This is summer in England’s northern climes. Balmy overcast evenings bring cool air and shade amongst leafy trees that hide the sky and make the air swim with moisture wherein swims a grey smoke with a thousand pinpricks to pierce flesh without any malice in its race for survival.

Weather is pretty dismal at the minute so I wish it would pick up a little bit and return to the long hot days of a few weeks ago. We have had now a good spell of rain so the plants wouldn’t mind. Another downside of this gloomy weather is that the biting midges are back with a vengeance.

I can’t believe it’s a week since I was in Kent on work stuff. We have passed the longest day and now July beckons. (“Tempus Fugit”) but to where we know not. There doesn’t seem to be anything positive in the news at the minute. It’s all food, oil and war...but perhaps it always has been. I’ll try to find a nice photo.

Found a sad pile of feathers outside the garden gate last night. Because of the pattern I could see that it was a spotted woodpecker. Over the last few months I have found a few of these so some raptor must be hunting in the area. Must be quite large one if he can take out a woodpecker. I shall ask my garden neighbours if they have seen anything. I suspect it is one of the fledglings that the parents have been raising.