A walk by the river

Sunday was a beautiful day. Blue sky and a real warmth from the sun. I have been pretty inactive since Christmas so I decided to go for a walk along by the river in search of Sammy. I donned my jacket, scarf and gloves and my exceptionally attractive green walking shoes and set off.

To get to the river I had to walk through the town. I was feeling a little self conscious with regards to my attire. Stripey purple socks over leggings and of course the above green shoes. I wished for a dog as a companion and as an indicator of my purpose.

I managed to pass through the town unnoticed, in fact I did the noticing, I noticed several others dressed in similar attire. All had dogs.

The path through the wood was very wet and muddy, slipping and sliding my way through I came across a family. A young boy was crying because he had got his boot stuck in the mud and therefore his sock and jeans were soaking wet and caked with gunge. I heard him wail through his tears ' This is the worse thing that has happened to me in all my life'. Chuckling I carried on my way.

Ahead of me I saw several rabbits hopping into hiding , passing through the boggy area that leads up to the river bank I spotted a Reed Bunting among the reeds and rushes. On reaching the river two swans were feeding on the mud flats and as always gulls and crows weaved and called above me. The sun was warm and I felt at peace with the world.

I strided on keeping a close watch on the river in case of a sudden dog-like head surfacing. I passed the moored boats, which seemed to be a favourite fishing ground for Sammy last year, but sadly no sign of him. I walked on for a further mile or so with only the sighting of a couple of dippers to brighten the river landscape. I decided to turn around as my tummy was rumbling and the vegetable soup that I had made earlier was definitely calling.

On the way back, beside one of the little riverlets, I spotted a heron, it seemed like a garden ornament in its stillness. Passing Sammy's feeding ground once more I stopped for a while and ate a few squares of chocolate. But finally I decided he wasn't coming and it was time to call it a day.

On re-entering the High Street, no longer self conscious because my green walking shoes were now a satisfactory muddy brown, I decided to treat myself to a coffee and a read of the Sunday Papers in 'Bill's'. The coffee was good and strong and as I cast my eyes around I noticed the woman from the Sainsbury's Ads and her daughter on the table next to mine. I observed them for a while then downed my coffee, sneaked an article from the Observer Review into my pocket and headed for home.