Winter Walk

The view across our paddock the other morning (from the half-landing window). It shows that curious yellow light that we often get before a storm or heavy rain . . . or snow!

Below, which shows the same view across the paddock, only in freezing mist.


We've just got back from a brisk walk up to the junction and back, with the river keeping us company of course. The river is different every time I walk by it and I love it in its many moods. I hope that we will be near a river again when we relocate - preferably the Dart in Devon. We saw a pair of Dippers on the way down, before they saw us. They were bobbing up and down on one of the river boulders, but fled upstream, flying low over the water as they always do, when they spotted us. On the way back we walked very quietly and didn't talk, but they were more aware and saw us first and flew away before I could get a picture of them. They flew to their usual spot by an overhang on the riverbank. I'm not sure if they nest there - it would be too low to the water if levels rose. Mind you, they do pick some dodgy places, as on Springwatch there were a pair who had built their nest behind the bars across a big stream culvert, but when the babies fledged, they had to try and get downstream safely. A couple made it, but I know at least one was drowned when it couldn't get back out of the water in time, having missed the ideal rock to clamber onto.

It is almost impossible to get a picture of the river without a TWIG or branch in it somewhere!


Nature soon colonizes dead tree stumps.


The tree which overhangs the road and threatens to fall further with every storm is still there, hanging on. When it does come down it will block the road and take out our phone line . . . I'm surprized that the Council haven't ordered it felled, though it would need more than just a chainsaw and something like a bod in a JCB bucket, chopping it off a bit at a time!


The "favourite" view of the river, which must be very familiar to readers of this blog by now.


This tree was carried down by the last spate and jammed against a riverbank Ash.



I spent a good hour this morning sorting through 5 old tins of sewing things which had accumulated whilst my cantilever sewing box (below) was waiting for OH to mend it. . . a good many years I might add! My late m-in-law had a big tin full of old needles, packs of darning wool and 2nd hand suspenders. The latter are now keeping company in the bin as they are definitely one thing I have no need for . . .

Below is the little walnut sewing box we found at the car boot sale at the weekend for £2.50 (empty bar for a chess set). Now I've stocked it up for T, who does a lot of sewing. G will have one of the prettier tins with some essentials in, as she is more of a sew-a-button-on-if-I-have-to sort of sewer, but then so was I until my late 20s . . .