Boxing Day was the first dry sunny December day in weeks. The dreary weather and rain had stopped and the blue sky and sunshine raised our spirits. After the excesses of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, a ramble was the perfect excuse to be outdoors.
We met our walk leaders, Sue and Gordon at Mapledurham playing fields car park. They had both been unwell for weeks but still turned up to lead the walk. It was good of them to host the Boxing Day ramble as they had done in previous years.
Seventeen of us set off towards Mapledurham on mainly tarmac paths. As in previous years, we had our Christmas jumpers and some people wore Christmas hats. I gave George some grief as he said he didn’t own a Christmas jumper, so I suggested he might like to go to the sales to invest in one. It was lovely that George’s family and grandchildren could also enjoy the walk.Michael had a hat and had grown some very elfish ears, which seemed to attract a lot of attention. Gordon had a huge reindeer jumper that didn’t go unnoticed.
We rambled past woods and fields enjoying the views of the Thames Valley, whilst chattering about the highs and lows of Christmas. A steep incline back to the start awakened our legs and hearts.
We arrived at Sue and Gordon’s garden. Despite their illness, Sue had cooked an amazing amount of delicious mince pies and cakes, served with an aromatic mulled wine.
It was very generous of Gordon and Sue to host the Boxing Day ramble and provide hospitality for us all. We finished with a toast and Happy New Year to all! Thank you.
Lee ( PVR member)