well, tries sobriety......

This should end up being a short blog, you will be pleased to know, and probably more pictures than words, some words are inferred through the pictures mind you.

It's currently 20.50 hrs and I have just sat down to write this. Tomorrow I am running the Torbay Half Marathon and so getting an early night.

For the past 10 days I have not been drinking alcohol. For someone who has had a drink most nights since the age of 16, give or take the odd 2 week detox here and there, it's been quite a journey. Anyway enough of that for now, I am sure it will warrant a longer blog in the future if I continue this way.

I knew that this weekend would be difficult, as I had no work planned for Saturday evening and the sun was shining, would have been good to sit in a pub garden, or my own garden with a chilled glass of wine. I had a grumpy fit and didn't know what to do.

I went out to the van, drove up to The Box Room, emptied out all my boxing gear, including big rubber 'Bob' and drove back home again, chucked the hounds in the van and headed out onto the main road out of Totters.

Just up the road a couple of young lads were hitching a lift, I pulled over into the bus stop and they got in, I guess they were around 19 or 20, going to Buckfastleigh. The second guy that got in was pissed and his friend was obviously embarrassed by this.
We chatted about beer, drinking, not drinking, told them about my new adventure off the booze and the pissed guy says that he did 2 months in a proper rehab facility. He said how amazing he felt afterwards, I then asked him if he felt so amazing today, he didn't.
I think it must have been fate that I had picked them up, it was a massive smack in the face to me, sometimes I would be a bit wibbly that time on a Saturday, it was so so wrong. Today, I was sober and about to hit Dartmoor for an adventure with the dogs. I smiled to myself, and at the same time felt sorry for this young lad and his struggle, a bigger struggle than I've had, at such a young age. I can only hope that with the support of his kind friend he can get sorted and on the straight and narrow for good.

I dropped them off at the Indian Restaurant by the A38, they waved and I drove off towards Ashburton and onto the moor towards Haytor.
The evening was beautiful, the clouds showing pictures and drama.
I told myself, if I had have stayed at home sipping wine in the garden, I would not have got to experience this beauty in front of me. What a waste of a life I've given myself, too many times spent in non-productivity, what an absolute bloody waste.
And then, the thought crossed my mind....'Life begins at 40!'
And so it has..........

I parked up on the left, there were a few other cars there and an assortment of sheep, cows and ponies. I leaded up the hounds and we crossed the road.
Straight away I let them off the lead, there was no livestock around and they were in need of  a good run, so was I!

We leapt and bounded about the rocks, stood and looked at the wonderful scenery, took in gulps of fresh Dartmoor air, gazed at the clouds and watched the climbers up the sheer side of Haytor for a bit. I miss climbing, I used to go several times a week when I lived in Surrey, even got quite good at one point. What happened? Why did I stop? So many things have gone by the wayside because I was wasting my life in the pub. Another reality hit for me, still, I smiled as I watched all 3 dogs clambering up Haytor, I soon followed and checked out the view from the top, it was beautiful.

How can I live just 25 minutes away from Dartmoor and not get out there much? That was going to change. Moor time was needed and I don't think the hounds will argue with me about that, they loved it, leaping about, randomly eating sheep and horse poo! Lovely!

We walked out for a bit, but encountered some sheep, I didn't want to have to lead up the boys so we headed back, there were spits of rain in the air, so seemed like good timing.

As we approached Haytor again we started down the long grass slope towards the car park. From the top I could hear a strange animal noise, Finny heard it too, he looked at me curiously. We continued to walk down and the noise and related animal became clear. It was a small foal at the edge of the road, it had obviously got away from it's Mummy and was scared.

Then, all of a sudden it hoofed it across the road and straight up to me and the chaps, they were luckily on leads, but the foal didn't seem to mind them, or they him.
He stood there wildly whinnying at me, I had no idea what to do so I spoke to him, as you do!
I told him he was a lost foal talking to a lost soul, we were both on a voyage of discovery and trying to find something but we didn't know where it was, although I said to him that he was certain to find his mother before I found my true self.
He seemed to understand, (humour me) and followed us back down towards the road and over the other side to the car park where other mares and foals were.

Again, he began to whinny, he looked at me with a worried expression (horses can do this, right?)
I told him all would be okay, to keep following us and we would find his Mummy. The other people who were in the car park must have thought I was barking but I didn't care. The dogs were so well behaved, there was a great calm within them as we lead the foal along the path.
He stopped in front of my van, then wandered around and sniffed the back doors as if he wanted to get in and come home with us. I told him he couldn't and he was to carry on following us. He did, and I lead him over to 2 mares and another slightly smaller foal.
He skipped over to the other foal, and they gladly washed each others backs, happily back in comfort.

I waved farewell to him, let the chaps into the van and we drove off across the moor and the rain started to come down.
And we all lived happily ever after......well, I'm staying positive about that one...because I do believe all things are possible.