Wednesday 20th March 2024

Wednesday.

And Jools was at work, so it was just me and them cats.

And they slept all day.

But outside it was spring.

Warm, sunny and with a light breeze, with only the sound of lawnmowers and coastguard helicopters scouring the sea for those refugees in small boats. It is rather like living in the DMZ at times.

Anyway, other than the noise, the air is filled with the sound of birdsong and the scent of newly emerged flowers. The lawnmeadow is now sprouting too, with the warm sun and recent rain ensuring strong growth.

But I have work to do, but as being up to date and my boss on her travels, it would be a quiet day.

I asked my knee how it felt, and the answer was that maybe we should go for a shuffle, further than the bins.

So, come mid-morning, I put on my walking shoes and grab the camera for a walk just over the fields to Fleet House then back along Collingwood, down Station Road and back home. Less than 3,000 steps, but feeling quite the adventure.

My hope was to see butterflies, especially as Large Tortoiseshells have been seen to two areas of the county, and I have seen one near here in early spring a few years back.

So, along the street and along the track, past huge stalks of Alexanders all being feasted on by flies and some Yellow dung flies. I take shots of the latter, and walk on.

As it has been two months since I last walked, the ground has dried up a lot, very little mud and mostly firm underfoot, though would be wet and muddy down by the farm, near the new bench and down the Dip of course.

No butterflies seen, but I did the mad lady who last year accused me of spying on her and “her” land. I say nothing and she just stares.

Back along Collingwood, snapping flowering plants as I go, and with each step my knee grumbled a little bit louder, but no actual pain. So, I tell it, to the end, check on the Coltsfoot and then home. OK?

OK, said my knee.

Along Collingwood, nearly at the end, the house where a gate post used to stand, and each year a handful of leafless Coltsfoot spikes rise from the grass, this year the numbers had increased, and spread either side of the hedge and down the driveway of next door, to the extent that I counted 124 spikes, most fresh, but some having now begun to fade and go to seed.

I walk to the end of the street, down the hill 25 yards and turn into our street, along and I am home. I felt like Scot of the Antarctic, or having completed a marathon, but with Spring well on its way, I want to be able to get out and do snapping!

For the evening we went to The Swingate for dinner. Or Chef de Mumbai as its now called. I had booked a seat, though booking wasn’t needed as there was only one of other table taken.

Sad for the owner, but the food was excellent and in such amounts we had enough to bring home for dinner on Thursday.

I drove us back, we had been gone an hour and fifteen minutes.