10 out of 10 for effort with exercise today.  I started the day with a 5 mile bike ride.  Not massively impressive other than that I did get up and go and as the area I live in is hilly, it was all up or down hill.

Those lovely people at Detox Your World had sent me a free sample of a product made by Raw Health.  It is germinated raw buckwheat – click here for more details.  Because it is raw, nutrients and enzymes have not been destroyed by cooking so it is healthier for you. It is dry and very crunchy.  I really liked it.

I sprinkled 1/4 of a cup on top of my smoothie.  I made my current favourite smoothie which is frozen blackberries, a fresh banana and kiwi fruit and fresh mint leaves.  Delicious.

What is Harvey looking at? Any ideas? An Elephant Hawk Moth.  The underneath is all pink and furry – cute. We had an early lunch of salmon fillet, potatoes in a small amount of mayonnaise with red onion and salad. The salad all came from the garden; spinach, 2 types of lettuce and pea shoots. We had an early lunch as we were meeting Holly and Richard at Ditchling Beacon for a walk along the South Downs.

Ditchling Beacon is 7 miles north of Brighton. At 248 metres above sea-level, Ditchling Beacon is the highest point in East Sussex and from its summit you get a stunning 360 degree view. Look south out to sea, north across the Weald or east-west across the Downs

It was sunny and hot until we got to Ditchling Beacon, thanks to a Sea Fog or Fret that had rolled in.  It was quite bizarre looking around.  It was sunny looking North, West and East but to the South, the stretch of coast between Seaford and Brighton was cold and foggy.  As we walked today, the Fret rolled in and with the wind it was quite cool which was comfortable for walking in but you wouldn’t want to sit and have a picnic in it.

What is a Fret?  The good people at the BBC explain it perfectly here but it is actually a sea fog which is quite common in the East of England, more unusual in the South. We set off on a route Richard found for us which takes in part of the South Downs Way but is a loop around it.  Incredibly, in the group of people walking towards us in this photo ………… was Richard’s sister and her family!  What a coincidence. This was a beautiful walk.  Classified as having gentle gradients, which I agree with mainly.  A couple of parts were quite steep but no wonder – look at this beautiful undulating landscape. Pigs are so common in England but I rarely see them.  This was a large pig farm with lots of piglets.  I do not like the idea of eating these creatures when I see them. We walked through fields of Barley and Wheat. The Fret rolled further inland. The chaps are watching the skylarks. By the time we rejoined the South Downs Way, the view had disappeared in to the fog. These trees suggest it is often windy here!

That was a really good walk and one we would like to do again.  It was a good distance of 4.5 miles and the scenery was gorgeous.  Thank you Richard for finding it for us.

The Mr Whippy style ice-cream van in the car park at Ditchling Beacon sells excellent ice-creams and we all had one.  I felt justified after that walk and the earlier cycle. Back at home a roast chicken was ready in the oven and I picked some more lettuce and spinach.  We all really like roast chicken with gravy and lettuce – try it if you think it sounds weird.  It is delicious and much easier than cooking veggies. Accompanied by a baked sweet potato and washed down with a well earned cold beer.

I was happy with today’s eating and delighted with today’s exercise.  I hope you had a happy and healthy weekend too.