Walking with Jack

As we arrived in Downham Market we got off the train and looked around, Jack was waiting for us by the front of the train. While driving into a town nearby to Jack's house we went to a butcher to buy a roll of beef and to a different store that sold vegetables. We were going to make a brisket for dinner that night because Baba was with us, and she is very good at making brisket. After we had put the food in the trunk of Jack’s car, we drove to a nearby street that was too small to drive down. We walked down the street to a small cafe that we ate lunch at. I ate a bap with some meat, alfalfa, and lettuce. A bap is a sort of small bread roll that you put things inside of, similar to a hamburger.

When as we drove back we saw some wonderful English countryside and also a bit further along, a few pheasants fighting on the side of the road. Jack said that there is a five percent chance of hitting a pheasant while driving along the road. As we got near Didlington (which is where Jack lives) Jack made some jokes about how funny the name Didlington is and especially that his house is called Didlington Manor.

As we drove into Didlington Manor, we passed through the open iron gate. The door blocked the courtyard to the empty horse stables and where Jack parked his car. On the right wall of the courtyard, there was was a small bell tower, on the left, there were what used to be the stables, but are now the place where Jack and Sharon store some random objects. Also on that side is Sharon’s studio, because she is an artist, and we saw many of her beautiful paintings Straight ahead of the car was a small path leading around to the back door, beside the path were some herbs as well at some pretty flowers. We took the groceries out of the back of the car and brought them to the garden, into the kitchen. We started to make dinner by cutting up the meat and vegetables. After the food was in the oven, Jack suggested that we walk around the property. Baba told us that she was too tired to walk around and she would watch over the dinner while we were walking. Then Jack and I went into a storage room next to the stables near his house, and we put on taller boots instead of the sneakers that I was wearing.

We first walked over to the nearest ruin close to Jack's house which was behind a small ornamental lake. The lakes were dug back when the Manor was being built, each of the lakes used to be about 2 meters deep. However, after a few hundred years, the accumulation of animal poop made it so that all of the lakes are now about 1 foot deep. The only use that the old ruin was put to now was to be an excellent place for a fire pit during parties.

As we continued on our walk/hike/journey/exploration, we saw about 50 or more different small dirt mounds all across the path, these were mole holes. I asked Jack how many moles there were across the path. Jack said there was probably only one mole on this particular section of the path, and that one mole dug all of these holes. They are all probably connected underground as well. It amazes me how one small mole could dig all of those holes, and have all of them still keep their structural integrity after everyone walking all over them

As we continued away from Jack’s house, we saw a small stone tower looking over the lakes and trees. Wisteria climbed up the side of the tower that was surrounded by mole holes around the base of the tower. We walked into the tower through the back, and we were greeted with a roofless tower and a ladder that let us get up to the second level. We climbed up to the top and Jack told me that the people who used to live here used this tower to watch the swans and drink tea. This was back when they people who lived here were the same family that built it, decades ago. I imagine that it was a very beautiful spot to drink tea because it was overlooking the lake, however, vines were creeping up the sides of the tower and I doubt whether it has been put to its original purpose for many years

As we continued walking, there was a humongous tree in the middle of the path that had been blown down by a storm that winter. As we clambered over it and walked along the path a bit more, we noticed that another tree that had been blown down, and had landed in one of the ponds. I wondered whether or not it would support our weight because it looked as though it had been sitting in the water for a few years at the very least. I Asked Jack if he thought we could stand on it and he said that there was only one way to find out, so we walked through the bush and hoisted ourselves on top of it.We could only walk about 7 meters out because the tree was long dead and very rotten and if we walked any further, it would probably collapse from under us and we would fall in up to our knees in goose poop. As we walked we noticed hundreds of tiny tadpoles swimming around in the muddy water. It was warm enough that the tadpoles had hatched and probably thought that it was summer. We then turned around and walked back to the shore.

As we continued along the path we took a left turn along a small stream and walked along it until we reached a part that was about 3 meters deep. Jack told me that sometimes people came here to fish and when Jack walked by they all would ask him what he was doing here. He responded, “Uhh, I live here”. Further along the path we saw a very large swan and decided to turn around and continue along the walk around the ornamental lakes near Jack’s house. As we continued we saw several other small ruins. After we walked around the lake we started to walk back towards the house and we walked to a barn, Jack told me that sometimes there is a barn owl that lives in there. We decided to have a closer look. I snuck up to the barn, but as I got close, a stick cracked below my foot and we saw the owl fly away through the trees. Jack and I quickly followed and saw it fly into another small barn. I walked up to it again but it seemed to sense me and flew away again, over a wall. Jack and I decided to walk back to the house. as we entered the house we were immediately met with the delicious smell of the best brisket I've ever had.