A Tromp in the Mud

We spent the afternoon with some old friends we hadn't seen in years. Actually, they're more precisely a former coworker of David's mother from her teaching days in Belgium, and said coworker's husband. The kids and I had only met Rosemary once, back in California, and had never met Chris. They are both British, but have lived in several countries; now that we live in their country, only an hour from them, it was high time we paid them a visit. They have been married 40 years and live in an old house surrounded by fields of sheep, all of whom are currently pregnant and will be lambing soon. They are a sweet and friendly couple with an old black dog, Zoe. They have three grown daughters, and when the first had a child of her own, Rosemary gave Chris a coffee table, and Chris gave Rosemary a comfortable armchair, to celebrate each other's emergence as a grandparent.

Five minutes after we arrived at their house on the hill, we all donned Wellington boots and raincoats and took off on an hour and a quarter walk through the woods and fields to a pub for lunch. Zoe happily trotted along with us as we slogged through huge quagmires of mud alternating with dry bits of path, brilliant green grass, and leaf-covered forest floor. The squelch of the mud was impressive. The key was not to let one's boots come OFF in the mud. The kids had a great time making the thick, brown, oozy stuff burp and hiccough as it appeared to eat a bit of our wellies with each step.

During the course of the afternoon we saw horses, cows, sheep, rabbits, chickens, the dog, and even two pheasant. After the delicious pub lunch (crowned with some sticky toffee pudding), we thankfully piled into the car which had been planted there earlier by this couple full of foresight, and drove home instead of hiking back in the pouring rain and even moments of hail. Emily was tired anyway - mud walking takes more out of one than a dry terrain.

A few games with cups of tea for those so inclined, and our visit was over. Thank you, Rosemary and Chris, for a lovely day!