The Journey

The Journey
It was one of those walks you just keep putting off, one excuse after another. Today we just couldn’t think of any. It was a perfect summer evening with enough sunlight to keep the mossies’ from eating us alive.
“Come on, you get the dog and I will give Matthew a shout,” said Gill.
I knew in my heart she was right of course, sometimes you have to just have to get on with things.
I entered the breakfast room and could see the box was in the same position it had been for the last couple of months, sitting happily content on top of the corner unit. I opened the top and removed the bag from inside, once again surprised by its weight and size, similar to a heavy bag of sugar. I checked it was properly sealed before slipping into the bottom of my rucksack and slinging it over my shoulder.
Ten minutes later found us crossing the field towards the river, myself and Gill holding hands, Mat walking slightly ahead, Scooby our beloved Retriever close by as always. How many times have we walked this route I wondered? I remembered Mats small legs pumping like pistons trying to keep up with a young fit Retriever 13 years ago. I started to smile at such happy thoughts, vivid memories flooding back. Scooby jumping in the river come rain, hail or snow; eating cowpats, chasing sheep, charging around like an unstoppable out of control train. These were not sad unhappy thoughts, far from it. These were happy journeys we had all taken together.
We reached the river and turned left, following its path as it snaked along the colourful fragrant green valley. The valleys residents were busy in the warm evening sun. A woodpecker could be heard repeatedly hammering his beak, blue tits played tag while blackbirds angrily chased each other back and forth, screeching loudly. It was a perfect summer setting.    
Soon we reached the small concrete footbridge which crossed the narrow river. We had all agreed this was the perfect spot, having featured in so many family...