Walking

Mrs maytrees and yours truly decided to take a long walk on the lock-down being slightly eased in England on Wednesday.

For health reasons affecting mrs maytrees, we decided to avoid all hill walking so ventured towards the flat of maytrees min some forty five minutes distant. The expectation was that upon arriving there maytrees min could leave us some tea and home made banana bread on the wall outside her flat, which we could consume while still remaining the designated 6'6" away from her.

Alas, upon arrival outside her flat maytrees min who thankfully still has full time employment, was working on a Zoom conference call from her home, so no tea and banana bread to be found even for ready money.

We  then decided to walk back via a nearby park next to which we knew that there was a decent cafe which we thought would serve tea. Cups of tea and perhaps some cake, we  expected to be able take to the adjacent park. Sadly that cafe was closed as indeed was a new looking chocolatiere which was being fitted out next door. We looked in through the window of the latter which previously had been a rather derelict looking former shop, but again no drinks even to be taken out to the park.

Upon  our walking on however, a young man came out of the chocolatiere. He said that he had decided  at the end of 2019 to buy the premises and convert them to a new chocolatiere. The purchase was he said, was completed early in January 2020 when he started to fit the premises out for what he believed would be a number of new local customers. Unfortunately the Covid-19 lock down in England has  thwarted his plans so far at least. He remarked though that he would be opening next week for drinks which could be taken into the park next door and that he was still intent on opening fully once the pandemic permitted.

We told him that maytrees min lived nearby and that when he opened, we would take her out there to have a high tea. (or should that be "chocolate"?) together.

Going on our way, mrs maytrees decided that two hours walking without even a cup of tea was enough so she  then took the short route home. Having found the walking  refreshing I continued to Wimbledon Common for a further hour's walk and then also came home  but still craving that cup of tea.