But still no bog rolls. As if that really matters when the trade-off is birdsong, silence and pollution-free air to breathe. Well, I suppose it does if the alternative is newspaper or last autumn’s leaves. But sensitively leaving that aside, and because we’re so much luckier here on the South Downs than the majority of people who have no choice but to stay cooped up at home without garden or anywhere to unwind, I thought it might cheer you up to see a few pretty pictures.
Last Monday I took the dogs to the sea, to the estuary at Cuckmere Haven. Usually this walk, even on a weekday, is well populated with fellow dog walkers and quite a number of East Asians anxious for a real-life glimpse of their favourite screensaver, the Seven Sisters. Not on Monday…not a single soul to be seen. Just Tazy, Inky, the sheep and me…and the skylarks, singing their hearts out. Just listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssEZWMsQg_8 and imagine the tranquillity:
Later in the week we walked in the opposite direction, through the Friston Forest and along the Charleston Bottom valley. It’s a favourite walk for the dogs because they can stretch their legs and hunt for rabbits. And for me because it’s just the South Downs at their most restful.
Apart from all that, I’ve washed clothe pegs, cleaned the gutters and sawn up logs. What about you?