Three superb days with my very good friend Richard. Me showing off Gloucestershire to him, and him being his usual easy company as we invaded the places I like with an almost permanent commentary. There are talkers and listeners in this world and I’m one, Richard the other. He has a bone dry wit that is used to good effect as punctuation in my ramblers rambling.

First day a quick tour of Leckie Hill. If you’re an Archers fan then the name might be familiar. Round here it should be called Leckhampton Hill and from it I could show him almost all the area. The view of the old farm buildings at the back of the Hill is one of my favourite photo places,and I’ve done loads of drawings of it over the years. It has everything for me with corrugated iron, wires going to it pointing down the track and usually some very moody skies. It’s my ‘sunflowers by Van Gogh’ picture, he did loads of drawings and paintings of sunflowers trying to get it right, I’ve done loads of drawings of this view, trying to get that right. I’m still working on it and I still have both ears.

Next day my plan was to do the Oakridge/Chalford circle as I call it. Up through the woods from the bottom of Chalford near the kids playground, then along to Strawberry Banks. Then up again to Oakridge. This gives me an excuse to go on about how a small German bomber crashed in this lovely spot in World War 2. A story the local paper has on file for any slow news day, and which I make no excuses for using here. It’s a good and bad story, some of the poor unfortunate flyers survived. I wonder how they felt to end up in one of the most beautiful spots I know. Here’s a fuller report of the incident that I found, worth a read:look here.

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Through Oakridge after a flask coffee and regulation biscuit we walked on along the ridge, all our ‘up’ bit of the walk done. The day itself was sunny and bright and in common with many September days it had an amazingly clear crisp light. The place looked stunning.

Eventually we get to a spot where we walk down a No through tarmac lane, after taking a picture of some fine CI, as we corrugated iron fans call it. The tarmac runs out just past a small house where previously I’ve never seen signs of life, this time the builders were in, their whistling competing with birdsong.

The smell of bonfire further down and volunteers clearing up and tidying woodland. I love the smell of a good bonfire, though we all know they are not ‘good for you’. Cigarettes are similarly not good for you, worse in fact, but I used to love the aroma given off by a lighting woodbine. Whatever happened to those brands, Wild Woodbine, the choice of many a working man. Powerfully awful cigarettes. Park Drive! Another of the cheap brands around when I first started smoking, I only bought them once, they were so bad I should have given up then and there. Took me a while to shake off the habit and for a while when I did, the smell of a cigarette was something I would follow like the boy in the Bisto ad following the aroma of gravy. Ah Silk Cut!

We stopped at the foot of the hill, within whiffing distance of the bonfire and on a bridge over the canal, for a sandwich of my invention. Sourdough bread, thin slices of supermarket beef, cream cheese and some nearly fresh rocket leaves. Odd choice of ingredients but it worked. the rocket giving a slight compost flavour to the piece, and probably giving our guts some vital bacteria to play with. All the rest of the ingredients were well in date, honestly.

The walk from here is along the canal, back to the playing fields and Richard’s car. The canal itself thick with weed and all sorts of wildlife. The light along here giving us a high contrast dappled feel. Perhaps they should invent that on a camera filter: HCD. High Contrast Dapple.

Once we were back in the car, we headed for the Lavender Bake house for a coffee and a cake. Fine quality, friendly service amongst a few women who lunch, one who had to go out and gave a sort of unintentional mime act on her phone viewable to everyone, walking up and down listening then responding with accompanying hand gestures, it all sounded like it looked like it was dramatic but was probably herself organising the nanny to pick up her kids from the crèche.

Excellent day out. One more to do next day: Gloucester.

That too proved to be rewarding, even took in a short detour walking round Alney Island, right next to the River Severn. We were joined by a police helicopter and several officers, who were looking for a man in the river. Fortunately they found him and he’d come to no harm.

We’d got the bus into Gloucester to avoid the tension of parking there. Richard still recovering from the hairy drive through the depths of narrow lanes in Chalfond. Before bussing back we took in a spot of lunch at he In Town Thai Restaurant. Previously known to me as the Blue Thai Restaurant when it opened. 16 years ago. Unassuming place that when it first opened on limited funds had a few tables with seats attached screwed to floor, but excellent food. The place is now much more comfortable, the seats move, and the food is still excellent. It’s close by Wetherspoons in St Aldgate Street. Try it!

A fine end to three excellent days, and not a drop of rain.

It’s harldly stopped raining since.