Orange Over Green

From the outcrop, you could see for miles. The walk to this point had been delightful with paths which meandered half way up hill sides and down again. In some areas there were hoof prints indented in the dry mud from the nearby riding school where sturdy horses had plodded with their passengers. Brooklets rushed by and gave a constant babbling and hissing sound as the water cascaded over rocks and down into deeper falls. The smell had been an intoxicating mix of summer: the tall grass; flowing bushes and wild flowers accented in occasion by the smell of horse manure.   

The visit to the farm shop at the beginning of the walk had been rewarding. In addition to the fluids and energy bars procured for the journey, ice creams were purchased made with rich Cornish clotted cream and juicy beaded blackberries.  Within the heat of the day, the luscious ice creams were quickly devoured before heading further on the walk.

The backpacks were laden with picnic blankets, matching plates, plastic beakers and cutlery, waterproof coats, the newly purchased goods and a collection of boiled eggs, fresh salad, cut tomatoes, cucumber and homemade quiche.

Each of the girls had collected sticks from the wooded areas. The oldest took pride in the strength and length of their sticks, whilst the younger ones regarded theirs as dangerous weapons to only be held by silent, deadly ninja assassins. Although having said that, the journey was often punctuated by the cries of ninjas jumping out of their shrubs yelling “whaaachaaaaa!”

Anyway, having reached the destination of the outcrop by the late afternoon, the picnic blankets were spread out with the showmanship of a matador, quick flicks as the red and white poker-dot blanket glided to the dry woody floor. Smiles are exchanged as we jointly prepare the food onto the plates, trying hard to not let any of it run away off the plate. I could see that twinkle in your eye as you layout pieces of sliced ham on each plate. It’s that look which say’s so many things in one instant. A look of: bliss; happiness; fulfilment; completeness; cheeky, flirty contentment on life and being in rapture of how life after years of conflict and struggle, can resolve in total peace. It’s a beautiful day!

The girls settled down to eat, battling for the limited space on the blanket and whining on about this person taking up more room than that person. The whining is a defect from not having their polyphony of electronic phones, gadgets and gizmos and you can almost see their thumbs twitching from lack of texting. Despite the niggling, the picnic platter went down as a treat and when completed, the girls went off exploring and climbing trees.

After clearing away the plates, we laid back down on the blankets in a tight embrace, our bodies interlaced and our hands stroking each other tenderly as we watched the orange sun go down over the lush green fields.