"The sky looks interesting. A few very pale pink streaks of cloud, wispy and quite high."

It is dusk as we walk down the lane.

"Yeah, and cold. It's been getting colder all day."

"I'm OK with this thick fleece now but I might get too hot when we've been walking for a while even in this cold."

 We squeeze through the stile and walk up the steep hill, our breath freezing in front of us. The light is fading but we don't need our torches just yet.

"So Mrs May is relying on God to guide her through Brexit. That's a pity as he doesn't exist."

"No but she will need a miracle to keep all the Brexiters happy, so it's as useful an idea as any."

"I think we can see the Welsh hills from here," said the Webmaster as we approach the top of the hill.

"Yes, you always can on a clear day."

"But not silhouetted like that," he points to the horizon where the skyline of the Clwyd Hills is dark against the grey-blue sky. "And those distinctive solo hills over there." He gestures towards the Wrekin and a second hill with a similar profile.

"I'm getting hot now," I say, and unzip my thick fleece.

"MPs should have the guts to vote against if she can't come up with a good deal, and I can't see how she will. What's the point leaving EU and staying in EEA if we have to pay, have freedom of movement and have no say? That's really taking back control!" he quips sarcastically.  "And why leave the single market to appease the immigration concerns.  They won't actually reduce immigration even if they improve 'theoretical control'. All they'll do is knacker the economy to maintain a political pretence. Bonkers."

"Maybe if we need to trigger Article 127 EEA as well as Article 50 the MPs may have an excuse to vote against."

"I don't think they will," says the Webmaster, sounding annoyed.

"Why not? During the campaign all the Leave team said leaving didn't mean leaving the single market and they mentioned the Norwegian option a lot. I just thought they didn't know what they were talking about because it didn't fit with their immigration demands, but the vote was on EU not EEA."

"Technicality. The Remainers pointed out the contradiction, as some of the Brexiters are now saying, so the voters would have known it was an obvious requirement to stop freedom of movement, despite what their own side was promising: cake and eat it."

We reach the road and stop to turn on our head lamps although it isn't quite dark. 

"Which way shall we go?"

"Usual short route?"

"Why don't we go down into the village and across Bank End?"

"If you like."

We walk down into the village.

"We need to find our reflective strips now it is dark almost every time we walk. We've got loads of them somewhere."

We walk past the church and continue to the lane known as The Rocks which runs along the opposite side of the Vale to Fiddler's Bank, our standard route. 

"According to the local Facebook page, this is one of the favourite routes in the village for walkers and photographers," the Webmaster explained. "It's supposed to have the best views, like now, of the sunsets and it looks very rural, not as though it is in the middle of a village."

"I can see that, but I wouldn't necessarily say its better than the view from Fiddler's Bank."

"No but it is probably more accessible, it's closer to the village."

The pink wisps of cloud and the last remains of sunlight are still visible as we begin to walk along The Rocks. When we reach the end and descend to Bank End it is dark. The sky is almost cloudless and the stars are clearly visible.

"Now it is dark and we can't see much apart from the stars we'll have to learn what they are."

"I've got an app. It aligns with your direction and position and tells you what you can see in the night sky. We can use that."

"It's getting colder." I fasten the zip of my fleece.

We walk through the narrow lanes of the village, stepping to one side when vehicles try to pass.  As we turn to begin our climb back up towards home a jogger appears. He is running steadily but slowly. He passes us going up the hill but it takes him a while to open much of a lead. As we reach the top of the steep section he is still in sight about 200m ahead.

"I don't think I can run up here now, I'm probably as fast walking."

"Will you do the Knyp Pool race next year? When is it?"

"February. And I suppose so. I can't get much slower than last year. The entries will be opening soon. It's very popular so you can't leave it for on the day entry any more."

We turn past the pub and head back to the car park and over the hill. At the top of the hill we stop by the bench to look up at the stars. 

"That one must be a planet." Insists the Webmaster pointing to a very bright object which we have seen in the night sky, low and to the South for the last few weeks. "And Mars must be visible too."

"Someone is running up, see." I point to a dark shadow with a bright torch running towards us. "It might be the man who passed us earlier. If he went past the pub, down the lane and up the track that's probably right for the speed he was going."

We walk down the path towards the runner and step aside to let him pass. "Yes, it's the same man," agreed the Webmaster. "Those are aeroplanes not stars. They don't seem to be moving much but they are flashing." 

"If I'm going to do the Knyp Pool race I'll have to do some training. I haven't been for a run since September and even then I wasn't doing much. You can come with me. We can practice on the actual route instead of one of our weekend walks."

"You must be kidding. The dogs won't like it."

"No, I'm not. You can come with me. You used to come running everyday with me when it was an excuse to chat me up, so why not now?"

"Bah."