For once we got Miles to walk with us on our ramblings around the Durham Woods yesterday. I was amazed at the amount of water in the River Wear rushing by so fast loaded with sediment dragging just a bit more of Weardale down to the sea.

The two lads and Fiona went off around the woods and I went off  down the path alongside the River because I have no walking boots at the moment and it is very muddy in the woods. It was very dark and gloomy but I liked that and without my family I walk a lot faster and positively sprinted into Durham City where I was to meet them at the Durham Cathedral Cloisters for biscuit break.

I was there 20 min early so it was nice just to sit quiet and work out some harmonica improvisation's around various tunes in my head but I noticed my feet were tapping vigourously and some people gave me a curious look I suspect because I was responding to hearing music but there was no sign of any earbuds or music player on me. Head music is the best of all no doubt about it.

We bought Clifford some new walking boots yesterday a great pair which will bless his feet for several years and keep them warm and dry. We got back home later than usual because of the shopping excursion for a boot fitting which took a bit of time, after all you have to get it right, so I got immediately down to making home-made hamburger, bags of onions, tomato sauce, fresh spaghetti and garlic bread. We watched a Will Ferrell film about iceskating a real hoot not least because we had watched "Anchorman" the night before and had a real good laugh at that.

Fiona is getting a lot fitter and last week  she only had to have an afternoon sleep once. The steady walking is paying off and I have always believed no matter what    physical limitations or illness you have got it is best to keep fit which is not so much about hoping everything will be all right in the end but about the quality of life at that moment. It was a really nice afternoon with the four of us together. Thank you family!