Perfectly Practical #13 - Walking

It is traditional in England to go for a walk after a big meal such as a Sunday roast dinner. 

All of our friends in J.O.E. were walkers - not in the American cute sweat suit, IPod strapped to your arm, power-walker sense, but in the leisurely, let your food digest, stroll sort of way.

Our friends knew that a little sunshine (and I mean a little sunshine, this is England we are talking about here) and fresh air and time to settle and chat was such therapy.  A fantastic way to start the week, with a clear head and a suitably full but not over-extended belly.
 
The canal that ran along the back our house was a perfect spot to "take a turn" as Jane Austen would say.  Engineer and I weren't walkers by nature but came to appreciate it. 

Fresh air really does one good and we would even travel with friends to the seaside (about 30 minutes away) to walk - our dogs loved it. 

I kind of had a "Will walk for cake" sign tattooed onto my forehead.    Those seaside walks always ended with a ginormous slice of cake at a fabulous garden tearoom atop a cliff overlooking the English Chanel  (at no other point was a massive piece of cake so deserved as after climbing the incline that led to that clifftop tea room).

Is there any better way to spend a Sunday afternoon - especially in the summer when local brass bands would play in the garden's amphitheatre?

Some friends had access to a local farm and we would take all of the dogs (they had two of our dogs' puppies) and all of the kids and walk through the pastures and woods. 

Above is a picture of the woods in springtime; it was called "Bluebell Wood."  You could stand in the center looking in all directions and see nothing but a carpet of bluebells - stunning.   

Our friends knew about the aforementioned cake loving signage and they would always have us back for Sunday Tea at which there would be guaranteed cake - and Mrs. Mead's cakes are worth walking miles for I can assure you. 

Since moving back Stateside, we have taken to walking a bit more, still not like we were but we do walk:  walk to school, walk to parents' or friends' houses nearby, and walk for exercise...while cake is no longer necessary, it is always appreciated. 

With love to the Mead Family!

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