Today's excursion from Winchester out to St. Catherine's Hill, here http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_3/walk_15/index.shtml
ensured a good time was had by all but beware of car parking in Winchester, or finding any at all, and if you are travelling there from any distance it is best to use the park and ride to the south of the city. But, otherwise, the climbing involved was not quite arduous enough to finish off a physical wreck like me so the 10 miles should be manageable by most.
There are some stretches of picturesque river, one particular example coming after about 9 miles and so a fine opportunity to take one shoe and sock off and treat a foot to the bracing chill of clean river water. I don't know whether that was the best moment for me or if it was the Amstel beer at the end. I would have happily endorsed Amstel for nothing after the first few cold, clean draughts but I suspect any cold, clean lager would have been equally welcome. Amstel just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
I took a number of pictures of this swan, also in the right place at the right time, because I had forgotten the new working title for my next booklet of poems is now The Perfect Book. Previously it had been Cygnus, and I was on the lookout for a swan photo, preferably on dark blue water. But the green here might be equally okay, a bit similar to the water in the Millais painting of Ophelia.So, it's always nice to feel that something else was achieved in addition to a good time being had by all. Other occurences worthy of note were the appalling apostrophe inserted into the plural of dog on a sign put up by the Police, no less- although I realize that the constabulary isn't the highest authority on questions of grammar- and a pirate edition of Danny Baker's sausage sandwich game which went 1-0 to Portsmouth, represented by Denise but then Manchester United, under the auspices of Jan, came from behind to win 2-1 with Gavin being the celebrity whose answers decided the issue. And, if offered a sausage sandwich, would Gavin have chosen to take it with red sauce, brown sauce or no sauce at all.
Brown sauce.
You see, it is still possible to rustle up your own entertainment without access to a computer or a x-box. And acknowledgements are due to one of the greatest living English persons for inventing the game. I'm afraid Danny no longer has sole claim to the Greatest Living Englishperson title any more. I think we all know that is Vicky Coren now.
