A proper English afternoon.
My stay at Little Criftins Farm with David and Karen was drawing to a close yesterday afternoon, and after completely indulging at The Inn at Grinshill with a three course meal of wild mushroom and truffle tagliatelle, panchetta and wild mushroom pie with chips and peas and a vanilla pannacotta with rhubarb, bee pollen and honeycomb, I felt like I had eaten enough for an entire month and after resting for an hour I decided to go for a walk through the different lanes of the area. I ended up taking the bike and had a lovely ride winding between the shrubby hedges, stopping to watch the pheasants, rabbits, squirrels, sheep and cows out in the fields chatting away to each other.
It was like the Postman Pat intro, except I was on a bike and not in a red van with a black and white cat. The colours were vibrant from the sunset and I was overwhelmed by the sheer happiness I was drawn into every turn.
I should have known how hilly it was going to be, giving my thigh muscles the biggest workout they'd had in over a month. It was like waking a sleeping giant - they were angry with me. Very angry. Some may say mad, even.*
Here are some shotty iPhone photos to demonstrate the pretty landscape.
Now I am winding my way up the west coast of England towards Edinburgh (on a train this time!) and listening to Crowded House in preparation for the climate and scenic change that Scotland will bring me.
So far I have seen the sea just outside of Lancaster (a grey mass stretching endlessly) - the first time I have seen the sea since I left my island home! And that was followed by a visibility of 0 metres in a grey mist. Coming out of that mist, the hills are a yellowy colour in the distance and the fog lingers playfully at their feet. Everything is inconceivably beautiful, and I haven't even reached my destination yet! Something tells me Edinburgh is going to be absolutely breathtaking.
It was like the Postman Pat intro, except I was on a bike and not in a red van with a black and white cat. The colours were vibrant from the sunset and I was overwhelmed by the sheer happiness I was drawn into every turn.
I should have known how hilly it was going to be, giving my thigh muscles the biggest workout they'd had in over a month. It was like waking a sleeping giant - they were angry with me. Very angry. Some may say mad, even.*
Here are some shotty iPhone photos to demonstrate the pretty landscape.
Now I am winding my way up the west coast of England towards Edinburgh (on a train this time!) and listening to Crowded House in preparation for the climate and scenic change that Scotland will bring me.
So far I have seen the sea just outside of Lancaster (a grey mass stretching endlessly) - the first time I have seen the sea since I left my island home! And that was followed by a visibility of 0 metres in a grey mist. Coming out of that mist, the hills are a yellowy colour in the distance and the fog lingers playfully at their feet. Everything is inconceivably beautiful, and I haven't even reached my destination yet! Something tells me Edinburgh is going to be absolutely breathtaking.
