Thanks Liz and John

How good it has been in these past strange weeks to walk up to the sheep yards, have a yarn with John and his dogs about the weather, the pasture and the virus, then  to fill our lungs with fresh air and get up a puff as we climb the hill to the top, then carry on to the benches overlooking Te Muna valley.  Swallows dart along the escarpment, a harrier glides above and there’s a low mechanical hum from the grape harvesting machines. 

On the way down we pick your path from the many sheep trails criss-crossing the hill while enjoying the wide view from Lake Wairarapa to the Tararuas. John’s Old English Game Fowl come out of the willows to see whether we have a crust in our pockets. Waxeyes are cleaning up the last of the figs. We stop to pick up a few windfall apples from the wild orchard then meander back down the hill, having forgotten all about the current crisis.

Thank you John and Liz Hancock for your generosity in keeping the Walk open during the lockdown. It has been hugely beneficial – physically and mentally – for many Martinborough people and their dogs.

Marion Townend