And when we find the land we will be thankful to all of our friends

Walking is one of my favourite exercises: it's free, it's good for you, you get to see England up close, and there's something so natural and therapeutic about travelling on your own two legs.
These photos were taken on a walk taken last week somewhere near the beginnings of the Chilterns, in Oxfordshire I think (my geography is terrible). Sometimes, on a grey day in February, a bracing hike somewhere new is just what I need, to blow the cobwebs away and lift the spirits.
Oxfordshire is really pretty and this walk began in the most picture-postcard English village ever - trellised cottages, sprawling period houses, hilly lanes, a meandering river, short stubby old churches, rambling antique shops and a cosy cafe. Along the way we didn't see many people but spotted gorse, robins, mysterious bright yellow birds, and lots of lost gloves and lumps of snow, remnants of chillier weather. We had a picnic lunch on top of a hill overlooking the Oxford villages clustered round the Thames. What is it about hiking that makes ordinary cheese and tomato sandwiches taste amazing?

I think gorse is my new favourite thing. I love anything yellow, but this is extra pretty against the February murk.