30 April 2020

A Nice Quiet Walk



view of Glentham church from the farm lane

I hurt my knee a couple of weeks ago and, although it’s much improved, I have been opting for the early morning dog walks because I’m less likely to meet people and traffic and therefore less likely to twist my knee trying to restrain Rick.  Usually if I go out just after seven the village is wonderfully quiet and I rarely meet a single person.  Today was different.  

I turned left out of the driveway to avoid the large crane that was delivering to Mr Jellyneck’s building site (he is building a big, new house for himself) and promptly bumped into a portly, bearded gentleman out for his morning walk.  Then I met a neighbour and his two dogs, Finlay and Poppy, so we had a chat, being careful to keep our distance from each other.  Rick was behaving well until the crane drove back through the village.  I managed to keep hold of him as he lunged towards the lorry but then he and Finlay started howling in unison.  When another lorry then came into sight I decided it was time for us to make a hasty exit. 

We were almost at the top of the hill by the church when I heard the loud, rumbling sound of a tractor in the distance and so I broke into a trot, if you can call it that (more of a hasty hobble) but failed to reach the back lane before two, massive clanking tractors passed us.  I hung onto Rick as tight as I could as he barked himself into a frenzy.  It was a relief to get away from the main village road and onto the footpath that runs back down the village from the church.  We then walked up Washdyke Lane and lo and behold, the portly, bearded gentleman was heading towards us.  We greeted each other like old friends and fortunately Rick was more interested in sniffing the hedgerow rather than savaging a stranger.  My knee was starting to ache by now and I was hoping there would be no more obstacles ahead.

Just as I was starting to relax and enjoy the walk I turned the corner and an oil delivery tanker was parked in the centre of the road, engine running and noisily pumping oil to a house.  It would have been tricky getting Rick past such a monster and then it was just as likely to catch up with me down narrow Middlefield Road.  So we turned right along the lane to Prospect Farm and Rick had fun watching rabbits that were hopping along the grassy verges.  By the time we came back the oil lorry had moved off so our walk home was clear and Rick trotted along next to me and behaved beautifully.

“Did you have a nice, quiet walk?”  Paul said when I staggered through the doorway.

rainbow painted stones have appeared in the village

12 comments:

  1. The stones are a nice idea; far better than finding Tesco bags in the trees.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Something to amuse the children of the village, they have been putting up rainbow drawings in windows for everyone to see.

      Delete
  2. I only had to see the name of that Lane (Washdyke Lane) to know I was in Lincolnshire. My village in childhood had a Washdyke Lane, a Sheepwash Lane and a Sandhill Beck Lane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These old names fascinate me, there is usually some history attached to them.

      Delete
  3. You wouldn't have had this much bother if you had opted for a chihuahua instead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A chihuahua is not a proper dog. And they bite ankles.

      Delete
  4. Given that they are all pretty normal things/happenings/people it is surprising you ever have the lanes to yourself at 7 to 7.30 am.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's quieter than normal in the mornings right now because people aren't commuting to work. Even in normal times there aren't usually many people about.

      Delete
  5. For our hour in the am (6 - 7) Ted and I meet The Regulars and are now on first names with owners and dogs. It's quite a trick to try and remember them all and greet across the road. Later in the day it's harder to keep my usual distance, -- 4m --, away from joggers and the silent bikes that whizz by on the path. Still, mustn't grumble! Take care of your knee, no more painting on the floor. Lesley

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sorry to hear about your knee - do take care.
    I had Duke, a rescue dog, who was very much like Rick, and it was frequently purgatory to take him for a walk. He was unpredictable, and would bark at some things one day, and the next time walk by without a glance! He treated people in the same way too. The one constant thing he didn't like was children - he would snap at them, and go into a frenzy of barking. At some time I think he must have been tied up and tormented by them. When I had him with me, I always had to be careful to make sure there were no children about. Easy enough locally, as this is very much a seniors area. His favourite game was to jump over our 2 metre front wall and chase vehicles. He loved coming with me, in the car, and frequently chased me if I went out without him!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds a bit like Rick. He has a particular penchant for school children in uniform.

      Delete