30 May 2021 (Sunday) - Brookland to Snargate (and back)

I woke with a bit of a headache this morning. I wonder what that was all about? As I took Sid out so “not-so-nice-next-door” sprinted up her garden and into her house. I must admit to a wry smile at the sound of her fastening all the locks. She’s got a pretty chunky door anyway – the sort that cost a couple of thousand pounds from the double-glazing people. And somehow she’s added quite a few additional locks. Bearing in mind there’s pretty much no way into her back garden, who does she think is going to come along?

 

I made toast and peered into the Internet. It was much as I’d left it last night. People were posting the same tired memes to pretty much every Facebook page they could. Back in the day people would post photos of what they had done either to their own Facebook page or to a page about whatever pastime they enjoyed. Nowadays no matter what the hobby there are endless competing Facebook groups for that hobby; all of which carry pretty much the same content. For example if you want to go geocaching near where I live you’ve got a choice of half a dozen Facebook groups.

After ten minutes of scrolling through the same few things I gave up with it.

 

In readiness for going out I took Sid into the garden where I was accosted by “not-so-nice-next-door” who started shrieking at me. When my house was painted a few weeks ago we painted along the line that the previous paint job had taken. Partly because that was where the previous paint job had been, and partly because the old paint was rather tatty and needed making good. “not-so-nice-next-door” was furious that we had painted on her wall and demanded that I should have put it right by now (despite the fact we’ve just had the wettest May on record). She also ranted that she doesn’t like my dogs running round her garden. That confused me – there is no way they can get into her garden. She told me that they might. She then started a tirade that (quite frankly) I couldn’t understand. She then (in a very thick Japanese accent) asked if I didn’t understand English. I tried to placate her, but she wasn’t having any of it. What do you do with someone like that? Having blanked us for the best part of twenty years she is now doing her utmost to be disagreeable.

 

We got the dogs and ourselves organised and set off to Brookland Village Hall where we met Tracey and Karl. Charlotte was feeling under the weather which was a shame; we missed her today.

We set off on a little walk guided by some more of the “Trails of the Unconfirmed” geocaches. The walk started perhaps not as well as it might; walking through head high wet crops meant we got rather damp. But the crops soon dried (as did we) and we had a good walk. I was rather intrigued by the closed road we found. What was once a country lane is now quite literally collapsing. Rabbits and badgers have dug their burrows under it, and the tarmac has pot holes like you’ve never seen before. There were buzzards in the sky, sheep and cows in the fields, and I’ve never heard so many frogs in the ditches.

We also saw half a (very large) tree being burned in a bonfire on the side of one of the lanes. I would have thought there were rules against that sort of thing. And we found another geocacher’s mobile phone that they had dropped a couple of weeks ago. We shall post that back to its owner.

Our walk did take us past the Red Lion in Snargate – a veritable time-warp of a pub. The place does beer straight from the barrel, no food, no lager… but it was closed. Such a shame.

Geocache-wise we hunted out just over forty targets, finding all but two. Some were easier than others; most were rather smaller than I would have put out myself and perhaps more field puzzles than I would like (the dogs get impatient), but it was a good walk. One I would recommend.  You can see photos of it here.

 

We came home and I spent a couple of minutes moving the lock-up so that when I get some paint (tomorrow) I will be able to crack on painting. As I moved stuff about I heard “not-so-nice-next-door” unbolting the myriad locks on her back door, fiddle about and then bolt herself back in again. 

With the dogs snoring we then popped round to visit “My Boy TM”. er indoors TM” spent the evening in his hot tub. Stuff that – they are only “hot” all the time you are in them. They are decidedly cold when you get out.

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