The temperature was sitting at a humid 22°C (feeling more like 24°C) with a brisk 13 mph northwest wind as I set out. Along the roadside, a small white butterfly danced past.

   Down at the recreation ground, a cricket match was in full swing. I paused for a quick, pleasant chat with a spectator and his lovely yellow Labrador-Springer cross. Overhead, six corvids coasted across the field in a loose, near-perfect formation.

   Reaching the cemetery road entrance, a meadow brown butterfly caught my eye in the overgrown corner. Inside the gates, a pair of wood pigeons were busy foraging on the grass verges, while a lone crow took flight into a plane tree at my approach. The garden borders were alive with movement—several small whites and two commas zooming amongst the blooms.

    Leaving the cemetery, I passed two more wood pigeons and cut through the wildflower garden to the main road, setting a course for the leisure centre. En route, a stunning peacock butterfly fluttered by, darting from place to place far too quickly for a photograph.

    Up on the leisure centre roof, a committee of nine feral pigeons lined the edge, sharing space with a single large corvid intently inspecting the guttering. Across from the care home, a lone sparrow ducked into a hawthorn shrub—though a lively chorus of invisible tweets and whistles suggested plenty of company inside. To round off the walk, a few more small whites drifted over the purple mallow beneath the pine trees.

Clean Stats

Distance: 2.6 miles

Time: 56 minutes

Google Fit: 29 heart points

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Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.