Over the hills and far away

I'm feeling rather quiet and reflective at the moment. Things can change in a moment can't they and sometimes it takes a while to come to terms with a new situation and accept what life throws at you.

There has been plenty to celebrate of late - Alzheimer's Research UK have just announced the launch of their 3 new Drug Discovery Units as part of their Drug Discovery Alliance and researchers have found a new 'Molecular Chaperone' which may help stop the build-up of the protein which leads to Alzheimer's. All wonderful news and there's more to come!

Next week sees the official Launch of  Join dementia research which is fantastic and I'll write more about it after the event.

Continuing the heart theme here are 2 things I made for Valentine's Day ( I'll never win prizes for the presentation of my cakes but it certainly tasted scrummy!):

Our favourite coconut cake from a recipe of my mum's that I've adapted

Bread with a heart! My own recipe with lots of heart-friendly seeds.

Before I share some photos from my runs I must show a bit of my heart sock and the start of a new crochet project:

A useful and very portable project to take to an appointment in hospital, especially when your appointment is delayed by 1.5 hours!

A new blanket begins

Now for some images from my runs.

Beautiful Bodiam Castle basking in the sun. In the distance you can just make out a white windmill which reminded me that I haven't shown any close-up photos of it so I must do a separate post. At this point I am at the top of a hill about 2 miles from the castle and 5 miles from the windmill.

I often ignore these strange structures known as 'Pillboxes' as there are quite a few in our area but apparently they are quite rare now as many local Councils removed them during the 1950s. Being near the South Coast, Kent and Sussex were bombed a lot during the Wars and the Pillboxes were built during the Second World War when fears of an invasion were at their height. They were to act as a second line of defense if the GHQ (General HeadquarQters) line was breached. There is one in the grounds of Bodiam Castle and it's always very popular with their younger visitors.

This small river looks calm and tranquil unlike last year when it rose over 8 feet and flooded the surrounding area.

Mud, mud, glorious mud but it was better than a couple of weeks ago when I had to paddle through water

These handy stepping stones were only uncovered last year when the farmer cut back the undergrowth. They are easy to run over but difficult for a woman to walk over as there are man-sized spaces between them

Another Pillbox hiding in the undergrowth. I just googled them and found that only 20% of them are still in existence and those that remain are mostly in disrepair.

This field was still flooded as the ground is so saturated. I chuckled when I saw these 2 people enjoying a spot of impromptu canoeing!

Then I was saddened to see what was once an excellent sand school, where I used to watch horses going through their paces, all overgrown and used as a dumping ground. The livery yard that was there closed down following a series of  robberies and it's such a shame that it's just lying empty after nearly 3 years.

After a nice flat couple of miles it's time to climb a bit up through this newly planted field of vines.

Up another gentle incline. I took this photo because it made me sad. Strange woman, why would you do that? Because for over 10 years I used to see a Red Indian here. Yes, a real Red Indian, who wore his headdress and loincloth no matter what the weather was like. The first time I saw him walking along a quiet lane nearby I thought he was heading home after a fancy dress party! He lived a quiet life in his caravan in this field until last year the farmer allowed campers onto the site and his world was turned upside down. We never spoke as he was always a long way off but we used to nod to acknowledge one another. I have no idea where he's gone to but I hope he's found a quiet place to be himself.

This sign annoys me so much, or rather it's not the sign but the fact that it exists. You can read what it says in the next photo then you'll understand!

Why, oh why, do people show such a lack of respect to other peoples property? If they bring a picnic why don't they take their litter home? They are spoiling the very beautiful spot that drew them there. I cannot fathom such a mentality. In the orchards nearby there are now signs asking people to please keep to the footpaths and not to pick the apples. So sad.

The little footbridge leads to this pretty bit of woodland…..

…and if you're very lucky you might spot some of these pretty deer dressed in their Winter coats...

….. and into part of this massive orchard. I was heading for that hill in the distance.

The pretty church at Salehurst has now got some beehives amongst the graves.  You can hear the church bells here and here you can see some sheep acting as Nature's own mowers.

Snowdrops are peeping through the undergrowth.

Farmers are busy pruning their orchards.

I did a double-take as I ran past this in someone's yard. It's a raft! Then I realised it must have been for the Rye Raft races held on the River Rother in July each year. I bet that's rather good fun!

This weekend it's the 4th marathon in my series of 13 for the 12 months from November 2014 until October 2015. I'm hoping the weather is kind to us as it's along the Kent coast again. Please don't let it be too windy………...