Planets

9 December 2012

It was very dark when I left at 6am, I certainly needed my head torch! The only light, was on my left, the glow of Tonbridge and on my right, the cow sheds at Park Farm. No moon or starlight this morning. It's a shame, as I wanted to see the unusual arrangement of Mercury, Venus, Saturn and the Moon, all in a low arc from the rising Sun. It's like that for a few days, I believe.

The only sound was a moorhen at Oxen Hoath and a cock crowing as I approached Crouch when the darkness was lifting. All the birds woke up then!

Breakfast was at Doris's bench as usual. A (pretty) young lady ran past and her dog wanted my pumpkin soup!

Not very cold here just 5 degrees; although the wind is cool.

I startled Sir Herne the Heron at the bridge below Basted Mill (and he startled me!) He flew away toward the Mill looking most put-out! I picked a couple of apples in the Brambly orchard for an apple crumble (good one last week).

At Yopps Green, I turned right toward Ightham Mote and there had the last of my soup. A Robin visited and asked for some crumbs. As he was so polite, I said that he could have some. So we ate together until it was time for me to go. There were a lot of guns going off around the Fairlawne Estate. People reducing the Pheasant population, I suppose.

There is a small Lime tree just outside Ightham Mote, which is full of Mistletoe. A place for lots of kisses! The Sun came out as I left Clearhedges wood, so I took off a layer and walked the rest of the way in Sunshine.