Day 56, 30th June

Day off

Not having had a day off since a day into Scotland, we decided it was time and Carole was so kind as to offer us to stay longer if we wanted. I was a little undecided in the morning as the forecast was still good for the week and weekend, but not so good as of the new week and I really wanted to get through the Pennines before the rain set in, which would surely hit the hills hardest, probably especially the ones I planned to cross. But the miles since the last break decided me and we made up our minds to stay.

I got a shower in the morning and then all of my clothes were even washed. The jeans remain ridiculously loose now, or rather more so than before, but I feel more comfortable and Artax and I have less to carry around, so that is a definite plus.

I spent the morning being lazy and then Carole was so kind as to take me to the shops so I could stock up on my food. It was nice to be inside a real shop again – nothing against corner shops, they are very handy and there should be more of them, but the variety in Sainsbury's is clearly an advantage. Carole, in the meantime, waited outside the shop with Maggie, who spent the whole time flat out asleep once she had got over missing me. Apparently they could have collected a lot of money for charity in the time they spent there as people found her so gorgeous.

A nice thing in the day: The ponies showed that they obviously do care about me – when we left in the car, they all came to the fence looking very nervous and were still waiting by the gate with relieved expressions when I got back to them an hour later... nice to know that they must care a little more for me than for grass at times.

I spent the majority of the day reading and just relaxing while Maggie could also rest her paws when she wasn't caught up playing catch with Beth, the playful resident Labrador.