Thistles & stiles, cygnets & train tracks

Well, have got myself all geared up ready to attack the Gelli plate for the first time just the moment some stencils from Clarity arrive.  I have to say their service is pretty rubbish compared to my normal craft suppliers (I mostly use the wonderful Country View Crafts & have done for years!) ... have checked the post several times today hoping the postie was simply late  but nope, no delivery from Clarity!

So, no crafting news to share, but hey - this is my blog so I figure I can blog about anything I please so am recording here the lovely, lovely walk we had this morning.

Decided on a different route today, but still to our favourite woods & lakes at Earlswood and as the sun was already shining we went early - emerging from the car at 7.10am to enter the blissful coolness (it was freezing actually!!) of Little Falling's Coppice.  Headed over the "up & over"  bridge across the railway but instead of then heading into Clowes Wood we kept to the other side of the hedge and skirted the edge of the wheatfields and, well, just kept going!  It is a walk known to the nephews so we knew roughly in which direction to head.

Was delighted to come across thistles ... I love thistles!

Now, only having the shortest legs in the whole wide world I do struggle with stiles!  One defeated me a few weeks ago but then I had better luck last week but only with the help of hubby who "did leg-lifting" (mine, not his!!!!)  ... today was much the same but it was either turn back the VERY long way we had already come or get over the stile!  SO, leg-lifting again and over the stile I went.  

The bloomin' thing was much higher than it appears in this photo' ... really it was!

When you have crossed a field or several you come to another bit of the wood and then there are more fields and more fields and then more woods but eventually you come back to the railway and have to do the Stop! Look! Listen! thing and cross the tracks ... it's amazing they still let us take responsibility for ourselves and let us cross the tracks as a lot of these crossings are now padlocked but hey ... we did stop and look and listen and showed due diligence and managed it just fine!  Was exciting though and, as a lover of the film had to do my Railway Children bit ... "Stop! Please stop!" (but I didn't faint!) & "Daddy, oh my daddy!"  Ok, enough acting for today.

We looked left ...

... and we looked right ...

  and we crossed!

Finally made it back onto our regular route around the lakes ... turn left and take the shorter route back to the car or turn right and go the longer way around ... we turned right. 

Good decision as we were greeted by the serene and simply wonderful sight of the swans and their brood of cygnets gliding effortlessly towards us.  There were 9 cygnets originally and today there are just 7 but we are hoping they are now of a size they will be safe.  There are some awfully big fish in that lake though and, well, nature is nature ... but I do so want all the cygnets and ducklings to make it!

Bit of a slow ramble back to the car but it was a long walk (for me!) and already way too hot but I have patted myself on the back today and those that know me will know how difficult I find that and how rarely I ever think I've done ok.  But ok I reckon I did and am even planning on doing the same walk again real soon ... including that dreaded stile!