The Way you are seeking is not The Way

AT my suggestion, CleanSteve picked me up from my sunny walk to the shops today, where I'd bought a pizza, inspired by my having finished my four seasons of views series ( see yesterday's blip if you care to). I mentioned the Pizza to CS, and said, as we drove along,

"I could put anchovies on it"
"What?"
"I could put anchovies on it"
"What?"
"Anchovies"
"Oh! I thought you said Antifreeze!"

With that interesting suggestion over and done with, we drove to Cherington Lake, near Cherington, in the sort-0f-Cirencester direction. We were searching for snowdrops, and found them in great profusion, growing in drifts up the steep bank that bordered the lake. The lake has expanded into swampy outlets that made me think of the Southern States. As I have never been there, I am limited to experiencing the terrain through movies and songs. I began to hum tunelessly about Carolina, and looking out for alligators. I did not see any.

The light and the snowdrops were utterly gorgeous, but impossible, because the light was so direct, and the ground so clayey and slippery with the recent rains, and the swamps so full of moss and menace, that I have ended up blipping this view of the path around the far side of the lake. I changed my camera settings to Pop Art, which is why the colours are so popping. I also liked the ZigZag path, which shows clearly the problem with the mud and rain. I ended up hopping over the fence on the right and walking through the woods. This was fine till we reached the turn off, and the previously saggy fence suddenly turned to barbed wire at just the wrong (or right) height.

Fortunately I managed to cross without any gralloching or garrotting, and we walked across a long planked bridge that traversed yet another swamp. I did a bit of strenuous trip-trapping and recounted the tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff to Steve, but evidently the Troll doesn't work Sundays.

Then we returned home for tea, with the sun still high in the sky. I am getting better at self control. I only took 75 shots! Next term I may take a course in digital photography, if there are any locally. I can feel the moment getting closer.

The title of this blip is inspired by the teachings of Taoism. I have been listening to (the audiobook of)
'The Antidote, Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking' by Oliver Burkeman , a Guardian journalist. It gets four stars from me, and reminds me of much that I thought I knew, but seem to have forgotten. Especially poignant was the final chapter on the Mexican Day of the Dead.