The pleasure of walking.

We've been out and about, taking advantage of this mild winter weather by walking a lot.  We've been fortunate inasmuch we don't live in a flood zone and so although it's been damp, it's been remarkably fine for January.

I got very excited last week when a wild deer crossed our path ... so much so, that I slipped down a bank and ended up with an extremely muddy butt! This had hubby and I in gales of laughter ... more so because the weight of the mud seemed intent on pulling down my jeans!

Life can be pretty stressful for most people nowadays ... modern living has it's advantages but we pay the price for it it many ways, with heavy workloads, responsibilities and not enough sleep.  I'm a big believer in taking time out from the rat race to recharge batteries and for us, walking does that: the open spaces, the quietness of the surroundings and the beauty of nature provide the perfect balm for a stressful week.

I sometimes stand and look at ancient trees, pondering their advanced age ... the changes that they must have witnessed ... and how temporal our life must seem to these ancient life forms, whose main enemy is man and his ever thirsty desire for progress.

I therefore take pleasure in our tramping about in the woods, coming home only when the tips of our fingers and toes start to tingle with cold ... shrugging off muddy boots and wet jeans and savouring the warmth of a hot mug of something nice in our hands.