Ups and Downs

Ever since I decided on this adventure the weather has been one long down: since Christmas Cornwall has been frozen solid, practically underwater, subjected to fax destroying lightening, blanketed in snow and now leaden and sodden. I’m pretty good at cycling in most weathers but even I draw the line at icy sleet blown by a northerly gale especially considering most of
my rides are after dark.
Luckily the ups outweigh the downs; cycling home the other night under an almost full moon with the lights off, sharp shadows outlined on a silvery road, Orion stretching huge across the sky and the Plough standing on its head. Another time a fox ran along beside me for several yards before turning off and disappearing into the darkness. This morning I spotted a russetey brown back hiding in the ditch and was rewarded by a jack snipe hunched against the rain, he eyed me up for a bit before zig-zagging away between the goat willow.

One day spring will come.