2008 — 10 Feb: Sunday — what was that about rest?
Time is 00:02 and it's quite chilly out there, with a fine crop of stars visible (fewer than over in Landford, though). There was an amazing crescent moon earlier, too. Space is pretty mind-blowing really, don't you think? Anyway, I got back about 30 minutes ago (taking much more care in the vicinity of those speed cameras on the A36 this time) after a pleasant chat, a meal, an unsuccessful attempt to sort out the new, but errant, portable hard drive, and a showing of Ratatouille which made us both laugh from time to time (but not continuously). Technically excellent, of course. And the short film Lifted (about a trainee alien abductor) is just inspired.
But now it's time to turn in, as I'm due to go walkabout in the vicinity of Kings Somborne later this morning and not only does a chap need his beauty sleep but there are also sandwiches to be made first. So, again, more later, as it were.
Scheisse and Rhein1
The sun is (at 09:13) blazing away, the frost and ice are under thermal attack, the Oatibix (etc) is being stowed in a handy local Mounce-shaped container, the lunch time snack has been prepared and packed in a handy Mounce-carry-able ditto. All that remains is to check the email, get suitably dressed for the Great Outdoors, fire up the Yaris, and get on over to Winchester at the agreed time and place. What on earth is this "Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements even if it leads no way?" lyric supposed to be about, I wonder. I've probably mis-heard it.
Slight change of map
Not plan; that still includes healthy outdoor striding along. Only the intended venue has shifted. Our destination should be "Farley" obvious:
I note yet another Beacon Hill and a set of fairly close-packed contour lines. Very healthy, thank you Mike! See you soon.
The Grand Tour ends
Time is now 17:17 and I'm sitting here, dressing-gowned, prior to clambering into a very welcome hot splosh ahead of the intended evening meal and the planned DVD(s), which will be either or both Matrix #3 and Cry-baby. The walk clocked up just about eight miles, starting from point 048 and travelling widdershins. A slight detour to re-examine the Farley Mount monument, of course. (Click the pic.)
Farley Mount monument (to a horse)
We ascended to just over 500 feet above sea-level at a couple of points. Sky was blue, various blooming things are budding and blooming (names? I don't have a clue, dear reader), grockles were also out in some numbers, though not venturing very far from their car parks. It was almost smoggy out on the horizon, though. Not good visibility. This was as close as we got to these little chaps over on Ashley Down:
We found ourselves a bench for the midpoint repast, just past King's Somborne, which was good, though it meant we did displace a regular cyclist from his regular resting point, it seems. But there were three of us... Here are my co-conspirators:
Oops!
Oh dear! The BBC Radio 2 news has just (20:00) reported oil rig workers "blown off by helicopter" after a security incident. The DVD I went with, in the end, was the noisy confusion that was the third "Matrix" film.