So – I’m Becky, I’m 26, viral encephalitis in 2012 left me with short term memory loss, and now, I always have my notepad, and write things down. That tends to be my quick introduction to people I’ve just met when there’s less than 60 seconds to do it – with my notepad in my hand, as always (and lately, The Encephalitis Society decided to do this: https://www.encephalitis.info/beckys-story) – so I know what’s happened that day (and without my notes, I wouldn’t know what day it was).

When there’s a bit longer to explain, nowadays – I have a little self made information card in my bag, with a brief bullet pointed explanation of encephalitis and short term memory loss, rather than trying to phrase it as ‘a sort of inflammation of the brain’ and ‘things falling out of my head’. It’s probably approaching 800 notepads I’ve got through now that it’s coming up for 10 years, and I’d say my handwriting’s improved, I can write legibly while I’m walking – and I don’t think I’ve ever actually walked into anything (but I can remember a couple of close shaves), and as I’m lucky enough to have an excellent camera, generally my notes come with illustrations too. And I thought I’d give this recent country walk (following instructions in a now very battered and muddy 10 year old book) in Warwickshire on 2nd February as an example…

It was 2.12pm (and 10°c) when we got in in the car; 2 unmarked police Skodas maneuvered their way through the traffic on the high street that we were part of about 8 minutes later –and they stopped outside HSBC Bank (no-one was in the cars and no-one was visible in the bank as we passed); and after going through Solihull, Bassall Common and Temple Bassall, we reached the village – where the only carpark was a pay by phone one, we went and found a side road. 2.45pm was the start time of our walk, it felt cold, 2 slobbering Bulldogs were coming the opposite way down that road, and on the high street – there was a Thai massage place, a chocolate shop, an artisan bakery, and at least 4 hairdressers – one of which contained a man tilted back in a chair having his beard trimmed. A road from there (which seemed to be Kenilworth Road) had a loud car that said ‘Rezvani’ on it driving down, and we turned left down Kixley Lane – where a Church of England Primary School had a banner on its gates saying ‘no idling – young lungs at work’ on. We went down another lane; there was a big house that said ‘CCTV in operation’ on its gates, and a yellow house called The Cottage. We joined the canal at bridge 72, where a moored canal boat had smoke puffing out of its chimney; 2 pairs of ducks were paddling along when we reached the infamous Bridge 71, where there were 124 miles to London and a boat called Unpredictable was moored; and up on the B4101 road we turned down Elvers Green Lane, and saw a very odd big brick building with extremely thin windows. A house that said it had CCTV in operation on it had daffodils sprouting up around it, an uninhabited farm had a planning site notice on a power line pole outside it, there was a line of huge electricity pylons with cables crossing Elvers Green Lane – which we turned off at 3.38pm, crossed another couple of fields, and went left along another path – passing a field with 3 little ponies in it. The next gate had a ‘sheep grazing’ warning on it, and a small notice saying improvements had been made to the path by the Solihull Ramblers Association, and at the top of that field was a massive pylon that could be heard buzzing and a big pile of manure.

An incredibly squelchy muddy path had footprints on from huge boots and pawprints from a big dog, and it joined the road by a farm gate; a white and orange plane was flying over, and we joined the canal again at 4.06pm – at Bridge 73. A field of sheep by Bridge 72A was making loud noises, as bedtime food seemed to have been delivered, and we left the canal there at 4.15pm, when the sun was beginning to set; a woman (with an awful right hip) and her dog were followed back to Godwin Lane, where more twittering could be heard, and Wootton Close took us back to Hampton Road and the car at 4.27pm.

Accounts of further events to follow!