This week, unlike last week, I had very little planned. The Alzheimer’s Society had bagseed me to help them out as part of my volunteer role on Thursday, but nothing else was even pencilled in my diary. Last I heard, the teaching agency who interviewed me last week are still waiting on my references, so no news on the job front just yet either.
So, in the absence of a schedule or places to be, I’ve been spending a joyful amount of time outdoors. I love this time of year, if not for the obvious reasons, just because I rediscover my spirit of adventure. As much as I love cosy nights in, my fluffy slippers and galaxy hot chocolate, I can’t help but dream all winter of light evenings and Pimms and lemonade and fruit salad and days spent sat in a dress and sandals in the sunshine with a good book.
On Tuesday, my boyfriend (Yes, I have a boyfriend! And he’s Dave from here on in – There’s something about the word boyfriend that makes me squirm) and I went for a long walk in Danbury Common (a common not far from our home town of Chelmsford). We had such a lovely time and I think we timed our visit perfectly: There were still muddy puddles to be avoided and there were still piles of leaves around for me to stomp through like a child. It was warm enough, but not too hot to walk for miles.
I met one of my oldest friends at a country pub for a spontaneous lunch on Wednesday and like in all the best stories, we just found ourselves full of food and headed up a path that would take us on an adventure towards a lovely village I’d never been to before. This story gets most exciting when we see a very angry looking grey cloud in the distance, but take our chances and carry on going anyway. Half an hour later we’ve been hit with rain and hail and wind and we’re hiding in a bus shelter shivering, we’re drenched and we can’t stop laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation is.
When the rain and hail subsided and the skies cleared, we finished our walk in bright sunshine and everything around us shone and I couldn’t help but wish every person on Earth could see what I was seeing.
My winter boots are done for. We didn’t avoid all the mud on Tuesday and I certainly couldn’t keep them dry on Wednesday and now I think they’ve had enough. They’re also the reason for the massive blisters on my heels, but I’ll let them off the hook: They’ve lasted me well and honestly, I cannot wait to go and invest in a pair of summery trainers and some new sandals. After all, spring is here and if I’m going to be spending my time adventuring, a new pair of sturdy sandals will be very much needed.
Blogging Goodbye to Butterflies 