Overcast, the forecast said. There was certainly plenty of cloud, but just for a change, it was mostly in the right place, providing a dark background for the landscape, floodlit in spectacular fashion by the bright January sunshine. It was correct about the temperature – mild! – and the wind – barely a breath of it. What a pleasant afternoon!

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It would have been – we’d been walking for perhaps 10 minutes when one of us remembered they’d left a pan on the stove… Fortunately we were home again in time to save the evening’s meal.
So – Sunday: where shall we go? Yes, back to Church Preen. It’s a fairly reliable road walk – the lanes are very quiet, and the surfaces good for feet (ie no mud). There is, however, a lot of ice. It’s thawing steadily on this slightly warmer afternoon, but no less slippery. We can get around it and/or tread carefully, but I suspect we’d have turned back on Tuesday regardless of the pan…

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…still air too – with sunshine and a blue sky, though there’s a bank of cloud to the south west which is misbehaving, not clearing away as it should. Once again, we’re well wrapped up, and it’s very pleasant on this walk from home with some great views from the lane.

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Thursday 9 January: We’re well wrapped-up, the sun’s shining and there’s no wind, so despite the low temperature, it’s very pleasant along the other Shirlett lane. We’re having to tread carefully though – it’s icy underfoot.  At the end of the road we pass through the mossy green woodlands and out into the open again above Hawthorne Farm, for views to the Clee hills.

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We’d intended to walk around the perimeter path, our usual route on reliable surfaces, one that would have warmed us up nicely on this bitter day. But we can’t – the Tern is very high and the bridges are closed. The so-called ‘mile walk’ is the most we can do, though we’d actually walked 2 miles by the time we were back to the car. “We can look in the shop…” No, we can’t – the lights are on but there’s no-one at home (and the sign says “Shop closed”). Next time perhaps.

Where we went, and where we would have gone (Botanybay Plantation, New Plantation, The Slang, Hospital Plantation)…

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It’s not going to, according to the weather forecast. Snow is on its way (I don’t think we’re going to see much here (FLW)), so we’re making the most of another fine afternoon with a wander around Colemore Green  and Boldings Pools. The light, once again, is golden, turning red as the sun sinks.

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A clear blue sky over Corvedale; warm light from a low sun, becoming golden as the afternoon progresses. It’s barely above freezing – the previous night’s frost lingers in the shade – but do we care? They don’t come much better than this…

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Admittedly nothing seems different – apart from the photos dropping neatly into a new 2025/01/01 folder… Not a particularly inspiring day either, though down by Damson Cottage there’s a snowdrop. There are several more green shoots, and one or two spots of white here and there. They’ll be in flower in a week or two, a reminder that, though it’s winter, spring will come.

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Almost… This was yesterday’s walk, which turned out to be the last of 2024 (been tied up since). The sky stayed blue longer than we’d expected – it was certainly a better day than today (cold and windy). So that’s it for 2024, apart from wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

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