A Walk on the Wild Side

We were back in England for a few weeks to visit relatives and friends, attend a few events and for a few doctors appointments.  As it turns out we were able to spend a few days with my cousins in Sheffield (where my mom was from). They live in a village called Apperknowle in Derbyshire, just outside of Sheffield. It is a beautiful area of the country with rolling hills of green grass, trees and bushes, all separated by stone walls, making it look like a patchwork quilt of nature.

Whenever we stay with them we make it a point to go for a long walk and sometimes a hike in the surrounding countryside. This visit we went to Thornbridge.

We took the dog for a walk. Ruby loves to go for a walk, especially when Steve and I are visiting. It is a place surrounded by nature especially this time of year, “Spring” when everything has come back to life and is in full bloom. The landscape that we passed along the way was beautiful. From the tree-lined paths to the hand-built stones walls and the flowers all in bloom.

As we made our way through the winding paths on our way back to the pub where we began our walk, “The Cricket Inn,” we saw a variety of animals along the way: grazing in the fields were sheep, cows and horses as well as the birds singing overhead.

We had a delicious lunch and for dessert I ordered their special hot chocolate with all of the trimmings – it was well worth the calories.

The Cricket Inn faces the cricket field. It just so happened that they were playing a game of cricket as we passed by the field. It is a game that is difficult for many to understand, especially Americans. However it is fun just to watch them in action, even if we do not know exactly what is going on.

After lunch we sat outside to take in the good weather, just beginning to get warm here in England but at least there was plenty of sunshine.

Being in nature seems to bring out  the “Free Spirit” in each of us and gives us the freedom to have conversations that you just don’t seem to have around the dining room table.

Thank you Brad, Maxine and Lissie for a wonderful day out.