Try a new thing

At this time of year, part of me wants to stay in and hibernate, but part of me is ready to greet the new year with new adventures, and that is what happened last weekend.

On Friday, walking near local lakes with Carol and Diane I suggested we take a path that was new to us. We did. We gained views of a sunlit lake and got really close up to watch a goldcrest and redpolls foraging among the alders.  However, the end of the path was so flooded it looked more like a river than the nearby river did, and we had to retreat and go round the long way.

Saturday with Nigel, and again we diverted from our usual route, this time to explore an Iron Age settlement surrounded by a massive earthwork known picturesquely as The Devil's Dyke. We marvelled at the scale of the earthen banks, and read aged (and probably erroneous) signs declaring that Julius Caesar had fought there. Then Nigel managed to create a new circular walk from the settlement.  It ended up being a couple of miles longer than the amble we'd planned and we were both a bit weary and hungry by the time we regained our car.

So there are two alternative learnings I could glean from last weekend:-

• Don't try anything new - it'll cause you inconvenience.
• OR Take a chance on a new adventure and see where you end up.

I would say our experiences support both equally, but what I will say is - it felt GREAT to be trying something new.

Bird-golf

Whenever we meet somebody who plays golf, Nigel and I agree that it's probably a pleasant and way to spend time, but we are not ourselves tempted.  

Then on Saturday we went to a good-sized nature reserve. At Amwell lakes we walked in the fresh air from one bird hide to another, past the water features. Once at the bird hide we were much more focused. We practised our swing - swinging our binoculars up to our eyes. There was a little gentle competition.

'I've just seen an egret.'

'Well I've seen a wigeon.'

There were plenty of birdies but no eagles.

Neither of us saw a bittern - perhaps the equivalent of the elusive hole in one.

When in the hide, if I spot somebody with better equipment than mine, I sidle up and make friends and they often let me have a look through their telescope. I feel however that we may have outrun the analogy here as I'm not sure golfers with swanky kit let strangers in bobble hats use it.

The other place where the analogy fails is there is no clubhouse jauntily entitled The Nineteenth Hide, and worse, no loos either. Didn't want to use the bushes for fear of traumatising a Ceti's warbler.

As a result, we ended our excursion fitter, having embibed some fresh air, but probably the lack of essential facilities meant we were not quite as relaxed at the end of our round as most golfers!