Dead as a Dodo

My proverbial namesake

Deaf? Actually, not that bad, thankyou. I am not extinct (yet). And yet I struggle to hear when the noise level is high. Like when we eat together, 35 of us including three infants who can be LOUD. Often it is actually uncomfortable and I find myself withdrawing from conversation, not even trying, and occasionally even leaving the room. And I note that Meg's hearing is getting worse. I habitually run (barefoot of course) first thing Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Simply opening the latch on the back door used to be enough to wake Meg, some 30 yards away in her kennel, but now she doesn't hear and I have therefore given up taking her with me on my morning runs. I do not want to call out loudly for fear of waking the more sensible of our folk who stay in bed.

It is not so much sheer volume that causes my hearing difficulty as cacophony. I am very pleased with most of Celibidache's Bruckner because I can generally make out the individual instruments: the recordings I have have clarity in this respect. But with some music, especially home-grown such as our praise services, all the sounds can muddle together and become, for me, harsh and verging on painful. And why does music now-a-days have to have constant drum beat?

Around Rural Willand 5

Mornings at Ali's mum's house are free time for me. Ali's mum does not surface until about 10 a.m. and Ali likes to stay in bed. I wake naturally when it gets light which is about 6 a.m. and whilst lying half-awake under the bed-clothes is nice for maybe half an hour, after that I am raring to go. Even after a longish run there is still free time so I started listening to Bruckner's 5th by Celibidache. Wow! sums it up. I mention this here because it reminded me of running. The beauty of the countryside flows past me much as does Bruckner's music. A bit like Grieg's Morgenstemning doing good justice to a real sun-rise or Rossini's Overture to Guillaume Tell  to a real storm although those examples are too specific whilst with Bruckner it is more generic.

I left the house at my usual 06:30 to find the earth shrouded in mist. But that was not going to stop me because, having once tasted the Culm water meadows, this my last run had to extend the experience. So I exited Willand via the Bradfield corridor turning left at Stenhill (just to ring the changes) - a mistake: this road is single track at best and full of potholes and random stones. Not only that but the local farmer appears to use it as a cattle trail and furthermore it passes a cattle slurry pit that oozes across the road.

I took the footpath down to the river: another mistake as it passes between the river and the Uffculme sewage treatment plant. But, having put that behind me and having wiped my feet on clean grass, the rest was bliss. The first stretch of river was a repeat of the previous run.

Culm water meadows east of Uffculme

This is what I mean by a path 

Even though the mist persisted, running on this stuff is pure heaven. The grass is soft and wet, the ground under is not smooth, and there are no fences to hem you in.

A bend in the river

Hunkin wood where I turned back towards Uffculme

Hunkin Wood aka Five Fords is on the edge of my map. Here I spied a large dog and its human baring my way forward but, in any case, I had kind of decided to turn back at this point, following the road back into Uffculme and thence home. Later on the dog passed me along this road, riding on the front passenger seat whilst its human drove. Did it have a seat-belt on? Pity I wasn't quick enough to snap a picture.

Uffculme village square

"Uffculme Straight", nearing home

Should I get to visit Willand again, my intention is to follow the river further, perhaps as far as Culmstock.

The path continues to Culmstock and beyond