TINY TUESDAY

It was a cold and frosty morning when we got up, but the sun was shining, so we decided to go on our usual circular walk and were out of the house by 6.30 a.m.  It was definitely a finger and toe-tingling, nose-running and eye-watering and almost a "writing on the car windows" sort of cold, although there was no wind thankfully and of course, at that time in the morning, there weren’t that many people about.  For the first time, a runner passed us and gave us a wide berth - we have found that they tend to run quite close, so it was good to see that he was adhering to the two metre restriction.

We are very fortunate to live on the east side of the town where it’s quite open, so there are plenty of trees, hedges and blossom to see.  I was amazed to see a large honeysuckle bush with buds and flowers, which Mr. HCB remarked looked like a “standard” rather than a hedgerow type of bush and of course, we saw lots of blossom on the blackthorn all around us as we walked.  I wondered if it was hawthorn, but apparently, the blackthorn blossom appears before the leaves, unlike hawthorn.  Amazing what you learn.  We saw lots of sparrows on the hedgerows and could hear blue tits and robins singing all around us;  it was a joy to be out on such a lovely morning.

Of course, we are aware that the virus that is keeping us in our homes for most of our days is no respecter of persons, when we heard last night that our own Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had been taken to Intensive Care “as a precaution”.  It was heartening to hear from several of our American friends that they were praying for him, as were we and although he remains in ICU this morning, he is not on a ventilator.  We remember those today who have died as a result of Covid 19 and we think of those, particularly in our NHS and other carers who put their own lives at risk daily to look after their patients.

Once back in our warm home, it was a pleasure to hear Prince Charles on Radio 4, reading part of a poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" to celebrate the 250th Anniversary today of the birth of the English poet, William Wordsworth, he of the famous “Daffodils” poem and one which many of us in the UK know, love and can probably recite after learning many years ago at school. 

Life still goes on, although in a very different way, and simple things like hearing a poem read can bring such pleasure.  I tuned in to Gareth Malone’s live broadcast on YouTube last night and enjoyed singing along with many thousands of others - again a simple pleasure but a very enjoyable one.  

Stay safe and well and enjoy every moment of your day today.

“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow 
     of powerful feelings: 
          it takes its origin from emotion 
               recollected in tranquillity.” 
William Wordsworth : from "Preface to Lyrical Ballads."