When I commenced my daily nature walk today, the temperature was around 7–8°C, but with the wind, it felt colder—often dropping to 0–4°C. Strong south-easterly winds of approximately 25–35 mph made it feel much chillier.
  Our hebe shrubs along the hedge in front of the house are still full of purple flowers. These flowers are usually a good source of pollen for bees in the spring and summer; unfortunately, this is not the case in winter. However, they still look colourful and cheerful on the shrubs at this time of year.
   In Cows Lane, I noticed a wood pigeon perched on a rooftop, making a loud, continuous territorial warble. As I began to walk around the outskirts of the recreation field, I found the grass was soft and slightly damp from intermittent showers and a heavy frost last night.
  I also spotted a pair of magpies flying around a row of pine trees bordering the new houses adjacent to the playing field, while a single gull flew high overhead towards the golf course.
  When I reached the entrance leading to the cemetery road, the friendly Pitbull Terrier was seated on the trampoline in his garden. I am sure he is used to me passing by now, as he no longer barks; he simply sits looking impassively at me as I walk by.
   Near the cemetery gates, a large number of rooks were flying above the rookery. A male blackbird hastily hopped under a nearby shrub, and a pair of blue tits fled into the bushy hedgerow as I passed. Further on, a herring gull was feeding on the golf course grass, and a couple of feral pigeons were perched on the leisure centre roof. To finish the walk, I saw another stationary wood pigeon on a rooftop in Cows Lane.
Statistics:
Distance: 1.99 miles
Duration: 42 minutes
Activity: 23 Google Fit Heart Points

   I started out on my daily walk early again today. The temperature felt like around 4°C with a moderate southwesterly breeze of about 14–15 mph; this made it feel cooler than the air temperature, with gusts also present. The actual air temperature was around 7°C, but the “feels like” temperature accounted for the wind chill. Fortunately, the earlier light rain showers had stopped and the air smelt fresh and clean.

Wildlife Observations
  Blackbirds: One flew into a bushy shrub near Foxglove Lane; another flew rapidly away near the recreation ground, and a male hopped under a shrub near the cemetery.
  Fieldfares: To my surprise and delight, I noticed a large group of blackbird-sized birds feeding on the grass and flying along the cemetery hedge. Google Lens later identified them as Fieldfares.
   Greenfinches: At the cemetery gates, I saw a flock of about 20 small birds. I managed some close-up photographs, and Google Lens identified them as    Greenfinches.
    Rooks: They were loudly and excitedly quarrelling (or perhaps happily communicating) with their harsh, guttural calls.
   Wood Pigeons: One was perched atop a tall shrub. Later, on Cows Lane, I noticed five separate “sentinel” pigeons on five separate rooftops—likely a territorial sign of spring being just around the corner.

  Notes & Sightings
I passed my friendly neighbour, a Pitbull Terrier, who was quietly seated on his garden trampoline.
Near the leisure centre, I also passed a man walking a brown spaniel-type dog.
Activity Summary
Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 43 minutes
Intensity: 23 Google Fit heart points

I discovered an interesting, unusual Fungus, growing in our garden today. I was removing some overgrown African daisies and this amazing looking fungus appeared growing underneath. I removed it and took some photographs and Google Lens later identified it as a Collared Earth Star fungi. As I was gently handling it, it puffed out a mist of reproductive spores.

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

Date: 12 January 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: Recreation Ground & Cemetery

Weather Observations:
Temperature: 0°C (Feels like -4°C)
Wind: 9 mph SE (Brisk/Cold)

Wildlife & Nature Notes:
Gull: Seen coasting in the wind near the recreation ground, likely foraging.
Small Birds: Two sparrow-sized birds observed moving from hedges to trees in the cemetery.

Route & Sightings:
Walked the outskirts of the recreation ground and through the cemetery.
Met a neighbour for a chat; saw a spaniel-type dog and a brown Cockapoo.
Observed the local Pitbull Terrier on his trampoline.

Activity Stats:
Distance: 2.69 miles
Duration: 1 hour
Heart Points: 24

When I left the house today, the sun was shining but the temperature felt much colder due to the wind. For instance, with temperatures around 3-4°C, it felt like -2°C to -4°C because of strong easterly winds gusting up to 35-60 km/h, making it feel significantly colder than the actual air temperature.

  A young lady passed me walking a lively Cocker Spaniel. I continued towards Foxglove Lane, where I spotted a pair of wood pigeons perched on a rooftop. A couple with a Cockapoo-type dog were near the children’s playground as I walked towards the recreation ground.

  A group of six rooks flew noisily overhead towards the golf course, cawing loudly. Shortly afterwards, another group of about a dozen rooks followed them, flying in the same direction. When I arrived at the entrance to the cemetery road, I noticed that my friend the Pitbull was sitting in his garden, quietly regarding me as I passed by.

  I began to walk around the cemetery pathways, where a profusion of various species of birdlife was present. A pair of small sparrow-like birds flew into the hedge adjoining the playing field. A couple of wood pigeons were flying backwards and forwards around a hedge belonging to a nearby house; I wondered if the occupants had put some bird food out. A male blackbird quickly flew into a nearby rowan tree as I approached.

  Suddenly, with a clamour of loud, harsh, grating, vocal confusion, about 70 rooks rose in a large black cloud from the rookery treetops and began flying around. I took a photograph of a few of them. I headed towards the cemetery gates and spotted a male blackbird chasing another male blackbird towards the hedgerow bordering the allotment site. 

  Then, I stopped to take some beautiful photographs of early snowdrops in flower along the border.

  I left the cemetery and continued along the cemetery road, where I watched two wood pigeons furiously pecking at each other. They both flew away when I walked past. I guess the birds are already staking out their territory before the upcoming spring season arrives.

 I walked past the leisure centre, where I noticed a couple of feral pigeons settled on the roof. Ten dunnocks were perched on the top of a hawthorn hedge adjacent to the care home. I watched a large flock of feral pigeons in the distance flying around the abandoned factory rooftop they use for a colony.

  I continued along the way and met Sophie, a neighbour, walking her extremely lively Cavapoo.

Today, I walked for 1.46 miles in 29 minutes. Google Fit awarded me 23 heart points.

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

The Pre-Storm Circuit: A Carousel Plan

Hero Image

Trading my usual trot for a 3-mile trek around the golf course and seafront today. Winter is definitely biting, but the views were worth the -7°C wind chill!

The Frosty Start

Found this gorse bush in full bloom against the cold. The scent was tempting! It’s amazing to see life popping up after the recent snow. 🌼

Ice on the Water

The boating lake is still holding onto the big freeze. Seeing these ice chunks floating on the surface felt more like the Arctic than the local outskirts! 🧊

The Seafront

The tide was in and the waves were pulsating over the stones. That rhythmic sound is so evocative of the changing coastline. 🌊🔊

Friendly Encounters

Met a lovely black Lab on the cliffs. The owner warned me he’d lick me to death—I figured there are worse ways to go! 🐕😂

Contrast in Canines

Shortly after the Lab, I met a silent Bulldog. I had a feeling he wouldn’t be quite as generous with the licks!😵‍💫

Birdwatching (Part 1)

A busy moment! Counted nearly 20 sparrows darting in and out of this single shrub. The local wildlife is certainly busy after the thaw.

Birdwatching (Part 2)

My favourite shot of the day: two rooks cosying up at the top of a tree. Even the birds are huddling for warmth today.

The Wagtail

I spotted a little pied wagtail on the hunt for insects near the beach. They never seem to stop moving and I was unable to get a photograph.

The Stats

3.13 miles in just over an hour. 40 Heart Points earned and plenty of fresh air banked before the storms arrive. 🌬️💪

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

   I started out on my daily walk slightly earlier than normal. The wind was whipping around my head, stinging the skin on my face. The temperature felt cold, around 4°C, but with the wind, it felt much colder—somewhere between -1°C and -6°C due to strong gusts. Winds from the north-west at about 16–21 mph brought the “feels like” temperature down significantly.
  The ice-hardened snow from yesterday had been mostly washed away by some earlier light showers of rain. I met a regular dog-walker I have seen before, walking along the road with his pug.
  I continued through Foxglove Lane and around the outskirts of the recreation ground. The surface of the playing field grass was quite muddy after the recent melted snow. A large herring gull flew over searching for food, gently flapping its wings and gliding along in the wind. I walked around the cemetery pathways, where a wood pigeon rapidly flew over the hedge into the allotment site next door.
   I left the cemetery and walked along the cemetery road to the main road, past the leisure centre. I met a man walking a black Labrador along Foxglove Lane as I completed my daily active walk.

Today I walked 2.3 miles in 47 minutes. Google Fit awarded me 28 heart points.

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

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