I Had Seriously Overdone It

Now we are back in full lockdown I took a walk along Christchurch Road to the

field leading to Honeylake Wood.

So far so good. I was not quite the only walker leaving footprints on the muddy track leading to

the leaf-laden undulating path down to the bridge

over the fast running stream. Reaching the bridge was the trickiest bit. As I slithered down the muddy slopes I grasped at branches rather too flexible in order to keep my balance, hoping they would hold and not dump me in the morass.

On the way down I was able to take in the surrounding woodland.

Soon I was on the upward, firmer, track,

bordered by undergrowth containing mossy logs, a discarded welly,

and bracken-covered woodland.

At the top of this slope I turned for home – just carrying myself and the camera was all I could manage, let alone use it, as, head down and gasping, I retraced my steps and staggered home, aware that I had seriously overdone it. I collapsed into a chair and rested for quite a while.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy pasta arrabbiata with which she drank more of the RosΓ© and I drank more of the Malbec.

82 comments

  1. The walk looks very nice, Derrick, lovely countryside. I hope you are OK, I have a compromised heart, so I can’t walk or hike like I used to. Rest and be well. ???

  2. Happy New Year, Derrick! So glad you made it home safe and sound. I do wonder about the owner of that left behind wellie. Did he or she slog homeward with one soggy foot and one dry foot? Or, did some malicious enemy just toss the wellie into the woods unbeknownst to the owner. I expect we will never know.

  3. You certainly got some beautiful photos during your long walk. I like that pale winter sun, and the shadows and light on the leafy path. I hope you’ve recovered–I think a rest and dinner must have helped. ?

  4. A wonderful walk where you captured the beauty!
    I love how the sunlight plays into so many of your photos…bright, warm, hopeful, joyful!
    Sorry to hear you overdid. πŸ™ Hope your rest brought you back to shipshape. Bet Jackie’s delicious meal pepped you right up again! πŸ™‚
    HUGS and Happy New Year!!!
    ? ? ? ? ?
    A HUGE Thank You to you and Jackie! You two, your garden, and all of your photos added much needed joy to 2020!!! πŸ™‚

  5. Wow.. wonderful photos Derrick, and I’m tired just clicking onto each one, let alone attempt that arduous muddy walk through the bush…

  6. My gosh, Derrick, what an experience. Damn our brains that don’t listen to the messages from our bodies. I’m very familiar with this phenomenon. Take care, Derrick. We need you healthy and uninjured in 2021.

  7. Beautiful and interesting image captures, Derrick. That overextending can sneak up on you: it has me too on occasion. I must admit I chuckled and tried to picture you slithering down the muddy slopes as you grabbed for a sturdy bough for support. May you and Jackie have a Happy New Year.

  8. It happens to me from time to time; I get halfway along a path, and suddenly realize that heading back from whence I came is going to be as problematic as going forward. I know that “head down, gasping” business. It’s still better than sitting in front of the telly, wondering where the biscuits have gone off to!

  9. I hope you’re all right Derrick.
    I particuarly like the sillouetted trees on the edge of the Honeylake Wood. They immediately brought to mind Winnie the Pooh.

  10. I’m glad you made it home safe and got some rest. We need to be careful on those slippery slopes. Sometimes I think sitting down on a log to rest would help, but I rarely do. I love the bracken in the woodland with tree shadows. Best wishes in the new year!

  11. Happy New Year. Hoping you won’t be affected by that new variant of Covid 19 Derrick. May God keep you in his care always. Keep safe.

  12. Happy new year Derrick and Jackie! The photos are beautiful. Mossy trees always make me feel cosy, no matter how cold the weather. Hope you are fully recovered for another ramble through the woods.

  13. Your walks seem to have made your knee rehab go by more smoothly. But we’re the ones who have benefited from all the fantastic posts!

  14. While watching the photographs of the wild and the stream flowing silently besides the description annotated, I reminisce the days in my own village and walking in the jungle.
    Wishing you happy, peaceful and prosperous NEW YEAR – 2021.? ?

  15. Goh …, moet de kuierlatten ook maar eens uitproberen …, daar zou mijn huisarts Jesse de Feyter echt gelukkig mee zijn: wandelen is gezond & je wordt er niet zo schitzo van! Maar, we zitten in een lockdown en Amsterdam is een drukke stad … >Kutwijf woont in de mooiste stad van de hele wereld . . . , zit te verpieteren achter de geraniums … <
    U bent de eerste aan wie ik zal bloggen, dat ik naar buiten ben geweest … , ja … Beloofd!
    Blijf gezond in 2021 & Stacey ook … , euch … JACKIE ook een gezond en een héél gelukkig 2021!!!
    * Amsterdam, 1 – 1 – 2021, 16.10 uur … Hollandse Wintertijd * http://www.friedabblog.wordpress.com *

  16. beautiful pictures as always! so easy to get carried away in the midst of nature, Derrick. glad you’re okay. Happy New Year to you and Jackie! ?

  17. Oh dear. It sounds as if your mind made an appointment your body couldn’t keep. I know you are now recovered, but there must have been a moment in that walk you were ready to phone for the domestic goddess to collect you.

      1. Thank you for your kind wishes, Derrick. I was MIA for a few days; we had escaped to Key Largo. I am catching up with WP reading material, yours being one of the first on my list.

  18. Glad you didn’t bite it! Gorgeous scenery here, even with all that mud. I wondered at the state of your shoes at the end of that day. Hope you rested first and cleaned them the next day.

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