Contributed by Christine Bail
On 26th February, 21 IOGers and 4 well-behaved dogs joined David on a local walk, starting from his cottage in Stonham. It felt great to be outside, breathing in the fresh unpolluted mid-Suffolk air and seeing signs of spring everywhere: numerous hares on a distant field, snowdrops, crocuses, wild primroses and, most surprisingly, daffodils blossoming in sheltered spots. It was a pleasantly mud-free stroll through woodland, along grassy paths and across gently undulating fields.
Towards the end, we crossed a large open field holding hundreds of sheep and their lambs. I never had this before: the whole flock started running towards us, and soon some of us at the back were rounded up by the sheep and their offspring, all of them bleating in chorus. It certainly felt strange to be in such close proximity to such a large flock of very noisy sheep. Afterwards, everyone met in David’s big but very cosy kitchen, eating Marie-Louise’s chicken soup and a spicy veggie option, and lots of yummy cake made by Ginette.
A big thank you to our walk leaders, David and Glenys, for this most delightful walk and the great hospitality.
