Also as well....

Also.........I went for a walk Ullswater-ish.....simply because it had been a while.

I vaguely intended to head for my beloved Borrowdale, but ended up, because it was less of a drive to get there, re-visiting the granny walk along the eastern shore of Ullswater.....a stunningly beautiful, thus well trodden, and much waxed lyrical over path....and why not....I'm not proud......and it was.....stunningly beautiful...... but old habits die hard.....and after sauntering up the lake by steamer in sunshine with all of my fellow grannies as shipmates,

on arrival at Howtown, I asap struck off directly up Hallin Fell, direttissima style,  and arrived at the top in a bucket of sweat to walk the ridge instead......sort of.

Gloriously bathed in sunshine with views to die for, I found myself gradually ambling off track downhill to eventually join the lakeside route again.

A couple of 'mountain-bikers' were attempting to peddle the path a little ahead of me and were causing me endless amusement by constantly falling off in comical fashion.....tree roots and small rock steps clearly proving too much for their lycra- clad exploits....After I wandered by them for the umpteenth time as they extricated themselves from various pathside shrubbery, they ruefully informed me that they were to " *uck this for a game of soldiers".....sat down and had a picnic instead. I never saw them again.

After a long leisurely amble through sun-soaked fluttering Birch, Beech, Ash and Oak contouring alongside a shimmering blue lake,

 I reached the metropolis at the end of the water to catch the sailing back to the start. Oh happy day.

A little While...

It's been a while since I last put scribble to parchment,  but today, after completing my domestic errands, I found myself passing close to the local nature reserve, and so sneaked a few hours of relaxing casual perambulation amongst the sun-soaked woods.
When last visited, the woods were looking pretty forlorn in their sparse autumn, pared-down starkness.......all cold bare twig and branch with thin scattered ground cover, brown, bleak and shivering......today, however, the whole area was lush, green and verdant in "full-fat" summer rich livery...every tree in resplendent leaf laden bloom. The thick carpet of flourishing undergrowth and healthy hedgerow giving further evidence of summer's presence in this life-full green and pleasant wood.

Didn't see much...the bloody lushness effectively hid any feathered wildlife that may or may not have been present.....who knows..
Heard a selection of tweets and trills that I was pleased to sort of identify as I walked along, saw a butterfly

 and some fox-gloves,

and I then spent an hour or so in the lake-side hide,  immensely enjoying observing the water fowl, terns and gulls do their thing.

Was rewarded with the close-up sight of a jewel of a Kingfisher posing like a cliché on a branch sticking out of the water in front of me.

I walked back through the woods and caught a flash of Jay rump fleeing through the leafy canopy and also saw a G.Sp. (I think) Woodpecker.

Hardly a wildlife rich safari.....yet that simple period of being quiet for a while in amongst a beautiful natural environment was, as ever, a tangible boost to my mood and general feeling of well-being.

Whoever thought up nature.....boy did good.