20th February 2016 Not a rant in sight?

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Saturday 20th 34-41F, 1-5C, overnight gales have rattled the windows. It was so dark when I rose that it could easily have been two hours earlier than usual. The trees are still rocking as rain spatters my window with a northerly view. Wind speeds are supposed to drop steadily from 45mph gusts to only 30 by lunch time. How the rain will behave is more of a lottery. There might be a window of opportunity for triking this afternoon. Though, being Saturday and Denmark only the supermarkets will be open by then. The majority of smaller shops and some builder's merchants close at lunch time.

A misty, rippled prairie awaits the arrival of skylarks, hares and deer. Shelducks sometimes frequent the ponds in the hollows. Though drainage is constantly attempted on the dampest soil. The overgrown hedges have been felled to spur thickened regrowth.

Despite the bad weather I shall make every attempt not to publish one of my usual rants. It is sorely tempting to sit here and rattle away at the keyboard to get something off my chest. A temptation to which I am all too prone. Like cakes and biscuits these things are best left where they lie. Bringing them home may make me feel better, if only for a while, but it achieves nothing except indigestion and sloth. Those who agree with my arguments will nod in recognition. Those who don't will merely close their minds to such transparent assaults on their rigid foundations of belief. The ranks close on right and left with an absolute vacuum in the 'no man's land' of the center, moral ground.

Is there relief from anger and frustration on an uninhabited island? Where the constantly bad news cannot reach to flay the souls of those who actually care about the world at large. Where only small worries and irritations replace "the bigger picture." Where the village mentality reigns and rules the roost. Where small minds are encouraged to take root and flourish into an impenetrable bed of thorny, toxic weeds.

It blew and it rained for most of the day. I had other things to do than risk life and limb getting soggy.

Sunday 21st 38-44F, 3-7C, light breeze, overcast. Walked my forest loop under grey skies. Not as chilly today so I went without gloves. The birds have started singing. Even last week's solitary Skylark has new friends. A Yellowhammer sang in a lonely tree only six feet from where I passed. The machine-felled hedges are still lying untouched. Will they still lie throughout the nesting season? Several miles of hedges have been razed to the ground. That's an awful lot of nests in temporary accommodation! Snowdrops and Winter Aconites are brightening the drab verges. Bright Cornus shoots adding their cheerful colour to the wayside gardens.

A late morning ride with fierce crosswind gusts pushing me off the road going and across the road coming back. Rain in the air but it only managed to wet my yellow lenses. Very quiet in the villages, the  shops and on the roads. Only 13 miles.

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