I started my daily walk at 09:30, a lot earlier than usual as there were showers forecast for most of the day.

The temperature was around 3°C to 5°C, but strong easterly winds of up to 24 mph (39 km/h) made it feel much colder, with temperatures dropping below freezing to approximately -3°C at times.

  I noticed two wood pigeons feeding on the grassy area in Foxy Lane. A little further along the way, a single crow was pecking around on the ground beneath the pine trees. Approximately 30 gulls were feeding on the grass in the recreation ground, and a dunnock flew into the hedgerow adjoining the cemetery.

  The wind picked up and blew with stronger gusts when I entered the cemetery. A carpet of broken twigs had been blown down and covered the roadside verges. As I walked around the cemetery pathways, the strong winds were buffeting the leafless trees and the cold was piercing through my woollen gloves.

  I left the cemetery and began walking along the cemetery road. A male blackbird hopped underneath the hedge adjacent to the allotment site. The wind was tearing into the leaves on the holm oak trees, creating a noisy, wild winter sound.

  A large herring gull was drifting high in the sky on the wind currents over the golf course hill.

  When I reached home at the end of my walk, I enjoyed the heat from a large mug of tea penetrating into my cold hands.

Today I walked for 1.49 miles in 30 minutes.

Google Fit awarded me 24 heart points.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.