1st
February Glory Days
Bruce Springsteen
So, after a month of almost daily cycling,
birding and meeting people, seeing places and enjoying the definitely inclement
elements, it was now time for February, a month which in the years previous to
2010 had had the most snow and the most ice. I had already seen enough of the
white stuff to last me last month. Clinging powdery white snow with sloppy,
slippery grey slush and frozen, frosty white landscapes and trees, I had seen
and cycled through them all, with temperatures down to minus ten Celsius. I wanted
no more. Roll on Spring!
Breakfast in the pub was great, a huge
English and so, despite very thick ice, I spent the morning exploring the
countryside just north of Hayward's Heath. Thick ice was on hanging like
stalactites on hedgerows where puddles had splashed upon the twigs. It was
cold, very cold yet I saw four foxes in the space of half an hour and was
interviewed by Alelia on Radio Delta whilst sitting on a park bench.
Now here I must say a huge thank you to Andy
and Jane Revell, who put me up overnight, after I arrived at their house in
Cuckfield in the afternoon. Andy and Jane fed me a beautiful curry, whilst Andy
and I reminisced over times we had had at a large comprehensive school, Coppice
High School, in Wolverhampton many years before. Andy had only been at Coppice
for a few months but it is incredible how such a fleeting time with a
fascinating individual could leave such memories. His love of Donovan I
remembered well and his working at the Grand Theatre in the city too.
Andy & I spent the afternoon going around his hometown of Cuckfield looking at his family history, from WW1 memorial oak panels to large named graves in a beautiful church graveyard. I enjoyed every minute of the stay and said thanks to them both. Thanks also go to their children, Georgina and Jonty. It was great to have caught up with him again and enjoy the privilege of meeting his family.
6.62
miles 562 feet elevation up 459 feet down
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