After days of foul weather today Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are forecast to be fine due to a ridge
of artic air flowing south. True to form it’s bright and sunny as we set off to walk around Bosham Hoe from Smugglers Lane. The sunshine really lifts the spirit as we set off down the lane whilst the crows are squawking above us. There’s no leaves left now so the trunks, boughs and branches shine brightly, golden, in the early morning sunshine.
There’s still plenty of water about, little streams have appeared that were never there before. There’s mud everywhere that’s been churned up by countless pairs of boots. In places it’s treacherous, beneath the light mud on the surface lies that dark, evil smelling ooze that lies in wait to grip firmly to your feet and cause trouble. It’s
not enough to be exactly life threatening but it’s easy to loose a boot or slip over and become covered in mud.
As we turn to the north the wind reveals it’s true nature. It may not be that strong, but at 5 degrees it’s much less than we’ve been used to and a few degrees of chill factor quickly makes any chinks in your clothing noticeable. However it’s crystal clear and such a delight to be out walking, such a welcome change from the dull grey landscapes we’ve been used to even if they were rather warmer.
A patch of water comes in view and well before seeing them, the Teal there make themselves know with their shrill calls. There are about twenty spread about although they soon paddle away, spooked by the human and his dog coming their way. Other that these there are few other ducks, just the inevitable Brent Geese plus a few Oystercatchers, Redshank and the odd Curlew.