Monday meandering

Things. There are certain things I have too much of......like clothing.  Some would also say shoes, especially boots, but I am willing to put up with that opinion and ignore it.  The recent move from the states where built-in closets are the norm to the UK where they are most decidedly not common (not including new builds of course) has hammered home the importance of being more discerning with your (my) purchases. There were several purges over the previous year knowing that I was going to be moving someplace with limited storage so it is almost sickening at times seeing how much I own. The problem is that I've built up an interesting wardrobe that includes quite a few vintage pieces and I'm reluctant to part with any of it. I also stocked up on running gear before moving because the selection here is not near as extensive as what I had access to nor are the prices as pocket friendly (hello clearance racks!).  Yes, definitely first world problems and I've put myself on an indefinite clothes buying moratorium with socks and tights being the only exceptions.  Of course it doesn't hurt that I personally don't have a steady source of income at the moment :-(

On a less whingy note, Elsie the Miniature Schnauzer Menace and I had another running adventure yesterday with the route being based on visiting an intriguing geological feature, The Hemlock Stone.  A quick search on the history of it reveals that basically no one really knows the origins other than it is ancient and prehistoric but it is certainly intriguing, and HUGE.  The pics do not show the magnitude of the size of this formation.

View from the road--note the people standing in front of it for scale

Coming around the back of the stone

Elsie is more interested in a nearby dog than posing for a photo

After stopping to read the information sign and taking a few pics I continued to climb to the top of the hill and discovered some amazing trails and even more amazing views.  They are quite extensively used and maintained by local cyclists (mountain bikers and down hillers) so perfect for trail run training! Yes, I'm a little excited by that, the park across the road offers even more uphill trails AND there's an ice cream van for a snack afterwards :-)

Trig point

There's always litter (albeit not much) but why is it always a Foster's or Stella Artois can?

I apologize for the quality of the pictures but it was cold so my phone was having trouble going from being warm and snug in the SPIBelt against my sweaty back to the chilly and damp outside air. Just means I will need to make another trek out there with the good camera.  Elsie and I had our longest run to date in the UK (not counting my half marathon last spring) at 11.7 miles so we were both close to useless for the rest of the day.  Fortunately we weren't in the state of this poor thing we saw on a deserted trail in between two fields ("roadkill" in the UK)

Polecat, escaped ferret, or hybrid?