Water Under the Bridge

Blasts from the past have abounded these last few days. We're staying not 500 yards from where we lived in the 80s, Hornbeam House. The hornbeam tree has gone and the navy blue shutters have been painted green, but not much else has changed. There's more traffic of course. Walks with my little girls along the much quieter road involved stopping and stooping, tiny trusting hands in mine, to observe and comment on every dandelion, every stone, ladybird and leaf. We never got very far. After a few years we moved up the hill to Vine Cottage opposite Gold Hill Common, and yesterday Hugo tore around this lovely open space where once we spent many happy hours playing, ball games in summer and sledging down the steep slope in winter. Today we visited another old favourite, following the path along the River Misbourne - a stream really - from Chalfont St Peter to Chalfont St Giles. It was a superb day, with temperatures above 20 degrees, and we made the most of it. But boy did the memories come flooding back. The last time I was by this river was 1984, August 18th to be precise. The girls and I spent the day damming up the stream and it was very hot. We had a picnic with us, and we lingered all day, paddling to keep cool before clearing the dam to go home. I was due to be in London that evening, and for two pins I would have cancelled. The thought of Town in that heat was not attractive. In the end I decided to go. Fate hinges on such decisions. That night my life, all of our lives, changed for ever.

Dam it

We had a pot of tea in a pub garden beside the river in the sunshine. Well, one of us did, the other one had a glass of Prosecco. I know. We reckoned it was a six mile round trip, and it was really delightful wandering through the water meadows mingling with sheep, cows and horses. You don't find walks like that in Suffolk where the land is mainly given over to arable farming. Coming back we must have passed the 1984 dam spot again without my realising. Apart from the memory of that day there were no pangs of nostalgia. It had been a wonderful walk and we all enjoyed it. Tomorrow it will be November and the temperature is due to plummet. Things can change dramatically from one day to another. That's life.