Wintry sunshine - nice

Scenes like this make walking a joy, but not everyone wants you to enjoy it....

A photo from my Sunday walk. The simple pleasures of walking alone in quiet countryside are difficult to explain to non-walking types. It's moments like this that I really treasure. A generally overcast afternoon was brightened by the sun illuminating a patch of sky and the hill below it. Not a spectacular effect, but very pleasant to see. I just stood there and enjoyed it.

What really hacked me off though, was the local landowner, who seemed determined that no-one else should enjoy such pleasures. I walked on public footpaths and at every turning there were strident notices informing me that to my left, or right, or straight ahead there was no right of way, private land, keep out. The right of way itself was hemmed in by fencing. Boy, did this guy or lady, have a problem! What the hell are they afraid of? I might squash the grass? There was pasture all around me, so I couldn't even injure a crop.

Thank heavens for the sterling work of Shropshire County Council, who had opened up all the public rights of way in the area. Bet the landowner was mortified that someone might actually set foot on the land and get some pleasure from it.