I'm not the only one taking down signs pinned to telephone poles and fences that tell us that we can't drive anywhere to walk. It's actually not true, if you look at the letter of the law. They've said we can drive within reason to a walking spot, as long as it's a longer walk than the drive. We've poured over these laws, and we're right. Say we drive for half an hour and walk for an hour and a half. That's perfectly legal, let alone necessary. If we don't walk, I'll die of claustrophobia, and whilst there are many beautiful walks close to home, if I walk the same walks every day I'll be a mental hampster exhausted on my bloody plastic spinning wheel.

Today we defiantly drive to Draycott Sleights - 153 acres of natural beauty that looks across to Glastonbury Tor, the Somerset levels, and Bristol and even as far as Exmoor and Dorset on a clear day. There's 165 species species of flowering plants and over 30 species of butterflies. You can just see an island in the distance, I've forgotten the name, and a huge reservoir, perhaps at Cheddar Gorge.

I'm feeling ill, so we don't walk far, but it's stunning. We collect cowslips for our salad. Huge beech trees form a shaded avenue and blue butterflies dance in the field. I love being able to see a horizon for a change, like looking out to the ocean I miss so terribly. I dream of dashing to the sea, and create excuses ready for the police that tell us that might be a bit far from home. Beach carparks are more monitored than country walks like this.

Looking across the Somerset levels towards Devon

Can you see Glastonbury Tor in the distance?

Bright yellow gorse flowers, picked for our lunch salad.

Yesterday we walked at Asham Wood, the largest of the ancient woods in the Mendips. I loved it for it's vastness, and it's diversity. I spot oak, ash, alder, birch, hazel, hawthorn, crapabble and wild rose, and of course many, many more. I loved the pretty stream by which we sat and ate ginger nuts and drank tea, proper English stylie. It took us three hours to walk right through and around it, and we found a pretty stream for the dog to play in for a while. Jamie's been enjoying doing proper orienteering with the Ordance Survey map, which details small things like manor farms, iron age hill forts, castles and ruins that you can't see on ordinary maps or that are listed on Google.

It was lovely to see the bluebells out. They're commonly found with wild garlic in the oldest woods. I am yet to be good enough with the camera to pick the carpet of purple out as distinctively as the naked eye sees it. I felt a real sense of lightness I hadn't felt in days out there, and dare I say it, a glimmer of hope as well. When it comes down for it, finding all the paths in Somerset isn't the worst way to spend a holiday. We even had fish and chips from a pub tonight, take away of course, and the bar man, upon hearing our lament about coming all the way to England and not being able to go to the pub, poured us a half pint to sneakily drink before the next orders came through the door.

Life isn't that bad, I suppose.

With Love,

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