Morning walk in the cold

Still a bit worried about my leg so still resting it up and risking increasing chubbiness. Instead I wrapped up warm, set my mobile phone for 6 music, and set up on one of my regular running routes at a brisk walk, faint traces of frost upon the greenery.

London Road lake is busy with mallards, black headed gulls, a great crested grebe and many coots and moorhens - it would appear the autumnal clutch of baby moorhens has largely survived thus far, they are still scurrying about on their comedy Krusty the Clown feet. Plenty of haws and hips about still, but not so many songbirds down here.

However, up at Beacon Hill reserve, there was a large flock of chaffinches startled up from the weeds in the Oilseed Rape field as I walked past, and then further through the reserve, at the lower entrace where the Bindweed chokes, a large flock of Goldfinches were in action as a jenny wren skulked at ground level in the bushes. Elsewhere, Great Tits are kicking about amongst the Hawthorns. Didn't see any rabbits though, they must have been all snug underground, watching and sobbing at Watership Down on DVD.

It was a pleasant walk, I enjoyed it, and it hurts a lot less than running. But my stomach won't thnk me!

My garden and driveway has suddenly become very busy  - Woodpigeons have now started to strip my much denuded Holly tree of berries, joining in with the blackbirds. I've got Blue Tits and Great Tits in increasing numbers, and every so often a pretty little flock of 20 or so Loong Tailed Tits will come and work through the garden - zoopinng and tseeping in their cute fashion. Sometimes a little later they will work their way back through the trees in the opposite direction, taking small insects from the bark and twigs I guess.

With the stars now very much back in my life, the sight of Leo and Virgo, Mars and Saturn, in the sky makes me think of spring to come. Alas this is at 6am, and the reaility is we have a freezing winter ahead by all accounts before balmier days return.

I just hope my bloody heating is fixed by them.