East Grinstead - Dunnings Mill

Tuesday 4th September

Goose, Anyone?

Walkers:  Farty - complete with boots!, T.B., 2 Legs, Windy, Lil, Clat and, G4 Jane, who will now be called Jane2P cos she has recently got married - congratulations!  As we already have a Mrs P who is heavily into erections, and Jane is now a Mrs P, we have decided to give her this monicker.  Sally joined us for lunch, and Chris was busy with other stuff. Sue left us before lunch, to tend to Mum who has had a fall and needs tender tending.

Find of the Walk:  A walking wardrobe

Dunnings Mill

Distance: 7 miles
A perfect day, as the song goes, and there was a lot of singing today from a certain member, but, as usual, it wasn't appreciated but it continued nevertheless.  The last time we were at this pub, enormous amounts of workings were being carried out, with a demolishment and then erection* of new Barratt homes and an old peoples' home.  This has all been finished, and the residents are in at the home, the sales office is in full swing, (great for potential alcoholics due to its close proximity to the pub - within vomiting distance as we used to say) -  and what a difference a few months has made.

  We chose a familiar route, north-east and other directions on the High Weald Landscape Trail.  It was here we found the clothing ensemble hidden in a tree - jeans and a top, size 14 and no owner about - oh well, I hope she had a good time - moving on..............   We came to Standen, the local N.T. property, and noted the annoyed travellers who had 'come all this way', only to find, that as of today, the place would be closed on a Tuesday -how frustrating, and we 'came all this way', only to get a bit lost, but we quickly recovered and were soon crossing fields of green but no red roses too, passing sandstone boulders and formations, one of which looked like a plinth, absolutely ripe for a  Windy-posing session, but Windy declined - we shall work on her for the future.

We arrived at Weir Wood Reservoir, looking healthy, glistening, and full of water, so we are back to normal then.  After a while, we turned, on the  homeward trail, and Farty provided a little change to the route.  We encountered a field with a great number of horses, and before we knew it, Sue had executed a neat exit over a barbed wire fence, then a wooden one - she doesn't like these critters.  However, they were very docile, and let us get on with it. After some edging round the backs of houses we arrived at the pub - 'far too early' states Farty 'let's go and see the chickens' - so we did.  This involved tracking by the new old peoples' home, and the residents/inmates kindly waved as we passed by.  The chickens were arrived at, and as Farty moved towards the enclosure to say hello to a goose, a ditch presented itself and she messed herself - what is it with her and fowl-life?  Anyway, she recovered something, and we went back to the pub, waving once more at the 'home' dwellers. 

We met-up with Sally, and eventually secured a table outside, right by the waterwheel of the mill - all very relaxing and lovely.  We ate lunch - all deemed very good, except for Clat , who thought her salmon salad at 12.95 was an absolute rip-off , and only one half of a tiny tomato too.  T.B's ham, egg and chips looked fab., and was much cheaper - right, moan over.  Time to go home.
Next week no Farty or T.B., so we shall do something, like sit a lot and chat a lot, with a bit of walking thrown in perhaps?  I shall be letting you know, once i've had me pin out and done a half-way point between me and '45 mins. of Windy' - ta ta.