We popped over to the cycle track again today, but not the river this time. We headed in the Morecambe direction instead, with absolutely no intention of making it all the way to the prom, which was a good thing because we didn't get anywhere it. Maybe one day, when I have a week off, we could start at one end of the cycle track and walk all the way to the other end – except that I don't know how we'd then get home, other than walking all the way back again, which is quite a lot of miles. And if it's in lockdown, no one's allowed to give us a lift. So maybe we won't do this.
We passed Asda, as you can see. This led to a fun chat about what this area used to look like, and I sounded like someone in their 90s talking about the war. 'I remember when this was all fields,' says I. I don't remember what it all looked like, but I'm fairly certain that Asda was built here when I was little. Funny how things change so much over a few decades and what was there before just disappears. Maybe that's why I love history so much, because it brings lost places back to life.
We'd walked a good half mile when I realised that we'd seen nothing I particularly wanted to photograph that you haven't seen before, because we've been on the cycle track a lot these past few weeks and one bit of tarmac looks the same as any other. We started to look about for things to snap, and I was a little bit panicked that I'd have nothing to who you. We decided we'd go for flowers ... again.
But then I thought that this probably wouldn't do, really, because one white weed looks much the same as any other. So we decided we'd only stop for interesting looking flowers that we'd not paid any attention to before. For instance, yellow ones. Alright, I'm not that bad, I do know that this is a buttercup. New iPhone did okay with this one.
This is a bridge. Ovangle Bridge, in fact. We have some really quaint names in England, don't we? You can spot English place names a mile off. Let's name some now: Pucklechurch, Barton in the Beans, Nether Wallop, Mudford Sock, Upton Snodsbury, Bishop's Ichington and Westward Ho! Amazing. We're so weird.
If there isn't a path where we want it, we'll just make one, eh?
This is a particularly wild bit of the cycle track. I used to walk this way to my boyfriend's house when I was about 17, pretending I was a warrior princess (I wasn't a queen back then, too young), off on a quest with my merry band of warrior companions. Sometimes there'd be dragons pursuing us. Is that weird, that I imagined these things to pass the time when I was almost an adult? Well, I don't care at all – I still imagine these things.
Our quest today for unusual looking flowers wasn't turning up much so I was having to resort to dandelion clocks. iPhone couldn't focus on this one though, I guess because it's so floaty and see-through.
We eventually found a bench that hadn't been consumed by creepers and climbing plants, and we sat for a while. Matthew wanted to go home because I'd interrupted his film and made him come out with me – I'm so mean. I actually made him come with me in case I stayed out until dark and had to brave the cycle track on my own. How this would help if we did encounter any unsavoury types, I don't know.
I'm actually a little disappointed by this underpass. I remember it being built, because it's not actually that old, but I thought it might be sporting some spectacular graffiti by now. There were just a few tags and a bit of sweary shouty stuff. Wouldn't it be cool if someone painted this up all fancy?
And this is the one I will have. Mmmm, pretty. Okay, fine, I could never afford this, but I like to dream.
We took the scenic route home through the picturesque White Lund industrial estate. I don't really have anything to tell you about this. Matthew and I chatted a good bit about the businesses here because we've used some of them, and my dad used to work around here. But there are no proper stories to tell you. It's not really the sort of place where stories happen. I mean, I bought some kitchen tiles here about 16 years ago, and there was that time I bought a secondhand car that kept stalling at dangerous roundabouts so I had to return it and get a refund. I've got loads of stories like that.
Then lo! look what we found. I have a new app that identifies plants for me, but I don't know if it works all that well. It tells me that this is bird's foot trefoil – maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Anyone know?
A magnificent and symbolic sculpture of keys, because all industrial enterprises use keys, obviously. It's probably the one thing they all definitely have in common.
And we'd come full circle then, standing on Ovangle Bridge. Just 20 minutes earlier I had been standing under this bridge, making whooping noises to listen to the echoes because it has to be done. Matthew doesn't tend to join in when I'm being noisy ... almost like he's a little embarrassed of his mother.
I forgot to take photos after this because we were really very chatty today and there was a lot of giggling about silly stuff; I'm afraid we just weren't thinking about you – sorry. We did see this costive driveway lion, though. Poor chat, he really doesn't look very happy. He needs some fibre.
WQ
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