She'd got back to her little cottage just as the threatening storm broke. The sky had been getting darker for a while as the clouds billowed in.The wind had been increasing in strength all afternoon. The weather forecast had said that it was going to be a bad one. They had many days of grey and dismal weather, when it didn't seem to be able to make it's mind what to do.
She'd managed to get back from work and into the house as the first few fat drops of rain hit the pavement. Breathing a sigh of relief, as she and all her bags got inside the front door just as the heavens opened.
She made her way to the kitchen to put the groceries away, and say hello to the dog.It was so dark she had to put on the light, even though it was only four in the afternoon. She filled the kettle, made a cup of tea. At this rate walking the dog was not going to be her usual evenings pleasure!
So sinking down into her comfy sofa, the dog at her feet, she thought about what needed doing. She must have dozed off. She awoke with a start, momentarily not sure what was going on. The sun was streaming in through the window, it's rays warming her.
This was more like it,so donning her coat and taking the dog lead form the peg she let herself out of the door.
They walked towards the water lane, her very favourite road, leading to her very favourite place. She loved the age old stories about the water lanes being the home to the fairy folk. The sun shone through the canopy of trees overhead. It was a wonderful tunnel of trees that meandered for a mile or so. The high banks were sparkling with bright decorations, bluebells, the odd late primrose, the emerald green of the ferns all illuminated by the sun. The little stream that ran down the side of the road, babbled at it's new inrush of water. Even the road had rivulets of water gushing down it's side. The birdsong that spring evening was almost deafening, as if everything was renewed and cleansed by the storm.
As the lane dropped down the hill another noise started to take the place of the birdsong, the unmistakable sound of the waves crashing on the shore. The tang of salt was in the air, and the peace of the lane was overtaken by the screech of the gulls. Rounding the last corner the lane it opened up to the cove.
The cove, as like so many round here was small and surrounded by high cliffs where the seabirds nested. The beach spread before her and she and the dog joyfully ran down to the edge of the sea both of them playing escape from the waves as they crashed down.
They were the only ones about, obviously the other walkers she saw most evenings hadn't made it here yet. This made her feel even better she did something she hadn't done for years. She started skipping on the sand, her laughter at her silliness being lost in the wind. The dog scampered around her ankles enjoying this peculiar way of going on their nightly walk.
They reached the end of the cove, and they both needed a rest after such exuberant behaviour. They sat in a little sheltered nook in the rocks. The dog putting his head on her lap, and she absent mindedly stroked it's ears, whilst enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on her face.
She felt drowsy again and thought 'I must get moving,but I'll just have another minute first'.
Then I woke up......
This is my dream, this is what I want and need to do. Maybe not this beach or this water lane. But I want to be near enough to the sea that I can take my dog for a walk on the beach in the spring evenings and skip along the shore if I want to.
It may not happen this year, as Alex has told me he's rather I didn't go for another year, but it will happen. I will go and live in Devon, and not just visit to stay with my friends down there.
I've got my fingers so tightly crossed that Al will be well enough by this Thursday that I can go for the weekend. I so need some me time right now. Both lots of friends are wanting to see me. So it will be a hectic weekend.
But of course if he's not well enough I'll stay here, and as my friend J said there's always the weekend after, or the one after that!
