puddleshark

Stone cottages & summer meadows at Acton. I like setting off from Acton early. Before the inhabitants of the cottages are out and about, the village seems to belong entirely to the sparrows chirping from under the eaves, and to the swallows chattering as they swoop round the chimney pots.

( Same old walk, same old photos )

Took my little waterproof camera from its dusty box, and headed down to Kimmeridge for a paddle...

( Cooling off period )

Set the alarm for 5am this morning, to try and beat the heatwave. The temperature didn't go below 20C last night, but I was fortunate in my choice of expedition today. The lane down to Hill Bottom is well shaded, and there was a strong easterly wind being funnelled down the narrow combe, so it was actually quite a pleasant morning to be out walking. ( Read more... )

Low tide on the River Frome.

( A tangle of things )

The temperatures much fresher first thing this morning. Of course, as soon as I picked up my camera and headed over to the gardens at Holme, the cloud cleared, it was scorching again, and the light was too harsh for flower photography.

( Some snatched shots )

Saturday was the last of the beautiful cool foggy days. I ended up following the track to St Aldhelm's Head, again. It wasn't my destination when I set off, but there was fog up on the high ground near the coast, which distracted me, and somehow my autopilot took over, and I found myself at the little car park at Renscombe.

( Fog & Skylarks... )

My PC died last week. Definitively this time. (It returned from the dead, briefly, when I ordered a new PC. Perhaps I have forced it to watch one too many Korean revenge melodramas...) This time it gave me a sinister black screen with the ominous "No boot device found" message.

But the Computer Wizard delivered & set up the new PC this morning. I'm back online. Now it's just a matter of trying to remember all my passwords...

Thursday 18th June

The last few Thursdays have been grey and grim, so I have been visiting the little farm tea room at C., sitting outside in the peaceful drizzle, in the company of the tea room sparrows.

Driving over to the tea room, nearing the hills, suddenly I was driving into thick fog, and the lanes were so beautiful. The landscape soft and green, and the leaves on the branches hanging heavy over the road in the still, damp air.

Tea and cake are served from a hatch in the corner of a converted outbuilding (once the cattle cake shed, now the human cake shed). On busy days, you are given a numbered receipt and the staff call out your number when your order is ready. But being the only customer on these drizzly mornings, I have had no number.

I had coffee and a croissant, which would have tripled my weekly Sophistication points, if I hadn't chatted to the tea room sparrows as I shared my croissant with them. The female sparrows are so bold, perching on the edge of the table, hopping across to take a crumb if you put one down beside the plate.

Things that cheer me up:
the chirping of sparrows
fog hanging over the hills and woods

***

For the next few days, temperatures are forecast to reach the mid 30s C here, and I shall be very unhappy. But at least I got to enjoy last week's cool grey summer days - such a blessing in these days of extreme weather.

I have ordered a new PC. Of course, as soon as I did so my old PC started working perfectly again. This is the Way of Things.



( Read more... )