April Outro

After last weeks groovy trip into the past we return to the more mainstream sort of entry while I write this on a rather overcast day.

Wondering around was always a part of my childhood not for most part being that keen in being indoors being more in tune with the whole "Why don't you Switch off the television and do something less boring instead?" idea so you'd decide what you needed on and went out for a few hours or so.

Thus it's not so surprising that a few days ago I just did which mobile phone in pocket but switched off where I noticed this.

Sometimes we can focus on just the object but not see what the overall view was and the reflections don't just show symmetry but tend to emphasize the calm restful nature which plays a part in such activities not least with some of tensions currently in the world. 

Another thing I did then and still do is reading usually relatively short stories which might be fiction such as that boy is reading or for me single story comic books.

I get the Commando series of war based comic books and recently as we mark the Fortieth Anniversary of the Falklands War which I remember as a child at high school a number of issues had looked at that conflict and the risks and sacrifices in resolving that conflict.

Easter edition

This is likely to be a text book syncro-post which is not something that happens every week but given the way Easter fits into the publishing schedule you can't avoid it although each will be tweaked.

Some of us are blessed with people who do see the more child-like side with them taking the role of being aunt or uncle substitutes who treat us more as that boy or girl although we don't have formalized relationship, certainly involving living with or being a carer of.

So it was that they after visiting them this Tuesday presented me with this lovely white choco Egg which is a bit bigger than I normally have which was really kind of them.

It's been rather damp and actually windy here across the week needing to find more protective attire than usual so this seems apt as I took positive delight in jumping into puddles feeling more like a carefree little boy

Spring edition

Apart from Tuesday being the first anniversary of Lockdown in England which will be marked by a pause at midday to remember the over 126,000 people who have died from Covid and those who have been otherwise made unwell by it it also happens to be officially spring this week.

Spring is when everything that went away from late autumn returns with vigour such as the wildlife activity in our local wood which is full of the sights and sounds of summer right now from flowers coming up in bloom to manic bird activity.

Our daffodils have come out on the green a sign of recovery and we all hope the slow steady moves towards being able to do a bit more and travel across our country after this last year.

Exploring out during exercise time

Back to one of the origins of this blog this week, photography admittedly in the digital age and as one of things I have been doing to deal with the stresses of the current Coronavirus emergency is to go out for some exercise  although we are restricted presently.

Whatever else may be going on, as far as nature is concerned it is Spring and so the many daffodils have emerged and here is a group of them I spotted the other day.  

We are subject to limits, the exact distances not being defined but expected to be local to you so given I've cheated death twice and am vulnerable, I cross-crossed to stay in a figure the local constabulary would accept spotting these two lovely trees just on the border of the more built up urbanized area with less people about.
s

I was able to get a terrific picture of this seventeenth century half timbered cottage that originally was split into three residences and sympathetically restored a few decades back complete with thatched roof, hidden amongst the post war sprawl

Farmhouses are to be found around the edges of North Staffordshire usually with some extensions and this is a local example with the original wooden windows in not those ghastly uPVC ones.

A field with saplings planted in it looking quite colourful nearby.

More things planted for later while a tractor was going around the more distant fields.

There we have a group of pictures taken out in grey shorts and socks no less while on a series of walks that hopefully are restful and helping deal with the stresses and strains of the current emergency.