Early daffodils A clear sign of Spring

Wild Walk .🥾
  The residual snow from yesterday was frozen after a heavy frost last night. The temperature felt colder due to the wind; conditions were around 3–4°C, but felt like -2°C to -1°C. There was a fresh breeze (around 18–20 mph), making it feel significantly colder.
  I chose to walk mainly on the road, as the pavements were covered with slippery, frozen snow. When I turned into Cowslip Lane, I noticed a male blackbird scrabbling around beneath a shrub in a front garden. A magpie flew up to a nearby rooftop, prompting the blackbird to take off speedily.
  As I walked towards Foxglove Lane, a solitary wood pigeon was hopping around on a drive just along the road. I turned into the recreation ground and began to walk around the outskirts. I noticed the white, frozen snow on the blades of green grass looked quite wintry and crunched under my shoes as I walked.
  I left the recreation ground and entered the cemetery, where at least six wood pigeons flew away in different directions. Several small finches and dunnocks were flying around the trees and shrubs along the pathways. I noticed a male blackbird searching for food in the long, ice-covered grass under the hedgerow adjoining the playing field.
  Leaving the cemetery, I began walking along the cemetery road, where I photographed some early daffodil flower buds and leaves pushing through the soil on the borders. I walked a little further and simply had to take a picture of a row of fresh, black, soil-topped molehills.
  A large white herring gull was gently taking advantage of the fresh wind currents by gliding sedately high in the sky. I passed two ladies walking together with a couple of small, mongrel-type dogs.
Today I walked for 2.24 miles in 48 minutes.
Google Fit awarded me 20 heart points.
 

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

Wild Walk .🥾
  A heavily wrapped-up lady wearing a hoodie and walking a black greyhound went by as I began my daily walk.
  The earlier snowfall had mostly melted away, although the roads were still somewhat slippery with a residue of icy slush. The temperature was around 1°C, but the “feels-like” temperature was dropping to -1°C or lower due to the fresh north-westerly winds (around 18–26 mph). These winds brought light snow showers, making it feel much colder than the actual air temperature.
  I noticed that the hungry garden birds had practically stripped the berries from a pyracantha shrub and a nearby holly bush in Cowslip Lane. I also heard the unique sound of a magpie chattering away from the safe shelter of a rooftop, tucked away from the cold wind.
  I walked towards the recreation ground, where I saw a man walking a Golden Retriever along the pathway past the cricket pavilion. I couldn’t help noticing quite a few new molehills along the borders of the ground, conspicuous by the heaps of fresh soil which stood in sharp contrast to the white residue of snow still visible on the green grass.
  In the cemetery, I noticed another beautiful, fiery sunset through the rookery trees and stopped to take a few photographs. As I left and made my way along the cemetery road, I could hear the familiar, deep-throated bark of the Pitbull Terrier in his garden.
  A young couple walking two large, black, Alsatian-type dogs passed by. When I spoke to the young lady, she mentioned they were crossed with Huskies. They were extremely friendly, and she said they got on happily with everyone, including her children, likely because they lived together in the same home.
  I took another couple of beautiful photographs of the sunset and the cloud formations from the playing field before heading home.

Today I walked for 2.27 miles in 48 minutes.
Google Fit awarded me 23 heart points.

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

Daily Nature Log
Date: Thursday, 1st January 2026
Conditions: Bitterly cold with a piercing, gusty west wind.
🕊️ Avian Observations
Species Spotted: Wood pigeons, male blackbird, magpie, crows, and a large flock of gulls.
Notable Behaviours: A wood pigeon stood as a sentinel on a rooftop viewpoint; a blackbird darted into the sanctuary of a pyracantha shrub to feast; gulls were wheeling and drifting effortlessly over the golf course hill.
The Soundscape: The relentless whistle of the wind; the rustle of birds retreating into the safety of the hedgerows.
🌳 The Landscape
Flora & Foliage: Thick, orange, berry-covered pyracantha foliage; rows of stately pines near the cemetery; blades of grass bowed low by the power of the gale.
Atmosphere: A harsh, wintry afternoon where the cold felt aggressive enough to penetrate woollen layers.
🥾 Route & Reflections
Path Taken: From the house, past the recreation ground, through the cemetery pathways, and back via the leisure centre.
Personal Note: The wind was particularly punishing today, causing genuine concern for my freezing fingers. Despite the chill, the sight of the “avian survivors” made the trek worthwhile.

📈 Activity Stats (via Google Fit)Today, I walked 1.79 miles in 37 minutes.
Google Fit awarded me 26 heart points.

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

🌿 Daily Nature Log
Date: 2 January 2026 Location: Sheringham, North Norfolk

🌤️ Environmental Conditions

• Weather: Fabulous sunset with snow forecast; currently 3°C (feels like -2°C)
• I noticed the beautiful red sunset, framed by the trees and lighting up the rookery.

• Temperature: High 4°C / Low 2°C

• Wind/Air: Powerful gusts up to 37 mph from the West-North-West; 72% humidity
—
🐾 Observations & Sightings
• Fauna:  A male pheasant scuttling along the road. A wood pigeon noisily flew away.
• A Pitbull Terrier barking in the background.
• A white Pug dog.

• Flora: Hawthorn hedges. Pine trees. Holm Oak trees.
—
🧘 Reflections & Sensory Details

• Sounds: the powerful, gusty wind was singing and whistling loudly through the metal links of the fence surrounding the five-a-side football pitch.
• The distinctive whirring sound of the pine needles and the harsh crashing of the Holm Oak leaves. I noticed a branch of the pines had been wrenched off by the wind

• Colours: Vivid reds and oranges from the “Shepherd’s Warning” sunset against slate-grey winter fields

• Personal Note: The old proverb ‘Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight’ is turned on its head with snow forecast. Love 💕 and Peace 🕊️ from John and Margaret.

Today I walked for 1.69 miles in 33 minutes.
Google Fit awarded me 22 Heart Points.

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