Blaise Estate

I've been running a lot recently, and yesterday decided to go for a long run up to Blaise Castle, around it and back again. It didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped, as after mapping my run, writing down the directions and setting off with only them, my phone and some water, I got immediately lost.
I found myself running around some newly built housing estates in Horfield or Henbury or Henleaze or somewhere in North Bristol beginning with H... or was it Southmead? Possibly I ran around all these places, sometimes ringing home for directions, sometimes stopping strangers, sometimes running down streets I was sure I'd already run.
Eventually I turned up at Blaise Estate, which should have been the fun bit, but which was full of families, and dogs who wanted to run beside me, and I was getting cold. I rang home again, with the bright suggestion that Matt might like to drive up, come for a walk with me and drive us back to the relative warmth of our flat. Luckily he thought this was a great idea, so whilst I did laps of the grounds outside the museum to stop me from freezing, he drove to my rescue, remembering to bring a jumper.
We wandered into the woods and found the elusive castle, just in time to play with our new camera phones and watch the sun go down. I was glad of the jumper, glad of the lift, and determined that next time I'd leave a little earlier, better prepared, and wearing gloves.

Bright on Brighton beach

Another beautiful sunny relaxing weekend in Brighton, this time with two people who have a special shared ability to make me feel ok. We ate fudge, cooked, shopped, sat on the beach in t-shirts, had fish n chips with cider for lunch, watched TV, drank wine, then rum, and reminisced about the days spent in Peru. Excitingly, we made plans to visit our missing quarter in Seattle, and most memorably, we made up a game to be played in the birdcage on Brighton beach. It involves being very silly, laughing and making a fool of yourself, and I hope to play it again soon.

Brecon

Having seen photos and heard stories from across the Severn, we decided to take a look at the Brecon Beacons for ourselves. Tales of hills, lakes and fountains, within an hour's drive, led us to falsely believe a walk in Wales would be easily achievable. Alas, we awoke too late, failed to plan anything and eventually, after a long drive, stopped briefly in Llangors, where the angry ducks and lack of footpaths spurred us to drive on. Turning up at 3pm in Brecon, we found the Tourist Info shut for the day.
Nothing for it but to climb the nearest hill, which was nice, but gentle, and not quite the day's arduous adventure we'd envisaged. Brecon, however, is a charming little town which I'd like to visit again.
We spent the next couple of hours searching for a nice place to eat, settling in the end for an average pub in Abergavenny, and headed home, where films and fireworks awaited. It's always good to spend some time with your beloved, away from the daily grind. Next time, however, we might look at a map or make a plan before we set off, and find the evasive long walk in the wild. I'm sure there are many, and look forward to telling you all about them.