The wind and rain continues on but well to the north of us thankfully; the exceptionally high tides have caused
some floods but nothing too dramatic for most of us. Today, in the south at least, it’s a grey day with only a slight risk of drizzle; not enough to put most walkers off. Their clothing, though is varied. Some are dressed up to face the Arctic, others seem to think that a tee shirt will do. I suppose it’s all about how you feel the cold but the closeness to the car park seems to have a significant bearing on the matter1
On the path along the Lavant Valley it’s muddy but the songbirds are singing, or at least making alarm calls. These cattle seem happy enough but why they’ve been given this supplementary feeding I’m not sure, the grass looks lush enough and there’s plenty of it. Despite the amount of rain the groundwater. clearly hasn’t risen yet as the Lavant is dry with grass covering the stream bed.
Out of the woods, on the downs where they slope sharply upwards, crows are in abundance. They’re sitting down covering the grassy hill one moment, up in the air, all flying in an agitated manner the next. The collective noun for them is a murder of crows, very apt as this gathering seems far from friendly.
Up here there are flashes of brightness where at least some flowers have opened unlike the Harbourside
which seems devoid of any decoration. Amongst the Hogweed which seems to be strong enough to stand up to the elements are patches of Dead Nettle, glistening white along the edges of the path. There’s even some Spotted Dead Nettle adding some welcome colour to the walk.