Happy NEW Year

I have had a lovely time reading blogs which are celebrating and looking back over the year. There is only one way I could think of to see out 2008, and that was with the distraction of a very long walk!
So today, my family and I walked. We walked miles and miles.
Along the old 'Crab and Winkle' railway line which, until 1962, took the people of the Norfolk Brecks on their trips to the seaside. And which, during the war carried countless young men to the RAF station at Watton.
It is the most fascinating area of Special Scientific Interest; The Great Eastern Pingo Trail
It has been a misty and overcast day today, we saw Herons, Deer and Wrens. The wildlife areas either side of the disused railway are out of bounds or simply too dangerous to venture into.
Deep drains cross the area but their failure to keep the water under control means that the whole area is as close to a swamp as you could hope to get in England!
On a day like today it was quite atmospheric in places, particularly as we walked through Cranberry Rough, walking over soil which is rich with 10,000 years of history to tell of a lake bed overgrown with reeds, Alder, Birch, Hazel and Oaks.
We thought of how it would have felt to take the train this way as a young man going to war. It might well have been a bleak and oppressive route to take.
Of course we got lost. The waymarkers are lost or non-existant where the path intersects with the Peddars Way, a path which follows an old Roman road.
But we had good company to replenish our spirits and keep us going!
And eventually, after nearly 9 miles of walking, we got back to our car safe and sound just before dusk.
But along the way we had passed this little memorial. In the middle of a remote area, close to the Stanford battle area which holds such sad memories for older people in the villages around, a quiet reminder of recent history. Of lives lived in much harder times than ours.
We returned home tired, thoughtful, and looking forward to a New Year and new plans, our blessings truly counted.
For now, I'm to bed. But first I have one very good memory to share of 2008. I discovered the world of blog and all the lovely friendly people who so often drop by to say hello. You have been a lifeline. I am so grateful to have found you all. Tomorrow is a new day and a New Year. I am looking forward to it with hope and a positive heart. t.xx