Just after sunset

I only just managed to walk in daylight - I brought J's slow lunch to a slightly premature close and promised dessert on my return. P had reported that the ice on the lanes was slowly clearing, so I ventured up the hill for the first time since it snowed, hoping to catch the last of the soft, sunset colours. We rarely walk together locally, mainly because one of us stays with J, but also because our walking habits are not very compatible: P likes to walk briskly for at least six miles, which is more than my time and current fitness levels can manage, and he doesn't want to stop and wait while I frequently pause to take or contemplate possible photos. Our less frequent family walks always involve a drive to the coast, forest or canal where there are good, wheelchair accessible paths.

The lane still had ice up the middle, but the tyre tracks were clear so the steep hill was manageable enough. I watched the colours change as I climbed, then returned in gathering darkness for chocolates from today's little drawer in J's advent tree and the last slice of P's shortbread.