It’s not just our pbase friends I’m neglecting these days, it’s all of our friends in whatever part of our world. Whereas I’m normally inviting people over to dinner or to stay, at the moment I’m just keeping my head down and getting on with my new life.

In order to sustain myself while at college, I’m doing a couple of “little jobs”. It’s not too bad really and to be honest, I could do it with my eyes shut as they say but it does mean I don’t get any free time during the day whatsoever these days. I am at college all week then I work Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday to earn money.

One of my two jobs is a bit more of a challenge than the other, though not because the work itself is any different but simply that the place where I work has more than its fair share of weirdos. Today, while I was there, there was an incident and the police were called. I’m on the edge of all of this but to be honest, it doesn’t fill me with unbridled joy at being there. So, I was extremely glad to be outta there when my stint ended this afternoon.

I was even more glad to be going out on the razz. No – not to a nightclub or anything like that, simply a walk across the moor to visit our dear friends for supper. So, despite my total neglect of all of my buddies, at least one couple has forgiven us!

Now of course it’s mid-October and yet we were able to walk in twilight all of the way without coats or wet weather gear. In fact, the walk was stunning in every way. The fading sunlight warmed the colours until the landscape was on fire. Orange bracken, pink sheep, tiny calves, pink and purple clouds, two little kittens, bats and deepening shadows all came together to create the perfect world. The walk was just what I needed to escape the day’s hurly burly.

Then, as we got into our old village, the twilight was just dark enough for the stars to start to twinkle out and as we were staring upwards, counting them as they popped out before our eyes, a bright shooting star whizzed across our view. It was only momentary but boy was it lovely.

Frankly our delightful evening was only just beginning at this point, we still had the company of our friends to look forward to and a fab meal washed down with copious quantities of the red stuff.

The moor is beguiling at any time, but when it’s at its best, being here just melts into pure joy.

(OK – top that for cheesy but it’s all true!)