Extreme Knitting Redhead: A grand day out

Saturday, June 4, 2022

A grand day out

Before I forget!

An ultra marathon up on the South Downs? Perfect weather conditions and not too many entrants? One to run the downs and walk the uphills? Chat with lovely people and soak up the amazing views, then take far too many photographs?

Yes please.

This was the perfect event for me as I'm still nursing an injury on my right knee; it behaves well whilst running/walking but complains a lot afterwards although it is improving now thank goodness. The event started at Steyning Grammar School and followed the South Downs Way trail to Clayton village hall and then return in reverse.

I knew it was going to be tough and on reflection I should have taken my walking poles for the steepest sections but I was just happy to be out in such a beautiful place. I chatted with lots of fellow runners and passers by and had a fabulous day with a nice surprise at the end.

I'll let the photos do the talking:

You know it's not going to be an easy one when you see a sign like this just after the start!

The following photos were all taken on the return phase when I did more walking than running to help my knee, except for the downhill bits of course.

I love cows and these youngsters were really friendly and I got to stroke some of them

A welcome checkpoint ahead of a steep climb!

At the checkpoint I spotted this beautiful ram. Some locals told me he liked to have his head scratched and so I did! Look at those beautiful curly horns.

Oooh, a flat bit!

Heading towardss the windmills, known locally as Jack and Jill

I'm not sure if this is the Steyning Bowl

This photo gives a really good indication of the down/ups! I took the photo going down the hill which was actually harder than going up the other side due to my knee issue.

I know this section with the pylons well as it's part of several of the Downland marathons. There was a huge outcry when the electricity company put these pylons all the way through the valley but now they seem to have become just another feature of the landscape.

There were lots of poppies along the field margins and some of the cropped fields had a margin of wildflowers.

Swans along he River Adur - last time I ran across there, earlier this year, the water was over the riverbank!

Beautiful white cows with black noses and ears. Most unusual.

After that it was mostly downhill through woodland (with lots of trip potential!), across a farmyard, over a few fields and then back to base where I was amazed to get a trophy for being the first over 60 old biddy (I'm very soon to be 65 - where did the years go?!)

All in all that was a perfect day out and I felt blessed to be able to enjoy our beautiful countryside.

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Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.