Today was the first day this year that I have gone out for a
run just wearing a tee-shirt, although I did still wear tights. I had invited
my friend Christine over so that I could show her the wonderful Bluebells in
the woods where we do most of our run training. Christine had told me that she would
not like to run in the woods on her own. She is tapering for her first marathon
in just over a week in Milton Keynes . That was
lucky as far as I was concerned because I was not feeling full of the joys of
spring exactly but she said she didn’t mind if I just wanted to make this session
a simple jog/walk. She had brought Honey her Golden Retriever along for a run
with us.
She was completely wowed with the amazing sight of the
magical purple carpet that appears to be floating through the woods as far as
the eye can see in both directions and was equally knocked out with the perfume
that fills the air. Knock out.
Since it was her first visit to our neck of the woods, I was
hoping that there would be some sort of wildlife sighting to add to the pleasure
of the day. It was a nice warm day and Christine had agreed to be shown around
the full loop of our normal Sunday run. The terrain is varied and although it
starts with a broad-ish tarmac path, it then turns off into woodland paths. I
was enjoying telling her all about what was at one time the Saxon Village of
Lower Barpham, and as we that we looked down on the odd indentations of the once
upon-a-time-long-ago village, we were joined by a huge Kite just a little way
above our heads. I explained to my friend how they sometimes will fly circles,
moving a little ahead of you as you walk/run along; my own theory seems quite
logical that they hope you will disturb some tiny creature that they can catch
for a quick snack. This makes sense to me and it has happened so often that it
seems to confirm my theory. Kites appear to be fairly lazy and need all the
help they can get.
Later on our run we came out on to open hillside where there
were three huge kites performing some sort of quite aggressive flying game
together and we decided that maybe it was a mating dance and we stood and watched
them for a while completely entranced with the acrobatics. After that we were
in open land along side the gallops where the view was just breathtaking. I
never get fed up with this lovely route.
To complete my friends first visit into our favoured area, I
took her to see the Gibbet Post where in the 18th century, local man
Jack Upperton was hung up in a cage for the birds to peck at and as a warning to
others not to rob the mail coach as is passed by that spot. He had been hung
for his crime in Horsham and placed in a cage as a warning to other would be Highwaymen.
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