Muddy Picnic

I landed back at Heathrow at 0520 this morning from Chicago. That’s 35 minutes early. Not bad since we had about 20 minutes delay leaving! It was still dark when I got home but when the sun rose it was a gloriously sunny day. I slept a few hours and when I got up the sun was gone and it was dark and grey. I was desperate for some fresh air, however so I headed down to the lake with a flask of coffee and some chocolate biscuits.

There are actually 2 large lakes side by side (and a little one nestled in between). The one I prefer has mostly hard, mud-free paths to walk along, but limited places to park. There was no space for my car today, so I pulled in to the other lake where there’s plenty of parking. The paths around this lake are often very muddy this time of year. I decided to risk it and immediately regretted it. The mud was deeper than I’d ever seen it. But being the adventurous explorer that I am (!!) and with my feet protected by wellies, I decided to plough on to the place where I knew there was a log to sit on. It was hard going but I made it. I enjoyed my mini-picnic, watched the swans and other birds and then trudged through the mud again to get back to my car just before it got dark. Not the best visit to the lake, but I got the fresh air I needed! I won’t visit this one again this winter/spring unless we get any sub-zero temperatures so that the mud goes hard enough for walking.