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Much of a muchness
Things that make you go 'hmm'…
Mud, mud, glorious mud…
Posted by on January 13, 2008
I managed to get a little ahead of myself this last few days. By having a PJ day yesterday (I stayed in my pyjamas all day), there were no distractions (such as shopping) and I have a new book to show even though I have been out all day today.
I went with a large group of friends for a long walk, ending up at a pub for a Sunday roast as an incentive at the end. There must have been about 25 of us (notice the odd number? Guess who that was….) We all met at Osmington Mills a local beach with a pub close by called the Smugglers. The weather was very dark and over cast with a really strong, blustery wind blowing. We set off to do the circular walk at about 11am.
The first half of the walk goes inland and wasn’t too bad, a few hills but nothing too extreme, I managed lots of nice chats with various friends and after a while we turned towards the coast again to walk back. The wind by now, as we were walking along the cliffs was ridiculously strong and gusty – luckily it was blowing from the south-east and so was blowing us onto the cliff and not off it! We were now walking along a narrow path and it was incredibly muddy underfoot which didn’t help at all as the path was very up and down and steep in places.
Of course, the inevitable happened and just as I reached a muddy, uphill exposed bit, I slipped and a huge gust of wind blew me off my feet and I landed on my derrière in the mud – marvellous. My walking boots were so caked in mud, they lost all their grip, so the rest of the walk was even more difficult. It was actually hilarious, we were all sliding and skating in the mud, even the serious hikers who had come very prepared with wet weather gear, hiking poles and either wellies or meatier walking boots than I had worn – not to mention a change of clothes, were struggling.
Luckily, my mate Amanda had a spare pair of track suit bottoms in her car and I was able to change in the back of a car before going to the pub for lunch. I had to leave my mud encrusted boots at the door but luckily my walking boots had kept my feet dry so I could pad about in my socks. After roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, I felt much restored! It was very good fun and we are going to meet regularly in the future. These are some of the photographs I took. At this point the group had split into two halves, I was in the middle because I kept stopping to take photographs. Well, that’s my excuse…
These two photographs are of the same view, the first taken today and the second was taken in the Spring last year to show the difference.
Much of a muchness 
Nice post. Ah, the walks along redolent pastures of verdure, the hills, the green, the water, almost as if Frodo could never have left it, but to save it.
Actually, the only time we see the sea in “LOTR” is at the end, with that incredible song, “into the West.”
The moral of this post is to beware mud paths, yet embrace them. One only hopes a hot toddy might be at the end.
Great landscapes Di! You’re lucky to live there :)
Good to see you went out, but it’s okay to have a PJ day .. or two.., says she sheepishly ha! ;)
Hey, don’t think of stuff like being the odd one in 25.. it’s okay, these things take time.. one day 1 will be 2 again, you’ll see :) For now just focus on getting comfortable being 1. Don’t rush it, it’s gonna be a lengthy process, there’s no getting out of it. Kick back, relax, be ready for the self rediscovery process :)
And enjoy those landing on the derriere moments Bridget-style (i.e have a good laugh at yourself ha!) don’t take life too seriously Di, remember… no one gets out of it alive ha!
Mwah!
Bridget
P.S tomorrow it’s a day off – cause of Bush’s visit to Dubai!! That’s how come I’m still haunting the web at this time ha! ;) I’ts midnite here!
Creechman – Dorset is very beautiful indeed. Very ‘Shire-like’ and even nicer when the sun is shining. The mud today made me think of Glastonbury Festival, fun at first but eventually turning into a pain in the arse. Literally :-)
Bridget – I seem to live in ‘Happily Ever After’ Central. Which is good (for them) but does make me feel awkward.
I am good by myself (I enjoyed my PJ day- they should be compulsory for everyone, once in a while!) I just miss my partner – he was a good friend and I miss having him to talk to. It’s a shame it all ended so badly and we couldn’t stay friends.
Have a fun day off. At least Bush is good for something!
ooo I love that book …..excellente !!!
those shots are stunning Diane….
sounds like you had a fab day and roast and yorkshire pudding too …how English !!!
haha pj day …good for you…I have been known to have my nightie days ;)
loved your Polar Bear book …it appealed to me so that means I must be a kid at heart :)
I love how you have your posts in mini themes and they are all interesting little snippets…..
LOL @ the polar bear jokes..hehe
one from oz
how much can a koala bear??..
I understand about missing the friend in the partner feeling. When I broke up with my ex last year, that was one of the things I missed the most and the longest. We used to be able to talk about everything and anything, we were friends as well as a couple.
But I moved on. It took me months Di, but one day it gets better. And sometimes in the process you may think you can never love again. But one day you find you heart skipping a bit over a guy, again! Life is a cycle.. over and over again it goes.
We’re two to feel awkward these days Di… Check Bridget’s diary, you’ll understand..
I just checked your diary – you are having a hard time too – I am so sorry. Let’s form a mutual support group and cheer each other up!
I have written at length on your blog so won’t say more here.
Cheer up – you have a day off work and the sun is shining (is it? It is here!)
Great pictures and a PJ day sounds like heaven.
The hike sounds fun, but the time in the pub sounds even better.
That book is nice, but it has a glaring absence of polar bears :)
Thanks for the kind words here Di. Indeed a support group seems called for!!
Oops, I didn’t get your blog comment. It should have appeared right after you submitted, as I’ve not enabled comment moderation. Not sure what happened. If you get a chance to stop by again, that would be great. I would love to know what are your views.
Nah, the sun is not shining today, it rained. But it’s okay, Bridget likes rain. Take care, I’ll stop by again soon.
Your photos are lovely. This is the second post today I’ve read about a roast on Sunday.
Dorset, indeed, is lovely… and occasionally muddy. My parents used to keep a place in Ferndown, back when we were still living in Europe.
Hi Kathryn! I tried to follow the link to your blog but it doesn’t work – I just end up at the Google homepage….
Glad you enjoyed the photographs. Sunday roasts are wonderful and something I never cook for myself as it is too fiddly so it’s good to go out and have one!
denmarkguy – Dorset is exceedingly muddy at the moment – it is very stormy – lots of rain and gale force winds which as I was supposed to be playing tennis this morning is not ideal :-)
I am also keeping a close eye on my bit of river – it is edging my way again….