A Path Somewhere
My sister, Chris, reminded me of the great show a while ago called 'A River Somewhere' and it made me think about my experience so far walking around the english countryside. A couple of weekends ago I went for a walk around Upway which is only 10 minutes from where we live. With a trusty map in hand I set out through paddocks and down narrow lanes with no real destination in mind.
These maps are amazing in their detail. They show farm buildings, sign posts, historical roman roads, small woodlands and even where Farmer Martin's cow is standing. Looking at the map I noticed the word 'Tumuli' all over the place. After a bit of reading I realised that a tumuli (singular tumulus, from the Latin word for mound or small hill for un-educated people like me) represented barrows, burial mounds, kurgans, middens or shell mounds. Theres tall ones, small ones, circular ones, long ones - all shapes and sizes and all part of an amazing history. The maps also have one very important thing - an image of a pint glass to represent the village pub - any walkers essential finish point.
Just like in 'A river somewhere' I was always thinking - what if I just walk over that next hill to that funny thing on the map with an X - I wonder what it could be? So on I would trudge until I got there. Then, looking at the map again - I would wonder - what is that triangular symbol marked 'old mill' over the next hill? So on I would trudge again.......
.............. Then again there is aways something over the next hill.
1 comment:
Good to see photos of your family in the photo album. I'm sure that you're enjoying looking after the girls, cooking, washing, etc and giving Kath a rest. That's what I'd be doing if my wife had arrived! (I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this!).
Hope that Adelaide is settling in at school. I wonder if she is telling stories about wrestling crocs and riding her kangaroo around the streets back home!
Your photo of the countryside is not unlike the view down our way. 5 weeks of storms has transformed the area from a dustbowl into the greenest we have seen it. I bet there is plenty of stormwater runoff into Lake Parramatta. Dam levels have risen for the last 5 weeks in a row, for the first time in many years.All of the farm dams near our place are full to the brim.
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