SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE TODAY....

It`s 4.15 on a blissful April Saturday afternoon.  In times gone by I would now be in a state of growing anxiety as the second half is under way at St. Mary`s Stadium snd the Saints battle for the odd point to help secure their Premier League survival.   On a good day we might be 2-0 up but the chances are that we might be locked in the perennial struggle for survival, much to the disenchantment of the assembled devotees.  But none of that is happening, of course - football has taken quite a few back seats in recent weeks and so my anxiety levels, at least in that respect, have declined gracefully.

No, instead of all that, I should right now have been staying at Burley in the New Forest starting a week in and around the National Park and revisiting many of the places I knew so well in my formative years.  There are just so many places to visit and to see in the Forest - from wide open heathlands, to the calm backwaters of the coast, to the seemingly endless forest walks among towering trees right away from everything.

Here`s a photo I took last year of one of my favourite forest haunts - the trackway leading through Setthorns Inclosure close to the village of Sway.  It`s just one of many places where the grandeur of the forest seems to take over and to make you feel privileged just to be there.   Such a shame our week has been cancelled but we`ll just hope to be there this time next year.......

(Please click on photo)