A Walk In The Woods Brings Surprises.

A forest is one of a few places still untouched by concrete & steel.

Walking during hot days is only really possible if one can find a shady route or a nice bit of wood or forest. Bob and I set off rather late at 7 am and within minutes were in the lovely cooler glades of the forest.

We've done a few of these forest walks so that we don't have to drop little breadcrumbs behind us. I know that sounds funny, but once you're inside the forest all roads tend to lead away...

Usually, we only get the odd deer or rabbit making an appearance while we walk there but yesterday we heard a rather loud rustling not far from us. Luckily we spotted another walker before we assumed it was a wild pig. We've been told that there is an abundance of wild pigs in our neck of the woods although we've yet to see any but we always joke about who will hide behind whom if ever we encounter any! Naturally Bob relishes in describing what an angry wild pig might do to us...men!

As we aren't newlyweds anymore, we draw straws about who would be thrown to the pigs...None of that Manly-Hero stuff when you've been married for a while.

We have had a week of scorching hot days after a bout of rain, and yet inside the forest there were still a few puddles to be stepped over. Just goes to show how divinely cool and acclimatized it is in there. There is nothing like walking in the forest. No houses, no shops and hardly any people.

Bob has a route that takes us from one edge of the forest in a circular way to exit on the hill above our village. About 200 meters from the edge, Bob spotted two horses and their riders. Gosh, what a sight! There were these two big steeds weaving between the various oak and fir trees.

As it turned out, it was one of our neighbours and his wife exercising their horses in the cool the forest. I tell you, it definitely took top prize in a social encounter. Both of them stopped next to us ( one of the horses was a tad rambunctious and was chomping at the bit and trying to hot hoof it ) and we had a typical exchange of social niceties only this time they were atop their steeds and we were on foot.

It might not sound like much, but I find that life is lived in these seemingly small moments. The secret of course is to recognize these moments of joy, happiness or even sadness, for what they are.

Biggi