January, But You'd Hardly Know It

No-one visits our fields these days except Matthew and myself. He tidies up the damaged trees and I gather the branches the wind brings down. Apart from these minor adjustments Life is allowed to carry on without the intervention of human beings or domestic animals. The ground is very boggy at the moment and the streamlet has more water in it than I've seen this winter. Moles have been throwing up clusters of hills. In an angle created by the meeting of two hedges I found what I think may be irises spiking up through the ground.

Yesterday morning was mild and sunny. This morning too. Really it doesn't feel at all like winter.

City Lights

I went out at ten last night and the low-lying clouds above the North Downs were glowing all pinky-grey from the lights of London and it looked as if the sunset were still going on.