Normality resumed

Always difficult coming back to normality after some time away - especially when the weather turns miserable, work piles up in the study and the house etc. etc ... but I had a gentle re-introduction at the weekend with a couple of nice walks with the dog (who was very pleased to see me home again!) before having to attack the e mails, the ironing and the rest of the minutiae of everyday life.

I always find walking inspirational - the sheer physicality of it as well as what I may see or hear. On Sunday we had a call to make in the Forest of Dean; later we drove on down to the River Wye and had a long walk along its very peaceful banks, with only the occasional company of fishermen, an odd walker or two and a few enthusiasts on the water. As we climbed a small incline into a wooded area I noticed an ancient wooden canoe upturned to the right of the path and behind it the most lovely old house, partly stone, partly half-timbered. For the rest of the afternoon my imagination ran riot around who may have lived in the house over the years. To whom did the canoe belong? How long has it lain abandoned there, what might be the history behind it? By the following morning a short story had taken root and I'm working on it today ...