Commute

I headed into work, and therefore into Leeds, for the first time since December. There was a folder of papers that I really needed as I prepare for a talk on Thursday, and I thought it might help the transition for when I eventually do need to go back in some sort of regular pattern.

The morning trains seemed busier than they had been in the autumn, about 50% seat occupancy, which is still a lot less than the 200% seat occupancy which used to be typical on my commute. Once in Leeds though the streets were quiet all the way on the walk up to uni. 

There was no-one else in in my bit of the building, so I had a quiet day for getting on with what I needed to. One thing that. was hoping to find wasn’t there so I may have to double my search at home.

I popped out to the park at lunchtime, passing all the posters trying to persuade the remaining students to continue to be cautious (extra) in what has become something of a national Covid hot spot in the past few weeks. It was good to visit the wildflower meadow, but there were hardly any butterflies, just a few Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Ringlet, and a Banded Demoiselle dragonfly. One pleasant surprise was finding a couple of Common spotted-orchid which I don’t recall having seen there before.

On the way home I was able to pop into the Station Meadow at Shipley in between trains. The place was crawling with burnet moths, mainly Narrow-bordered Five-spot but also some Six-spot, like the one pictured. There were a few Common Blue and Ringlet butterflies and it was nice to see a Brimstone too.

I’m not going to be any rush to resuming a daily commute. Indeed it seems likely that given the proof of concept of home working it won’t be necessary. But it was good to be out and about a bit.