25.07.2022 A matter of scale.

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 Monday 25th 66F/19C heavily overcast and windy. Thundery rain promised for this afternoon.  Up at 5am. 

 I have a trailer full of segregated waste for recycling. Though I'll have to drive twice as far to reach another recycling yard. Which is open every day except Sunday. 

 I shall shop in the village there. To make the journey more worthwhile. Some items are only available at the Coop. So I might as well take advantage of the branch there. Trivial, but important to keep up my stocks. Instead of making special journeys when I finally run out.

 8.30 70F/21C. Still overcast. A slight detour from my usual walk to the lanes. Adding ten minutes to my routine elapsed time. I have concerns about flooding. As a neighbour landscapes around a new build. It used to be routine for the back field to flood in winter. 

 My wife and I had a standing joke where we talked about hiring out rowing boats. Then the council came in and cleared the drainage beck. Resulting in an end to the flooding of the field. Though not the entire area. Another neighbour's garden was flooded only recently in heavy rain. Hence my concern about the landscaping.

 I waved to an elderly farmer in his small, old tractor in the lane. Whom regularly passes me with a trailer full of silage. That's him, disappearing into the distance. [Image above.] 

 Most tractors I see are colossal. To deal with the "prairies" [large fields] as quickly as possible. By which I mean fields over 1000m. The field on the left, in the image above, is over 1400m long x 900m wide. While the field on the right is a mere 550m long x 150m.

 The warblers and wrens were in good voice again today. While flocks of up to 100 sparrows seem almost commonplace at the moment. It felt very mild and humid. There was no need of my hat and jacket. I could have been more comfortable wearing just a pair of shorts.

 11.00 75F/24C. Overcast with some brightness. It took about an hour to get rid of the recycling waste, visit two shops and return home. 

13.00 80F/27C bright overcast. Lunch. I have been tidying steadily since my return from the recycling yard. My wife left lots of notebooks with plant names and details. Her collection of seeds, in their packets, must be somewhere around a couple of buckets full by now. I have been sorting through old papers and dumping receipts and papers going back decades.

 I fancy a ride to some other shops despite the warmth. Or because of it. Thundery rain is forecast after 4pm. So I'd better get going. 

 15.15 75F/24C. Returned from the shops. It rained at 7 miles. Just as I exited the 1st supermarket. Then it stopped long enough for me to get within a mile of home. Before really tipping down. I sheltered under a huge, wayside tree for a couple of minutes. Waiting for it to go off.  Tailwind and 19mph going.  Headwind and 12mph coming home. 13 miles altogether.

 18.00 68F/20C. Shower and afternoon nap followed by late, afternoon tea. I will have to do some more washing up if I am to survive. All the mugs and cups are used up. 🙄

 18.45 Sky clearing to sunshine. Washing up done. I'm going with salmon pasty, tinned chopped tomatoes and baked beans for dinner. With a wholemeal, bread roll to soak up the juice.

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