Yes, Lockdown 2 is nearly over… as of next week we will be in some as yet unannounced Tier or another… but all shops will reopen and doubtless be over-run by frenzied Covidy swarms of Christmas shoppers. What have we been doing? Trying to revisit some of our previous walks, but it has been very wet so lots of places are very muddy. Done a tiny bit of socialising – a social walk, a social hot chocolate on the sea-front, a couple of evening drinks. Hastings still has low Covid rates but rising… Our new car finally comes tomorrow.

Battleaxe has gone a bit lethargic and stodgy. Have used some sunny intervals to go for fairly-half-hearted walks, and as ever, taken some pretty photos. Here is the Country Park. The light on this particular day was very special – and it is good to see the Exmoor ponies, even though they are not at all interested in us. But nor should they be. You don’t want ‘wild’ ponies like in the New Forest, where they hang round car parks and stick their heads in car windows looking for food.
The Country Park has got a new web site – here is the link – and I’ve been asked to contribute some blog bits – they used a couple of my pieces for their newsletters in LD1. The new Visitor Centre looks nearly finished, and it will have a cafe in – good, because our old favourite, the Coastguards, has now closed for good.
For us, a walk struggles to be a proper walk without a stop for a cuppa and a bit of cake somewhere. Or even a beer and a sandwich… Also, lets face it, Battleaxe is a bit of a fair weather walker. Philosopher asked if we should go out this morning and I say ‘Nooo it looks so grey and it’ll be far too muddy.’ But it is always worth it to get out. Fresh air always lifts the mood. Trouble is, in this Covid time, as Philosopher also says, the less we go out, the less we want to go out…
On another day in the Country Park, this time on the East Hill, we were struck by all the holly berries – and the gorse in bloom already/again… the weather may have been dull and damp but it has been astonishingly warm. No frost as yet.
As you can probably gather from reading this, Battleaxe is not in a terrifically good mood. The Covid vaccine is dangling on the horizon. Us older ones should probably get it early next year, if the Government can actually deliver. However, it still means we have the winter to get through, and like many people I’ve spoken to, the thought of getting Covid now, when the end might be in sight, seems even more scary and dismal. Our ‘leaders’ have set out some nonsensical scheme for Christmas, probably a recipe for people dying like flies. But I guess if they didn’t say go out, enjoy yourselves and then die with our permission, people would do it anyway. Ah well.
Not much to say in this post really…. here are two final photos, one from the West Hill, and then a sunset taken by Philosopher.
Hi Steph
Good to see you virtually this evening.
Bruce and I enjoyed a beautiful walk in the country park on Monday and my photographs are similar to yours. We are very fortunate to have such amazing scenery on our doorsteps and to be the envy of many friends who are not so fortunate in where they live.
We are looking forward to seeing the visitor centre opening next year and being able to enjoy both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks on our walks. Can’t wait to see what 2021 turns up; surely it has to be a great improvement on this year.
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Good to see you too, Susannah! Lets be sure to meet up in the new Visitor Centre Cafe!