A day of rest

Today’s guest picture comes from Drospcone. On the golf course, the roots of this tree, which was toppled by Storm Arwen, show how little soil there is under the grass on the fairways.

We had a fine day here at last, but I failed to make much use of it. As usual we went to sing in the church choir in the morning, and by the time that we had got and had a cup of coffee, it was nearly noon.

Watching the birds took up a little time too. It was sunny . . .

. . . but chaffinches hid from me behind poles and in deep shadows.

A robin dropped in and checked that I was paying attention.

I then spent so much time wondering about if I should go for a walk, and where I should go for a walk if I went for a walk, that by the time that I had made some leek and potato soup for lunch and eaten it, the opportunity actually to go for a proper walk had passed by.

I just had time to note green shoots in the garden . . .

. . . as I went out for a very short stroll to Pool Corner and back.

There has been a hole, caused by a flood some years ago, in the wall beside the road at the pool. Last week, it was finally mended . . .

. . . and it looks good from both sides now.

I was struck but the sun catching the wires slanting down from the hill to the electricity substation in the background.

I looked back at the caul that creates the pool at Pool Corner . . .

. . . enjoyed the sunlight on Whita Hill . . .

. . . and extended my walk as far as the park bridge, where a robin on a tree was vociferously inviting all comers to note that he was the king of this particular castle.

I had no time to waste when I got back. Picking up my music and a face mask, I set off for Carlisle and the first meeting of the Carlisle Community Choir for 2022.

There were six tenors at the practice this week, including a newcomer who can sing very well, so that was a great improvement on the final practices of last year when only two or three of us turned up. Our conductor was in good form and we had a cheerful and productive session. Because we are still having to be very well spread out and sing in masks, attendance is well down from peak numbers, and the meeting did not bring the full and glorious satisfaction that singing in a choir should, but it was a great deal better than not singing at all, and I enjoyed myself.

It was nearly dark as I drove home. I could have taken a beautiful shot of wind turbines silhouetted against a purple sunset if I had been prepared to stop in the middle of a busy main road. You will just have to imagine it.

A good afternoon was rather spoiled when I got back as Mrs Tootlepedal greeted me with the news that the drain from the kitchen sink was blocked outside the house. In spite of our best efforts with caustic soda and poking with sticks, it remains blocked. We will have to call for help from someone with rods.

It was a pity not to be able to make better outside use of this rare sunny day, but the forecast offers hope of more sun next week. My knee definitely benefited from the quiet day with a little gentle exercise, so I won’t complain (too much).

The flying bird of the day is a chaffinch.