Staying Home: Day 51

Lots of work and lots of walk today. I started slightly late, then battling with awkward questions and a tricky research problem both took a bit longer than I intended so I didn't finish work until quarter to four.  I did take a break at lunchtime to make a batch of shortbread biscuits for today's afternoon treat.

I fancied a change of route today so found a suggested walk online, which I adapted to start here rather than at the suggested start point. We walked through the woods and down to the canal, then through a section of water meadows which we had never visited before, despite having lived here for nearly 30 years. My nature sighting of the day was two yellow breasted birds flying down to the river bank. I looked them up online and I think they were grey wagtails - confusingly both grey and yellow wagtails have yellow undersides, but the grey wagtail description fits best and the habitat was right. Both species are on the conservation red list as a species in severe decline.

After a slightly doubtful section when I wasn't sure we were going in the right direction we came out as planned onto a street at the northern end of the town, then cut back through a riverside walk (again, new to us although we knew it was there) and by road back up the hill to our end of town. My watch measured the walk as 4 miles, but it took us an hour and a half. Judging timing is not my strong point, and having assured M we would be back by 5.30 for his planned video call with friends we ended up slightly late.

After we got back I watched the second half of the National Theatre production of Frankenstein. TG half watched with me. H was chef for the night and made toad-in-the-hole (sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding) with sautéed cabbage. Very tasty comfort food. After dinner I played the piano a little, then watched TV for a while with M and H.