Tuesday 21st March 2017

After the rain of Monday, endless sunshine was forecast for Tuesday, I mean the skies had cleared Monday night, but even still. However, with it being the spring equinox, the sun rose in the south east, now shining into the spare room window just before six when it rose. I mean, I know the sun moves where it rises, but since living here, I see the changes on a day by day, or week by week basis. Come June the sun will almost be rising in the east.

We get up, Jools makes coffee and gets ready for work. And after Monday, promising myself all day that I would do some exercise once work trailed off, then failing to do anything, I made myself do a session on the cross trainer as soon as Jools had left. Not long, but long enough to get a sweat on, and trying to sing along with what I was listening to on the i pod. That done, I had a shower, got dressed and checked work mails before making breakfast, then doing more work.

By mid morning, it was a glorious day outside, but with a keen wind blowing from the west, it was a day for wearing a jacket if you wanted to really enjoy the day. In between reading, I take breaks so I can work in the garden, planting out for the pots that almost covered the new patio, so the whole area will look better. Turns out we have more huge spaces in the old raspberry beds, and will need yet more plants.

Work continues, and so the morning passes. I make corned beef sandwiches for lunch; for those of you not familiar with corned beef, it is an acquired taste, and not for everyone. It is processed beef, put into cans for transportation from places like Argentina or Tesco. Once these were magnificent beats being corralled by gaucho, not sitting looking forlorn on a slice of faux healthy bread with salad cream to add an exotic flavour. I also add the dried fried onions on, to add a bit of crunch, and to give me heartburn as it turns out. Nice.

And so to the afternoon, with more of the same; sunshine, cool breeze. But then I remember that it is Mother's Day, and I have to post Mother Dearest's card. I know there is a post box around here somewhere, and end up using GSV to find it, just at the start of the next road up the hill. I could walk there, then go for a longer walk along Collingwood Road to Fleet House, down the dip and back. Heck, its afternoon, probably won't need a coat, right?

Wrong. However, I won't find out until it is too late and I am walking along the top of the hill.

The house at the end of the street still has a fine display of daffodils. I snap them as I walk past, because in a couple of weeks they will be but a memory. I turn up Station Road for 25m the turn right again, posting the card in the box; no collection until the morning, but should be OK. From there the street goes mostly straight to the fields, running parallel with our street. Despite being one street away, it feels different, more modern houses with some building work going on in an empty plot. It continues a bit further than our street, behind the houses to the right there is the small field which as the path from our road on the other side.

I clear the boundaries of the village, and realise the wind is at my back, still cold, and will be colder once I turn for home. Although this is just a few hundred yards from our house, I have never walked along thris street, getting a slightly higher and so different viewpoint. Once pass the cross-field track which we normally go down, I had still not walked in this direction down this street.

Anyway, I come to Fleet House, the pig's copse is still empty, and down the dip the sheep's paddock is also now empty, and three sheep had been there over winter. I take the usual shots, showing how the season has changed since I was last down here. At the bottom of the dip, there is still mud, but mostly it is dry.

And cold. Jeez, once I walk back up the dip, turn along the track to our street, I am walking headlong into the wind, passing a man walking his dog whilst wearing a parka (the man, not dog). Is it that warm? he asks. No, I reply, shivering.

I make it back home, put the kettle on for a cuppa, and think about putting the heating on, but with it coming on in half an hour, thought I could survive until then. With a cuppa I pull through, and soon the heating came on. I check my work mails, and power the laptop down. Its an easy dinner; leftover pasta salad and aubergine slices.

Jools arrives home in time to do some work in the garden before the light fails. She collects some flower pots so she can repot some seedlings growing in the bathroom. See, exciting stuff here!

We eat our fill, but find there is still some left, enough for both our lunches on the morrow. All from three small aubergines, breadcrumbs, some dried pasta, low fat yoghurt and some cottage cheese.