven’t done a reasonable amount of activity during the day I find it really hard to sleep. In April 2016 I bought a Fitbit and have hit my daily step target of 10,000 steps every single day since then, regardless of the weather and even on Christmas Day.
On one such walk last week I leapt over a stile. It’s a route I take pretty much every Saturday. The stile is broken so it does require quite an effort to get over it- a jump is the easiest way to do it really. As I landed I found myself unwittingly in the middle of some sort of vigil for the poor guy who was found dead in that spot a few days before. So awkward. I did my best to portray my sympathy in a smile and then had to walk on. It  was a truly cringeworthy moment.
Spending a lot of time in the countryside means I occasionally see some great wildlife spectacles. One such spectacle was when I saw this heron catch and eat a rat. People often think that herons only eat fish but like any predator they will eat pretty much whatever they can find.
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Who needs horror films when real life gives you this sort of thing?
I accompanied my parents on a walk near Swanage in Dorset. There we found Agglestone Rock, which is a massive boulder which is inexplicably in the middle of a heath.
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The story is that the devil was sat on the Needles (on the Isle of Wight) and threw the rock at nearby Corfe Castle. If there’s one thing the devil is known for is that he throws like a girl and the rock only landed on this spot. Frankly I’m not totally convinced by this story- for a start, the clue is in the name when it comes to the Needles- surely even the devil couldn’t sit on them comfortably?
One day last week I visited my friend from uni Louise and her 8 month old baby Eva. It’s always nice to catch up and it was fun to spend some time with Eva too. I have very little experience with babies. Until now no-one I know very well had had a baby since I was about ten. At 8 months old Eva is beginning to develop a personality and it’s a joy to behold. It’s so lovely so spend time in that true innocence. She has nothing to truly worry about and frankly I’m jealous. With my own personal problems and the worrying things happening in the wider world, I wish I could wipe it all from my mind and be truly innocent once again.
So there you go, an insight into my week. I’m still in the process of working out quite what my blogging regime will consist of so it’s as much a surprise to me as it is to you. Come back next weekend to see what I end up writing about!

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