An enjoyable cross-country walk along the right bank of the Great Ouse and back along Hen Brook on a free day before dropping into The Hayling View for a few tasks and then helping with the evening rehearsal of a Noel Coward farce
We had a good lay in and relaxation together at the start of a free day and it was nice not to have to rush around.
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We mulled over things and then hit on the great idea of packing some drinks and sandwiches and setting off with Sam on a long hike across country.
It was another warm and sunny day but with a pleasant breeze to suit the excursion and so we quickly got ready in walking boots and went for it. The route we chose was upstream along the right bank of the Great Ouse past the power station and then inland through Little Barford village, across the railway line until we had to skirt Abbotsley Golf Course.
Sam enjoyed swimming in a water hazard at the 17th hole as we tried to find the line of the footpath, much to the consternation of a pair of lady golfers who were trying to hit over it from their tee!
We had two stops for sandwiches, being out for around five hours in all, and found the heat and the exertion quite a combination to deal with and were glad that we had packed half a gallon of drinking water.
The way back was along Hen Brook, which presented a nice green face to the rear of the housing developments in Howetts Gardens and Duck Lane, including a fair flock of ducks and ducklings that could justify the name of the latter.
We struggled back and had to rest a little while before getting ready for the evening's rehearsal in Cambridge. Sam had quite enough exercise in one session and I just gave him his evening four mug bowl of food as a single meal and he settled down well enough.
I went over to The Hayling View and worked on a few tasks whilst Wiggly made the tea. There was little more mail of note but I called Diana and the girls in Norfolk and had a nice chat with them.
I am to expect a card from each of them in the morning, as they were posted on Saturday, and I will look forward to seeing them tomorrow. Some computer work and then changed and drove her over to rehearsals in Cambridge.
I was dragged in to the proceedings and helped by making the interval drinks and acting as prompt in the absence of the Director, Gary, who had been called away again to his British Telecom directory enquiries shift at short notice.
I felt that they were struggling a bit, making very heavy weather of what, after all, was supposed to be a Noel Coward farce. They have a lot more work to do.
We were back late at the end of quite a tiring day and I took a couple of paracetamol tablets for a headache and also silenced my organiser alarms in case we wanted to lay in.