puddleshark

Another quiet morning. No wind. The sun glimpsed only as a white disc in the cloud. It's ridiculously mild for February. The forest still very soggy. All walks involve picking a path around the puddles. The Coal-tits are singing full-on, like its spring. And the Stonechats and Dartford Warblers, who have been in hiding all winter, are seeking out perches on the tops of gorse bushes.

( Nothing in particular )

***

Heavy rain all Sunday night through to Monday morning, and a chaotic start to the week. Roads and railway lines flooded. I only got ten minutes down the road on my way to work yesterday and had to turn back. Luckily I had my laptop with me, and was able to work from home.

I thought the main roads would be open again this morning, but no, they were still closed. The temperature plummeted overnight. Black ice and accidents everywhere. But I did manage to chart an indirect course to work along the back lanes.

( Books & television )

Had to go into Poole a few weeks back, and took the opportunity to wander up through the Old Town, and to visit what used to be a favourite tea room.

Things seen while walking:

Construction (1). Cranes looming above the buildings of the Old Town, and in the distance new tower blocks rising, concrete skeletons against a sky full of raincloud. Poole continues to pull down all its interesting old buildings, and to replace them with blocks of flats. But not skyscrapers: skyscrapers are a symbol of mad wealth, and that sort of mad wealth is only really found in London.

Construction (2). A van parked on the Quay with the legend "MEH Construction" painted on its side. Unfortunate use of initials, one cannot help thinking.

Construction (3). Walking down the cobbled lane towards the church, saw three scaffolders in bright orange hi-viz waistcoats, one on each level of the scaffolding in front of one of the older houses, joking around & trying to alarm passers-by with loud cries of things like, "Don't undo that, you crazy fool!"

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