Up to the top of Chanctonbury, which is no distance. I was wearing brand new TK Maxx Vans with no heels but no backpack either. A beautiful day to go up. We have been known to go in winter, but this day now where we can look forward perhaps to a quarter of a year with many more days like this – this was a good day to find the sun. I had no hat so a good deal of the time my T-shirt was on my head. Next to tanned Lou my poor pale skin looked positively anaemic, so I took everything off but my pants. There’s a sunspot. The nights are going purple on Instagram so that means the days are purple too as solar flares are not dependent on the clock. I’ll absorb some of those cosmic rays like The Thing from Fantastic Four. See what effect they have down the line.
One small puffball. I knew there had to be mycelia there, but it is as I’ve long suspected – someone lives locally and knows it. I’ve seen plenty of fungus over the years but none of it has been edible until today and an early early puffball. I reckon there’s a groundsman with an inherited calendar, generations of notes, and a house on top. Walks his dog a subtly changing pattern every morning and carries a basket. It’s what I’d do.
It’s gorgeous up there. Old land and old trees. A view over the downs. Not too many people. There was even someone on a horse. Often the cattle are grazing there.
We lay on a bank. I cooked. Lou cooked. There’s wind up there so it feels colder than it is. No factor anything… trying to get the base kicked off. I think we came down before we burnt but I’m feeling a bit dozy now.
We took another chance for Lou to move Bergman around a car park on the way home. Life is much easier if you are self employed and you have a vehicle you can sling around full of stuff. It’s pleasant to be part of the process that will get her on the road, less dependent on trains that strike every other day and cost too much when they don’t.
Now I’m back at hers, happy about this long weekend, one more day down tomorrow as well, then back to the madness. Happy to go up there and plug in.
Lou is thinking of teaching me some basic Ayurvedic massage as she wants me to reciprocate. I’m knackered but might be about to get oily and sleepy. Thought it best to write this first.
I was back down the bottom before my Fitbit buzzed 10000 for the first orange break on a usual walking day. Laziness. Joy.
AlBarclay 