A Monday Meander

Another gorgeous spring-like day here in the Black Country.  After a rather lazy start to the day we decided to take Harvey on a yomp over the fields and have lunch at a local dog-friendly pub.  We had called before hand to see whether they were serving lunches and to see whether we were okay to take Harvey into the beer garden; we were assured that the pub was indeed open and that the dog would be welcome in the pub too.

It was beautifully mild in the sunshine but goodness me, in the shadowy dips of the field, the icy breeze nearly took your face off!

Just a few pics to share with you.  Note to self:  constantly gazing upwards and swooning at shots of tree tops and blue skies whilst walking over uneven ground is not one of your better ideas. 

Catkins

A very hazy Wollescote

Wild Garlic beginning to peep through the leaf mould

Dappled sunlight though the trees

Hobbit holes

Fungi

More fungi

The "funnest guy" ever!! (tee hee)

My ex sister-in-law. 

Our luncheon destination - and why not?! 

A very Happy Harvey who was extremely well behaved throughout lunch and dined upon bits of cucumber and tomato
with the odd morsel of steak if he was lucky! 

 Lunch comprised of coffee..... (as you would imagine because we cannot go for more than an hour without one!), Mr had a chilli burger with cheesy chips ( urghh!!) and Moddom (that's me that is) had a steak and onion baguette with chips.  This was the first time we had eaten at this lovely little pub.  The owner is very welcoming and treated us like regulars.  The coffee was good - although it was served in china teacups and to mug-preferring stalwarts of the coffee world it just wasn't right!   The large chunks of  steak on my baguette was beautifully cooked and flavoursome - none of your stringy, sinewy leather-like cheap cuts here.  I asked for it to be medium done and it was perfect, with just the right amount of onions on a fresh baguette. Accompanied with 'proper' home-made, hand cut chips and a simple side salad it was a really great meal for less than a fiver.  Man advised that his burger was good and was topped with 'proper' chilli.   The heart-attack cheesy chips were good too, apparently.

The pub is, by all accounts, 100 years old.  Here's a link to the WHY NOT?! website.

After another coffee which, we were very impressed to learn was 'on the house' (don't know why and didn't ask! we were just gracious and accepted such kindness!) we wended our way back through the woods and over the fields.  The sun had now cut through the haziness of earlier on and we could see Clent Hills clearly in the the distance.

It really is so very refreshing to look up into blue skies - the photograph doesn't show it very well but the little pussy willow buds on this tree were glowing in the sunlight.

And finally home. To where Dad's daffies are positively glowing with yellowyness next to his picture.  Aww!

Hope your Monday was a good one too.

Love and light. x