Rain.. shine.. and mud


Introducing... My Portsmouth Wellies!!!!! These pink beauties were dragged out of summer hibernation to go and splash in the puddles and mud of Emsworth this Sunday ( because quite frankly with no Grand Prix what else is there to do?). And splash they did!

Living in the south is such a treat on a sunny day because in less than 10 minutes I can be at the sea.. and what better place for a Sunday stroll. Surrounded by fellow walkers and many muddy doggy paws I journeyed from Langstone, along the coast to Warblington and then on to Emsworth town which was a hive of activity as always. I always thought that long walks without a companion would be boring but I was armed with my ipod.. which after a recent spruce of tunes is amazing company. Some weeks ago I had to call an ipod truce and clear off all of the albums I skip every time they crop up on shuffle.. and so have now filled the gaps with albums I've never heard.. it's refreshing now when on shuffle, and beautifully unpredictable.

Along the way I stopped to take pretty pictures in the sunshine and also to make friends with these beautiful dairy cows which were all laid down.. I don't know if the cows sitting down = Rain thing is just a myth but these cows got it all wrong. A whole day of no rain.. who would have thought that would be a rarity for July! The weather has left behind a whole lot of muddy footpaths however, for which I was very glad to have my trusty Portsmouth wellies. That said, I did feel a little guilty for the onslaught of mud they took after months of welly dreaming in my car boot.  


This picture of the tide going out at Langstone Harbour came out perfectly to show the clearness of the water and how beautiful the reflection of the clouds were yesterday. It reminded me a lot of the Oscar Wilde quote "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" and it felt odd that looking down could show you what was actually above you.. Very Pretty. On another very irrelevant note the Fat Boy Slim album named in tribute to Wilde "Halfway between the Gutter and the Stars" has still got to be one of my desert island favourite albums.. Hey I did warn you it was irrelevant! 


The pretty swan picture, taken at Emsworth Harbour I've included just because I like swans but at the same time am incredibly scared of them. They are such beautiful creatures that I always feel the need to photograph but I think I've read too many Sue Townsend books not to be scared of them. If you don't know what I mean then get some better taste in books please people. Ive loved Townsends books since I was ickle and started off by reading the Adrian Mole books and then onto the other stories she has written.. all fabulous and all contain the line "A swan could break a man's arm you know" in there somewhere. Trust me I've done the leg work to know. So the next time you are near a swan remember.. no flamboyant arm gestures. 


From Emsworth my journey was of little interest except for a brief stop to tickle a beautiful German Sheppard puppy which I have bumped into several times now and next time will be stealing.. just too cute. Tired and a little blistered I rested my wellies and feet.. until that was I felt the calling of the Olympic Torch! 


 Arriving in Portsmouth last night thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the flame and I made sure I got my blue suede brogues to the front to catch the best view. Seeing the torch was surprisingly moving and one of those experiences it might actually be worth having children for so stories can be passed on.. Very much looking forwards to seeing what the biggest stories of this years Olympics will be...

For now I must stop daydreaming and don my trusty work shoes and actually do something today..