I was wearing my birthday boots for the first time. Clint was safely parked near Leadmill Bridge. For early October it was a gorgeous day and there was no need to don a jacket.
To tell you the truth, I have not been feeling 100% since my episode with the antibiotics so the walk I planned wasn't very long. Just over three miles in the middle of The Hope Valley.
Above - The River Derwent babbles through The Hope Valley on its way to Derby where soon afterwards it meets up with The River Trent near Long Eaton. Below - hawthorn berries near the river are prolific this year.
And a mummy duck sat with a daddy duck on a long rock in the middle of the river, basking in a beam of sunlight that pierced the leaf canopy.
I had a long walk up the valley side and I was sweating by the time I reached Offerton Hall. Just like last time I was there, a slavering Rottweiler ran up to the wrought iron gates barking in a blood curdling manner so I didn't hang about.
Earlier, close to the river, I had passed a sugar beet field where I spotted this original bird scarer.
And there was also a one-off scarecrow with a flat yellow head. Arguably, he belongs in an art gallery rather than a beet field.
Beyond Callow Farm, you pass through Callow Woods. My new boots were starting to give me a bit of gyp by this point - just my left boot and only when going downhill. I might have to stretch that boot a little or make sure that the lacing is looser near the ball of my left foot. Comfortable footwear is vital on long walks.
By the way, if John Lennon had not been assassinated by a nutcase in 1980, he would have been 83 years old yesterday.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/RP1ab8z