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11 September 2015 (Friday) - Back to Bethersden

I slept like a log last night. However I'm very conscious that my idea of a good night's sleep isn't what everyone else would think it is. I got up shortly before 7.30am which for me was something of a lie-in. I scoffed brekkie, got my stuff (and my dog) together and set off to Bethersden. I've been planning to put out a series of geocaches in the area and today was Phase Two of the project. My plan was to do the walk I did last week, but the other way round. The idea being I might find the footpaths I missed first time round. I also hoped to suss out exact places in which to hide sandwich boxes.

As we drove down the A28 we passed the point at which my route crosses that road. I made a point of looking at the time. It took three minutes to drive from there to where I parked the car, and forty five minutes to walk back.
There was a minor disaster. A week ago when we walked the route for the first time I waypointed thirty five potential geo-hot-spots on both "Hannah" and on my phone. Within minutes of starting walking I realised I'd inadvertantly deleted all of them from my GPS unit. Oh I did swear. Mind you my phone saved the day. Again.
However using the phone to find my geo-hot-spots I was able to re-waypoint using "Hannah" and I later found that my initial co-ordinates (which were on my lap-top) were good. So I suppose I was able to double check my earlier work; which was a good thing.

As we walked "Furry Face TM" tried to chase a rabbit, and we caught a glimpse of a small lizard. Those things are *fast*. We also saw friendly horses and ponies and (some of our number) rolled in fox poo.
My plan to walk in reverse order worked; we found the footpath for which I was searching last time. And I found hiding places for loads of sandwich boxes. The only really down side to today's walk was that within a few hundred yards of getting back to the car my dog dived into a river then climbed out through the mud. But filthy Patagonian Tripe-Hounds notwithstanding, after four and a half hours and a shade over eight miles we were back at the car.

I'd taken a few photos as we walked. Once home I bathed those of our number who had been rolling in fox poo and then posted those photos on-line. My mum likes that sort of thing. I scoffed a quick sandwich whilst watching this week's episode of "Dominion" then started preparing all the on-line stuff for my Bethersden geo-project. It only took three hours to do.
As I worked I got a message - I'd won something.
Regular readers of this drivel may remember that a month or so ago I went to the annual national convocation of tupperware hunters. It was a really good day out, and next year we are seriously considering spending a week at the annual convocation. It will be in north Wales, and I follow the Facebook page of the people who are planning it. Earlier in the week they'd had a competition. "Why do you love geocaching?" I answered "A different dog walk every time". They decided that was the best entry and I was the winner.
I've not won anything worth more than a tenner in financial terms, but I'm really chuffed about it. Unbearably smug doesn't come close to describing me at the moment.

I scoffed a rather good bit of tea, and then spent the evening camoflaging sandwich boxes. Never a dull moment...

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