I did this 1.5 hour Surrey walk twice this weekend. Once with just Pippa (my two year old Cockapoo) pictured below and once with my wife Sarah. Pippa has not been on this particular walk before and she absolutely loved it. What's not to like for a lively little cockapoo. Plenty of other dogs to CHASE and be chased! So many interesting smells. Woods. Side paths. Big open fields to sprint around on. She has been shattered both days on finishing.
It's a circular walk with half in the valley and half at the top of the hill looking down on where you walk. It's truly inspiring.
From the top of the hills the views are breathtaking - even on a cloudy day.
On the edge of the walk is somewhere called Standen - we did not look at the house. More investigating to do at a future point.
Not to spend too much time on it but at 08:10 this morning my mother passed away. After two months and a week of suffering she is finally at rest and peace and joins my father finally after 16 years of living as a widow on her own in a big house. Of course it will take me a while to come to terms with all of this. I don't think my personal adjustment will be about losing my mother (who was the kindest, most loving, caring person I have ever met - I could not have wanted more as a son!) it will be coming to terms with the 2+ months of suffering since her fall. As it turns out she was never going to be "saved" by a hospital. She was too frail to recover. Although there was nothing clinically wrong with her she was frail. Like most 88 year-olds. Everyone tried to save her but at the end of the day perhaps we should have all just realised that this was probably "her time". Love you mum. We will all miss you. You would have wanted us to party not mourn. So I'm going to get on with life and live it to the full. It's what you would have wanted me to do!
It was tough to get up at 05:30 on a Sunday morning. But I did. I suspect the first 10 days will be tough. The second 10 days a little tougher and the next 10 a bit odd and perhaps harder still. Forming new habits and getting rid of old ones is not easy. I used to love laying in bed! If I keep it up which I intend to do I may eventually get used to it (LOL). I did give up alcohol once for 6 months (why?), stopped smoking for good many years ago. So, where there's a will there is hope! When I was first diagnosed with gout I went on all kinds of extreme diets to try to stop the attacks. To no avail, I might add. So i'm taking the medicine which seems to be working well at present!
