Wonderful walk this morning on this carpet of leaves - not as crunchy and flighty as a week ago but still a delight. Big storm forecast in the North but seems pretty spot-on for the time of year. We saw primroses violets and red campion along the way - and I notice that the bulbs in some of my pots in the garden are sprouting shoots. Hedgehogs dormice and bats are apparently the only UK mammals that hibernate - a hedgehogs heart rate can drop from 190 to only 20 beats per minute, and they may only take a breath every few minutes. Energy saving is natural and essential for these creatures! I never knew that the place where a creature hibernates is called a hibernaculum. Amphibians and reptiles hibernate as do certain species of butterfly. Greyhounds do not, although energy saving is basically their default setting - dont be fooled by their racing prowess - I think Jazz is already checking out the hibernacular potential here - that or there are no squirrels about to chase. |
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well, summer flew by, then autumn flung itself at me and I find myself peering into the 3rd drawer down and rekindling relationships with my modest collection of comforting jumpers. Hello old friends! I still have the bright orange billabong jumper that Anne gave me years ago when she was having a clearout! What am I like? But there's the 'new' alarmingly woolly, shades of blue, swirly- patterned one that I got at Oxfam this summer - it needs to be cold for that one! I love the melt of seasons, I love winter - the fact Jazz and I can have the beach to ourselves more often than not - a contemplative egret, some trilling oystercatchers and the steady accompaniment of whooshing splooshing waves and hissing sand, that rattling crackling sound of pebbles in the making. On this beach life is easy and joyous, celebratory even - but my thoughts swim to beaches elsewhere and I make wishes . . . . .
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