big hill

to big hill. builders in and out of mill house, scaffolding near wheel. rushing weir. tea-coloured water high under bridge. rutty field is smooth. steep lane, heavy legs. choose left at top, will go straight up the front - fewer galloways. notice warns of grazing sheep. no sheep at all. heavier and heavier. choose steep, direct route again as aim for viewpoint. up. wrong not to look at view, turn for blast of chill wind. across green, down main path towards flint tower. norbury or stay on hill? stay. enforced walk down hundreds of muddy grassy steps, past silver birch sentinels, to bottom of grassy ravine. thread between little log pyramids then clump up other side. chalk. silver birch like single strokes of chalk. kick through long pale grass to smooth green back of monster to be climbed. on up. moss and flat grass. flat grass and moss. rabbit hole. moss. look up. the bench. halfway. slope gradually eases. sky appears left and right. the second bench, almost there. slope almost level now but don’t stop till very end. now. feels high. feels like a real ascent, highest point in view. the connoiseur’s side of the hill. on into woods. wind round, back to tower. retrace steps back from tower. town lit up. big glass front of new house by weir is lit up as come back across fields. giant tv looks big from a field away. can’t see what they’re watching. oh yeah, forgot about that.