Back over the 10km Mark

I had a rather lazy uninspired day today until after 6pm, where I shook myself up, stretched my legs, and headed out running with no clear direction in mind.

I ended up running to the far end of Farndon and back in the full length of the river reach. I haven't run this way in so long, and frankly I imagine it's spent a lot of recent time flooded.

The fields are full of crops, used to be a lot of maize grown round here, looks like they are now growing some sort of root vegetable. Which is how I felt after my run.

It turned out that I had run over 10km for the first time in a longish while, in an hour and four which isn't too bad. But I was pretty damn tired afterwards.

I don't have a lot to show you, as I didn't see a lot and I was concentrating more on having a good run. Again, it's a dull day and not much was flying, apart from two hang-gliders I've just seen going over my flat.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.06.20

A Hirundine Storm

Utterly blank day yesterday where it was so cold and miserable I didn't do a thing all day.

I suppose we are allowed to have off days, but I still felt guilty about it. Hence me getting another 10km run in today, where while it was cold and windy it was at least bearable.

It was worth it, too.

I ran out to Farndon, then cut along the path to the power station on the other side of the river. It was here that I ran into a veritable storm of swallows, house martins and swifts feeding where the river drops off over a weir and presumably the rising insects were a rich source of food.

There appeared to be a sand martin colony based in the river bank too. Maybe about 50-60 birds present, although sadly rather distant.

Happily, on my side of the river I was treated to some prime aerobatics as the swallows skimmed the furrows of the freshly ploughed field, and the martins and swifts scythed about overhead, challenging the wind to do its worst.

I was happy to interrupt my run to take it all in for a bit.

Wasn't the only good sighting I had either, earlier on in a cow pasture over the river from the South Marina, I flushed a pair of noisy oystercatchers.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.05.20

Discovering the Bogs of Farndon

Yesterday I found myself on a 6 mile walk around and abut Farndon, where I flushed a tawny owl and stumbled into a bog in fading light and ended up shin deep in the water.

Despite all this, it was a highly satisfying trot, with great stuff on Radio 4 to listen to, including a wonderful half hour programme on Suetonius, the most gossipy and risque of historians and writer of saucy biographies of the first 12 Roman emperors.

There was good stuff on modern day eating of algae.

We won't talk so much about Beyond Belief, which to me is a programme that seems rooted firmly in the 8th century.

I carry on with trying to increase my fitness as much as my body will allow. I also aim to improve my mental health, and also while you are walking, you can't be stuffing yourself!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.01.20