The first swallow....

So, with another three weeks of lock-down ahead , we decided to vary our programme a little by driving a couple of miles to a small ancient woodland traversed by a Roman road, no less.  It's small, but big enough to get lost in.  And we saw very few people once there.

What we did see on the way was our first swallow of the year, perched high in a tree.

This year has been very dry through April so far, so all the paths are dry, unlike most years when paths like these are quagmires.. In the distance, you can you see a haze of blue.

 But soon, blue is all around: a deep intense blue, along with a heady scent.

 Wood anemones,,,

 And more bluebells, beneath these very beautiful slender trunks.

A  peacock butterfly...

And a choice of paths for returning to the car.  Not all exercise has to be of the physical kind in order to be restorative.

Virtual Walk

Most day we take our exercise by going up to the allotment and carrying on with the digging, hoeing, raking and planting.  We are still harvesting leeks and the rhubarb and white sprouting broccoli is ready to pick.

But last week we took a walk on one of the many field paths near us.  In the distance we could see joggers and cyclists on the little road running across country, but where we were we saw no one at all.  This is a green lane called Pantling's Lane and it is obviously a very ancient track.

Wild primroses grow up on each side and wild violets were even more visible a couple of weeks ago before the other vegetation started to overwhelm them.

We enjoy the birdsong on this secluded path;  skylarks far overhead, long-tailed tits in the bushes and the occasional buzzard cruising past.

The lane eventually reaches a farm, but we don't go that far.  We turn and retrace our steps.

A tiny jacket with ripple cables.  This is a 10 inch chest, so really tiny.