The sun was baking at 30°C earlier, but by 7:00 pm, a gentle breeze made the 26°C air quite pleasant. Right at the start, a herring gull on a nearby rooftop was making a loud fuss—no doubt claiming ownership over some back garden scraps.

   Strolling down Foxglove Lane, I spotted a pair of wood pigeons under the pine trees and a large cabbage white butterfly dancing over the clover. The real surprise, though, was the recreation ground: nearly 100 corvids were feasting on the grass, scattering in all directions as I rounded the playing field. Nearby, a small cabbage white and a meadow brown darted around the daisies and purple mallow.

   At the cemetery road, the “friendly” Pitbull Terrier was flat out in his garden. Not a single warning or welcoming bark today; the poor chap was clearly beaten by the heat. Moving past the allotments, the familiar cooing of a wood pigeon echoed from the Holm Oaks.

   I took a shortcut through the new wildflower area—disturbing a few more butterflies—before hitting the main road. Suddenly, my bare arms were covered in tiny black midges, likely shaken from the care home’s privet hedge, though they brushed off easily enough. Turning onto the leisure centre road, I counted seven feral pigeons on the roof, whilst two more woodpigeons and a sparrow bolted as I approached the cricket pavilion.

The Stats

Distance: 1.92 miles

Time: 43 minutes

Google Fit: 25 Heart Points.

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