Too good an opportunity to miss.

Another sunny day and a light south westerly breeze is too good an opportunity to miss. Breakfast digested it was time to get out and run. Half a mile of flat road to warm up with and then we are in our element. A short section of track was followed by our first taste of fields. The oil seed rape that is planted in the field is now a foot high and well established. In another month or so it will be chest high. When it reaches maturity it is chin high and covered in bright yellow flowers, which gives quite an unusual experience seeing just people’s heads bobbing up and down as we run. A short run down the main street of a village takes down an open track that has become very dusty. A bridge takes us over the small river which is much more peaceful now the winter rain and snow has passed. Continuing on the track it climbs gently around a field where horses graze. At the top we pass the farm which has had its barns converted and sold as upmarket accommodation. On the left is a small windmill that is about fifteen feet high and painted white. I must take a picture of it one day and find out what it was used for. Pumping water is my guess. We move on along the road and over a cattle grid before turning sharp right into a farm entrance and downhill. Through the farmyard we take a path that crosses the river again higher up stream then across the meadow that has sheep with their lambs grazing. There is a lake on the left that has water fowl on various kinds on it. The fields are sloping upwards and the running is becoming harder. Crossing a road we are then running on tracks again. We rejoin the track we went out on and make our way home. A circular route of five and a half miles, four of those being off road. Added to the run we did on Sunday this leaves less than nine to run to achieve target for the week.