“The best time to plant a tree was 40 years ago. The second best time is today!”

Teresa May – oh Teresa May – where should we start? Brexit means Brexit?  Her “Dancing Queen” revival of her “Maybot” African dance moves and the “terrifying” supervillain laugh. In case you’re feeling nostalgic for the eyeball-peeling vision …. go google it!

Yup it’s a fair cop isn’t it!

But then it was reported that Teresa May, “wields hardcore walking poles as she rambles through Swiss Alps” (Mirror 12^th August 2016). Behave yourself – no –  this isn’t a euphemism for some politician’s kinky, yet very clean and well organised, fetish, but quite simply (and innocently) a form of exercise: Nordic Walking. On this private holiday, the poles weren’t just to provide her with support in her “strong and stable leadership” but as part of a lesser know activity popular in Scandanavia. Nordic Walking curious? Check out http://www.nordicwalking.co.uk.

So today, I stride out of the closet… as a Nordic Walker. It’s time to share the enjoyment and benefits of this activity even if Strava doesn’t recognise it as anything other than regular walking! Walking without poles? Losers!

When neighbours see me with my poles I get the standard yawnsome comments: “Expecting snow love?” “Lost your skis”!  One neighbour once sympathised with me for my use of the sticks relating it to his instability to navigate the walk from his coach to fridge (due to age and alcoholl!). Any attempt at explaining the benefits and enjoyment of Nordic Walking would be lost on them! So I stride on, imagining my poles as extensions to my arms – a Carnival 4-legged stilt walker – a freakish vision but effective none the less.

Nordic Walking is a tried and tested form of exercise, excellent for all the things we should be paying more attention to. You name it, it does it! It’s a no-brainer! What’s there not to love about it? (not necessarily a rhetorical question – enter comments section stage right!)

Usually the rhythm of  Nordic Walking distracts me from thinking too deeply (or perhaps this is exactly what deep thought is?) and I’ve found, through practice, that, as with meditation, over the hour  it comes and goes in phases. Generally, random thoughts are excluded and focus is dreamy but recently, as my senses have regrown (why thank you sobriety!), a smell, sound or sight will trigger a childhood memory.

Today I passed this tree

and noticed a clear path up. It was a perfectly climbable tree.

What’s that I hear? DON’T DO IT!!!!!? MOVE AWAY FROM THAT TREE!!!!

My children all climbed trees and whilst other parents often winced and told their children not to follow mine in their scuffed footsteps, I strongly believed that they should be allowed the freedom to assess risk and make choices in this context. Watch a child climb a tree! Are they reckless? No! You will notice they test branches out, they map a route, plan and communicate with one another on the way up. I would be naive of course not to acknowledge that sometimes this can go wrong. We’ve had the grazed knees and even the broken arm as a reminder. But oh the joy to be “The King of the Castle” once in a while.

So there I was today, having an urge!!! More often these days it would be an urge to pee but today it was to climb that tree. Right there. But I didn’t ….

Instead I took a picture or two to capture the moment …. I mean, isn’t that what we all do in place of the actual experience …. the instagrammable photo is surely “proof” of the experience!? Right?

Anyhow, it was nice to imagine climbing that tree, mapping out my route. Clearly seeing the first foothold, then second, then third … what joy. At my age imagining was as good as doing I think and I’ll take that.

And on with my Nordic walk I went.

So today … go out and choose your tree!

And then enjoy these Cinnamon Buns on me:

Ingredients:

200ml warm milk

2.25 tsp active yeast

50g granulated sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

100g melted butter

550g bread flour

1tsp salt

100g brown sugar (either dark or light)

2tbs cinnamon

50g softened butter.

Method:

Put milk, yeast, granulated sugar, egg and melted butter into mixer bowl and stir.

Add flour and salt and mix.

Knead for about 9 minutes then cover with clingfilm and teatowel.

Leave in warm place for 1 – 2 hrs.

Roll to 10″X15″.

Spread butter leaving a small margin on sides.

Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar.

Roll into a log tightly and cut 1″ sections.

Place into a greased pan, cover and let rise again for 40 minutes.

Bake at 180 degrees for 15 mins.