Well yesterday (Wed. the 14th) was bittersweet...went to Bedford which is about 50 minutes by train from central London. The reason for going there was to visit a dear old friend - Tom who is 93 and has been a friend of my family since the 2nd World War when he came to Saskatchewan to train for the RAF and befriended my grandparents, my parents and aunt and uncle. He and his wife were friends from that point on and every trip to England I have visited him and his wife - his wife Jean passed away in 1982 but I still have seen him. He is my "uncle" in England. Anyway he fell (slid off his bed) in November and broke his hip and it's been downhill ever since - he now has pneumonia and a chest infection. He is in the rehab unit of a hospital - an area to get patients ready to go home although he will never be going back home to his beloved bungalow... He knew me and was so pleased to see me and even though he is profoundly deaf and cannot see well we managed to communicate by me writing things in a book. Just sitting quietly together holding hands was enough. I stayed with him for about three hours. It is probably the last time I will see him which is very sad. So needless to say I was in a bit of a funk last night and not up to posting in my blog.
While in the Lake District I wanted to do some light walking but not heavy duty hiking where I could easily get lost and my body not found for days partially eaten by hungry...sheep? Anyway, you get the drift...not too grueling and safe for a solo walker. I get a bit nervous when I am too far from civilization. There are lots of books about walking in the Lake District but they seem to be all about walking the fells in remote places...neither Thelma nor I fancied that. While browsing in the post office/shop in Ambleside one day (if you are ever in Ambleside you must go there - a treasure!) I found a stand of walk descriptions on post cards. And there I found my walk. After all who could resist a stroll on the "coffin trail" in William Wordsworth country... I took a look and thought hmm...cafe along the route...that works for me. (with at least the security of knowing there was an available "loo" along the way.) Okay, I may not have totally...
Comments