Sunday 8th November 2020

Sunday dawned, sometime after 6, clear and bright.

This isn't what was expected, but still, we'll take it.

And with most of the afternoon taken up by watching football, there wasn't much time to decide what to do with the day. But a walk in the neighbourhood, maybe up to Windy Ridge sounded good, espeically as we had not had any rain for nearly two weeks, so there should be less mud.

With football being spread out over the weekend, there wasn't much point in watching MOTD. so we listen to the radio.

And instead of bacon, we had fruit and coffee followed by more coffee until it was time to go out, the sun was over the yardarm, which meat gins when we were poped back home.

Or something like it.

I had an idea with this being the third fine day in a row, there might be butterflies about, so I steered us instead of over the fields, but up the alleyway leading to Collingwood so I could check on the winter heliotropes again: none were flowering, but my loitering looking at the heart-shaped leaves did arouse suspicion from an elderly dogwalker. She scurried past.

Then along Collingwood, to the junction down the slope which leads to the western end of the wood, down through the muddy pool at the bottom, past the paddock with the pure white horse, and up the slope past where I spied the Queen of Spain a couple of months ago to the lane that runs along the edge of the wood.

Jools went into the wood, I walked the lane, thinking this was a sun trap and there could be butterflies.

I did see a single Red Admiral, but that flew off when my clodhopping footsteps warned it of my approach, but this was tempered by a female Kestrel in the trees above. Though with me having left the big lens at home, I had to make do with the 150mm macro, and after it flew off three time, its forth perch allowed e to get a reasonable shot.

I met up with Jools at the next lane, and we walked back down past Windy Ridge House, back along the lane to the slope, and back up to Collingwood.

Then back home.

I make brews, then we have pork pie, slaw and pickled onions for lunch. A volatile mix for sure, but we weren't expecting any guests, let alone the Queen.

Then it was football time: forst up Wolves v Leicester which should have been great but was thin gruel. And that was followed by Citeh v Liverpool which although played in a downpour, in Manchester, was a great first half, but conditions tired playes out and the second half was a slog. A draw was the right result.

Any by then it was nearly seven and just two hours from bed time. Jools made apple and blackcurrent crumble for dinner, which was wonderful with custard.

Too full to do anything else, so we listen to the radio, and that was that.

Another weekend gone.