Week 3 Report

Abandoned bicycle - to cold to ride

It’s Sunday, start of a new WtoR week. I had planned to head into the forest today, but the weather sucks – No – worse than that! The temperature is above freezing so it continues to eat away at the snow. That will make forest walking and photographing a lot easier later in the week. But the sky is leaden again, welcome back – not; and there is a strong wind, which makes it feel colder. The winds are picking up even more now; my windows are rattling like a giant’s hand is shaking the frames. Walking home from the market, there were a few times when I felt like I would be blown off my feet.

Tuesday: doom, gloom and more gloom – hardly a good excuse, But an afternoon session in La Perla solving the problems of the restaurant business with Kristo the Head Chef seemed like a good idea – at the time. It’s amazing how much less important our problems seem after a few glasses of good wine. Fortunately I accomplished my goal of taking a picture of the old building mentioned last week.

The offices of our local newspaper, Meie Maa, built 1897.

Walked home in the gathering darkness, bringing my total for the day to 5,4 (for week so far = 8,9)

Today is Thursday and I needed to make a food run. I had expected to add to my weekly total but it was so bitter and miserable: sky, the musty colour of long neglected stainless steel, temperatures barely above freezing with an icy wind blowing from the sea. I gave in and took the bus. By the time I’d finished my errands including a visit to our super new library, it seemed that perhaps the Weather Gods have been listening. The temperature has fallen below – 2 and a light dusting of powdery white was appearing in several places. We’ll see what happens overnight. There’s no wind – yet.

No snow, but Friday brought a day of blue skies and sunshine, so I abandoned all of my other plans and headed out into the forest. It was exquisite, as always but quite changed from the snow-mantled playground of two weeks earlier. For a change I did remember to bring my ‘Walking Notebook’ and here are some to the things I wrote down:

'This is a journey of the mind - of the imagination, not of the body. In the magical forest no thing is ever exactly what it seems to be; and what is here today may not be tomorrow where it was yesterday.'

'The fertile mind can turn a tree branch into a chicken’s foot.'

And best of all on Saturday I went into the post office to collect my three-volume set of LotR. I LOVE IT!!!!

Why have I never read this before?

My walking companions

Weekly STATS

Days walking - 4

Miles walked this week: 11/ kms.17.7

Total walked: m. 32.7 / km. 51.6

Location in relation to Frodo & Co. :

The road ahead runs fairly straight and level. Behind them it curves slightly. BLACK RIDER. Sam and Pippin hide in a hollow. Frodo hides behind tree by road (ca.5 p.m.).