Spoilt !

The weather today was supposed to be miserable but somehow it missed us.  Daniel and I managed to fit in another walk around the general area. That’s two walks in three days…. we’re spoilt!   This time we went NW.  It’s an area I’ve previously walked but which was new for Daniel.

I can’t get enough of this ability to wander the many public footpaths, but am still hesitant to walk down someone’s driveway, despite the signage indicating there is public access.  Today we came upon a mother calling out for her children who had somehow managed to get themselves on the opposite side of a fence.  The damned stupid lambs obviously had been warned about “stranger danger” because they seriously resisted our efforts to reunite them with mum.  Eventually the reunion was achieved but with no thanks from their mother.  The only thing she gave us was her name, “Baa bra”.

Daniel thought this one was also lost but was quickly disabused of that notion when mum appeared and rather aggressively saw us off!

After crossing a field of wet knee high corn (footpath hadn’t been cleared) we came upon a rather charming cottage behind the field boundary hedge.

The footpath continued on the opposite side of the road and this time the crop had been poisoned along the route of the footpath.

This took us to a narrow lane with a small complex of old brick farm buildings.  Daniel took several photos but the only thing which interested me was the sight of a potential replacement hand basin.

Unfortunately it’s too big for Waiouru’s vanity unit.

A hard left turn took us back to the Oxford Canal at Hungerfield Bridge No35. 

If I recall correctly there was a sign above the door of the cottage on the opposite bank which read “Canal Inn Cottage”.  The next footpath took us across the fields to a rather dilapidated pedestrian bridge over the railway lines.  I guess the footpath was there long before the railway and therefore in order to retain the “right of way” the railway either had to build a bridge or tunnel.  The bridge looks like it only gets used by the odd walker.

Four electrified lines in rural countryside.  Unheard of in Oz or NZ!

We skirted around the boundary of Brinklow Marina having only recently walked the same ground.  At the far end of the footpath we detoured down a very narrow country lane which ended in a ford across the River Avon.  Diverting slightly north, we found another footpath and a low bridge across the river.

Obviously the Avon can flood because you can see the slightly higher adjacent walkway.

We were both slightly buggered by the time we returned to Waiouru (well I was buggered and Daniel wouldn’t admit to it!).  In our absence Jan had been running the engine to top up the batteries and had done the laundry.  She didn’t appear that pleased as we both stripped off our wet and dirty walking clothes.

Jan also mentioned another blog reader passed on nb Bluestem but unfortunately didn’t get their names.  It continues to surprise me that people find the time to read all this rubbish!