Looks can be deceiving

Back to work today after a week or so off. I was sat in my office minding my own business. The sun was streaming through the windows so I had to shut the blinds. It looked, for all intent and purpose, like a lovely summer day.

At about 2pm I decided to go for my usual lunchtime walk around the hospital site. Firstly, I was slightly annoyed that my wireless headphones had run out of power so I wouldn’t be able to listen to a podcast whilst I was out walking. Never mind, this would give me a better chance of taking in the surroundings and the sounds of nature around me.

There’s a certain bird call that seems to resonate memories for me. The call of the collard dove reminds me of the #bellringing course. Every year, I’d spend time around the main gathering location, and the sound of this particular bird would make itself known as I either hung around, or walked between the base and the local church for a practical ringing session. Whenever I hear this call it reminds me of that. Especially when the sun is shining.

Anyway, committed to walking without catching up on the 100s of outstanding queued podcasts I have waiting, I ventured outside.

Blimey. What a shocker. It was bitingly chilly outside. The sun was shining and the birds were singing, but my cheeks were stinging and my eyes watering within moments. How cruel and deceptive mother nature was being.

Some sciencey nerds (and I use that as a term of affection), who won a Nobel Prize for it, discovered that our brain analyses what the eye sees in steps. Each neuron is responsible for a different part of the retinal image, colour, form, motion, texture etc. and then tries to piece it all together to make it make sense. Our brain is always trying to make predictions of what will happen next, presumably so that we can use our flight or fight responses for survival, but can sometimes be fooled by illusion. https://science.howstuffworks.com/optical-illusions.htm#:~:text=One%20theory%20that%20researchers%20have,our%20ability%20to%20perceive%20it.

If our brain is telling us its nice and sunny outside, therefore it is likely to be warm, we decide that we won’t need that jumper or coat because we’ll get too hot and have to carry it around, and that’s just a pain. Luckily, my brain was switched on enough this morning to register that its still early April, and that we had a snow flurry yesterday, and therefore it is still likely to be on the chilly side, so long sleeved top and thick jacket required. And I’m glad that I was paying that much attention.

I got round my 1.15 mile route in almost record time. By the time I returned to the office, my cheeks were rosy and stingy. My eyes water at the slightest thing anyway, so I was well on the way to looking like I’d been crying for ages. Then of course, when my eyes water a lot, it makes my nose run. Sometimes, it can seem like I’ve got a stinking cold or am really upset about something but it’s just my eyes being pathetic.

My office thermometer is telling me its 24 degrees Celsius indoors, but I suspect its nearer 5 or 6 outside in the wind.

Snow joke

All over the UK today people have been posting photos of snow scenes and hastily assembled snowmen. It all looks lovely.

Here though, we did get a quick flurry early afternoon but nothing settled. There is a threat of more snow overnight though.

Snowy scenes seem to make most people feel all magical. The silent fall, often overnight, create some mythical scene. Snow seems to bring a sense of clean calmness to most people. It may be that it instigates memories of childhood, snowball fights, building snowmen or keeping warm under many layers and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows. A more innocent time perhaps. There’s almost something naive about it.

Last time I was anywhere near serious amounts of snow was when we went to Slovenia. We went husky sledging and snow shoe walking in the mountains. It was one of the best holidays I’ve experienced.

Being the first to leave footprints in the snow and hear the crisp crunch under foot. It makes nature look all the more beautiful.

Today though I was reminded that not everyone enjoys the snow. People don’t like snow for a number of reasons. Its frozen, damp and after a while gets dirty. It changes plans by preventing travel. It can be dangerous especwhen it turns to slush or ice. Some people find totally white landscapes depressing. For some its another reminder that spring isn’t here yet. Some people also find snowmen quite menacing.

Thankfully our flurry didn’t settle so hopefully my first drive back on site for 3 weeks won’t be a problem.

Winter Walks

We needed to drop some documentation off to a friend for their signatures so decided to use it as an opportunity for our daily exercise walk. They live about 2 miles away, so it wasn’t going to be too hard to walk there and back. In fact we’ve done it several times, especially last year.

Having looked at the weather forecast for the week ahead it was declared that today would be the better day to do that.

We start by walking into town, then taking the footpath round the back of the University campus. This takes you northwards along the river and up through a park before joining the housing estate where our friends live.

As we’ve walked this route many times over the last 10 months we’ve seen the landscape change. We’ve seen it through spring and summer and autumn and now winter.

The river rises with the rain fall and floods the surrounding fields, then it recedes to reveal dried out earth in the heat of summer. The trees bud, leaf and become home to wildlife, then shed to reveal the abandoned birds nests.

The number of people we pass fluctuates with the seasons. Everyone and his mother was out in the summer. You ran the risk of being run over by errant cyclists who seem to think they own the footpath. Children who have no idea how to walk in straight lines don’t seem to get out of the way whichever side of the path you walk on. And dogs. Dogs on leads, dogs on the loose, dogs walking calmly, dogs getting hysterical at the thought the ball might get thrown any second now. Dogs that want to come and say hello, and dogs who look at you for help as this is the eleventybillionth walk they’ve been on today.

Only the die hards venture out in the winter time. Everyone wrapped up in hat, gloves and scarf. Breath visible in the cold nip of air. Hardly any birdsong. Everyone walking with more sense of urgency to get back home in the warm.

We get to our friends but of course we can’t go in. We weren’t even going to stop, just push an envelope with the documents to sign through the letterbox. They heard the rattle so popped their heads up at the window like meerkats on the lookout. Then came to the front door to say hello. We stood well back at the end of the garden path. We didn’t chat for long as didn’t want them standing on their doorstep, letting all their home’s warmth out. Then we trudged back home.

A slightly different route back for a change. Took us along the side of the railway line back into town. Didn’t see any trains go by. The footpaths were a bit mucky. By now it was getting a bit dark. I was getting a bit warm under all the wrappings. I was ready to get back home and have a nice cup of mint tea.

4.5 miles walked in an hour and a half (including chatting time). That’s my exercise for the day.

Going Potty

During the first lockdown our daughter came back home to stay for a couple of months whilst she was furloughed. Along with her came at least a dozen pot plants. Sadly her larger ones that had to be left behind didn’t make it.

Whilst she was at ours she decided to do something constructive so undertook a free on line course about houseplants. She really got into it and every time we went for our daily exercise walk she’d talk about various types of plants and where they’re from and best suited etc. And every time we went anywhere near a shop she’d buy another plant. Even from the supermarket when doing the food shopping. Soon our house was getting over run.

For the last couple of years she’s given me plants for birthday, Christmas and Mothering Sunday. They usually come accompanied by a small piece of paper with hand written information about the plant. And some even have names. Howard the aspidistra is a firm favourite along with Monica the Japonica.

For Christmas we couldn’t spend the time together as we’d hoped so she sent our presents directly. Then she was concerned that the main present wouldn’t arrive in time so sent another one by next day delivery. Well, they both arrived in time and of course were both pot plants.

She’d even paid extra for a lovely outer pot for one of them which according to what she’d been told would be big enough. Well of course it wasn’t, but no matter, we can use it for a different plant instead.

Anyway, one of the plants already seems a bit pot bound and is distorting the shape of the pot its in, so we need to repot it.

His nibs decided that we would use our daily exercise to walk to B&Q to get some new pots and more potting compost. Sounds like a good plan. Kill two birds with one stone. It was only 2 degrees outside so I got dressed up in my big winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves.

Started off ok, nice pace, nippy around the edges but not too bad. Now B&Q isn’t exactly around the corner. The round trip there and back was 6.7 miles and took us 2 hours 22 minutes. And on the way back I was carrying the compost.

By the time we’d almost got home, my arms felt like they were going to drop off, my legs were giving up and I was actually now incredibly warm.

Just for a ruddy pot. This plant better like its new home once its been repotted. I for one can’t move now.

Frosty mornings

There’s a definite chill in the air now as we end the first week of December.

We went for a walk along the Riverside this morning but there was a need for layers, hats, scarf and gloves.

Our 3 mile walk took us along the river Ouse along the edge of Kings Lynn port. Unfortunately we couldn’t see much as it was very foggy. We could barely make out some of the fishing boats sitting ready for the next high tide. We could hear the seagulls wheeling about, hoping for a sneaky meal. The fog was making our wooly hats damp, then the chill was making it turn frosty.

Our drive back home from our weekend away was mostly in fog. It wasn’t until we were near home that the fog had lifted. I think the highest outside temperature the car registered was 3 degrees Celsius.

We are definitely into winter. Time to pull the big chunky jumpers out of the cupboard.