Sunday

Sunday and the weather is glorious, the birds are in full voice anticipating spring - think they might be a bit presumptious there, but they are probably rejoicing that the snow has disappeared.  Yesterday out for my  birthday lunch at the Cats pub, we drove along lanes that were running with water, and the Chelmer was lapping at the road at Paper Mill lock, rain, snow and the runoff from the fields must be the cause.

Everything was gray, dark and muddy; spaniels scampered along in that dirty muddy wet state that shows their true character as water loving muppets!  The following photo shows the bleak greyness of the Essex countryside, yesterday whilst out we went through a very narrow lane with deep banks, and it suddenly reminded me of hollow ways, those old roads stretching back in time that had been worn down by constant use of carts and carriages.

Life is sometimes at a standstill through the winter months, time to knit and spin and think, my cottage (notice the proprietal air) goes on apace, the builder has been to see it and thinks its gorgeous with all its little details, and does'nt think there needs much doing except for the chimney outside and decorating. The surveyors report was long and thorough, and looked worse than what it was, a certain amount of damp being found in the walls, but I think that this is power for the course for 300 year old places.

The holiday letting aspect might be difficult, all to do with fire arrangments but we will see, hopefully it will all be wound up by the end of this month or into the early part of February.

So it is time to read my books 'Wild Garden' by William Robinson and knitting books and magazines, and hopefully go for a walk this afternoon along the river.