Before lunch, we went out for a walk, mainly for the phys if nothing else. But was surprised to find the ground really quite firm underfoot, so we went all the way up to Windy Ridge.
By now the tracks and paths should be rivers of mud and really not worth trying to get down, but all bar the usual places have now dried out and are firm ground rather than mud.
The wood itself is usually ankle deep in mud, the wider track was muddy, but passable if you wanted, but the other one was really quite dry.
I got back without getting mud on my trousers, which is quite unusual I believe..
I am armed with just the compact camera, and Jools is armed with a plastic bag and a litter picker tool-thing.
As there is quite a bit of litter, I go ahead, and am soon down the lane at the end of our road, over the fields, past the two Shetland ponies that were clearly hungry. I ask several folks on horses if they knew who owned the ponies, none did.
Then past the former butterfly glade, Fleet House and the pig's copse, down the slope past the farm, where the ground even there was firm underfoot.
Really, for January, this is very unusual. I seem to remember there being a winter drought a few years ago, and that lead to water shortages very quickly in the spring.
Up the long slope towards the wood, stopping at the hidden bench with its views down to Kingsdown. And in ten minutes Jools joins me, so we chat and admire the view.
The wood is passable, just about, so I pick my way through the drying mud, noticing the huge amount of Spurge Laurel growing in one place, and on holly trees I see proof that the plant only produces spiked edged leaves once leaves had been eaten or picked, as one plant had not only spiked and smooth edged leaves, but ones between the two.
Nature is wonderful.
I reach the end of the wood, and head off down towards Collingwood, horses on both side look at us hoping for some food other than the short grass in their fields and endless bales of hay.
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