Country Walking

"For excitement, give me a country walk any day..."

Edmund Crispin, The Moving Toyshop

I've enjoyed going for walks most of my life, I think, and I looked forward to doing a lot of walking in England.  It's almost always pleasant no matter what the season.  I don't know what it is about the English and walking, but it's definitely a national past time in a way that it's not in America. That's not to say people don't enjoy walking in the United States, but...I actually find it hard to describe the subtleties of the difference in cultures so I reserve the right not to try.

Sunday afternoons are often good times for a walk.  On this particular walk with our church family we passed a conker tree (also known as a Horse Chestnut) and learned about the games children play with the nuts.

The kids made lots of wishes, blowing the huge dandelions, and James claimed the he was going to sell the stems for 100 pounds.  

We've been paying much closer attention to the birds flying away south in their V formations and just generally soaking in everything fall-ish, which is a word no one ever uses here, of course.  It's only ever Autumn in the UK.

And it's really been a good one.