Friday 15th April

​We woke with the lark at the crack of 9am in torrential rain with the lingering thought that only yesterday we had remarked on how lush Dorset was. What hadn't occurred to us then was that the reason for the lushness was the rain that had fallen all night and looked set to feature for most of the day. 

Undeterred, or just plain stupid, we set off to find Fleet Church, which we duly did, sitting squat and retiring, almost shyly nestled amongst trees in a dark vale. Outside it looked gloomy in the rain but inside it was bright, airy and most welcoming. 

As we were already wet we decided to follow the footpath over the fields and back to the site, after all how much worse could things get? Well, we soon found out as we headed across a gentle stream and up a steep incline, sufficiently slippery to make each footstep slide back, a bit like walking up the down escalator. Still undeterred we crested the hill for a relatively easy stretch before joining a path sandwiched between a paddock and hedge that slowly shrank to the width of a person, and after a slidey decent turned into the local stream - which with a deftness that can only be described as accidental, we successfully forded and emerged onto the Fleet Road. 

As we were already as wet as its possible to get without actually swimming we followed the path opposite as the rain got heavier and the ground stickier, and, as we rounded the last hill we both agreed it was terrific fun. And we meant it too; a great morning and back to a warm shower and a cuppa. 

We spent the afternoon and evening in the company of Ray's sister & brother in law. After a guided tour of the region featuring Lulworth and Corfe castles and some spectacular views we had a long overdue catch up over a delicious meal. It also happened to be a thought provoking time for Ray and his sister as, having chosen different paths early on in life they had then seldom crossed. People make choices for reasons, and the seperate paths they took were the result of many influences but last night they discovered much in common neither of them realised they had. It was cathartic, emotional and a reconcilliation of two people who didn't realise how close they were. 

Going to bed the feeling was of a life spent steadily dealing from a pack of cards neatly sorted into a particular order, then on waking to find the pack had been shuffled. Now turning the cards is unsettling, but somehow more rewarding as we seek to deal them in a new order. 

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