The day has whizzed past, helped by sleeping until 7.10am, which is a veritable lie-in these days. Bean was content to go back to bed after the dawn chorus cacophony woke her up. And therefore I slept on…

Of course it meant that I have been positively pinging with energy all day. We had a great walk up the hill in the sunshine this morning. You can’t tell from the photo that there was a cold sou’westerly wind blowing. It wasn’t until we turned for home that I realised how strong it was. Beans ears were flying all over the place. And I had to bend into it to make headway down the hill, until we went round a bend and were sheltered.

The view from the spot where the wind first hit us was good enough to bring me to a halt to take a photograph. I love the line of clouds which were blowing from right to left over the patchwork landscape.

Once we were in the lee of the hill we were surrounded by birdsong for the rest of the walk down to Chez Mima. 

There were several skylarks soaring overhead and singing for their lives as we passed pasture paddocks. 

Then as we walked along the road by the overgrown gardens of long-gone homes the air was filled with the songs of blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, goldfinches, fantails, silver-eyes and the occasional bellbird. I’m not sure I’ve noticed it being this loud before. 

I arrived home with a grin on my face and ready to get on with the rest of the tasks and to use up all that energy.