Going green on a grey day

We’ll start up Round Hill. It’s very quiet here: plenty of birdsong, nothing else – except a rustling in the vegetation on the bank beside us. No, not a noisy blackbird – it’s a bank vole, scuttling along under the ground ivy. He’s only visible for seconds, so there’s no chance of a photo, but he (or she) is a welcome sight. At the other end of the scale, the belties are out in the field beside the lane (we can see them through the hedge, so again, no photos). There probably aren’t too many Galloways in Shropshire!

The hedgerows are greening up now – the hawthorn is coming along nicely, as is the honeysuckle, and there are primroses in profusion. All we need now is some sunshine and a little warmth…