Monday 2.

On Sunday Jonathan, our son, his partner Jude, and her daughter Tia, spent the day with us. Finally remembered to take a snapshot of them at teatime (above).  A very pleasant day.

Saw kingfisher  at the above ford  this morning (just a flash of metallic blue along the river) - Magic. Also, a little later in the day, we followed a greenwoodpecker along a narrow lane. As it flew along, we had a view of its back, which, as it went in and out of the dappled sunshine, seemed to flicker from green to gold. Again a magical few moments.

This morning (as per previous blog entry) we went out to pick blackberries - didn't find many - about enough for a decent pie, but we did find (rather to our surprise) that the sloes appeared to be ready for picking, so picked them instead. The photo above (the first of the two) is of the approach to a ford across a very minor road quite near home. Fifteen years ago or so it was the favourite spot in the world for two of our granddaughters; they caught tiddlers in the river, paddled, and were expected to get thoroughly soaked (and usually did). They loved it. They are now in their twenties, and probably far too sophisticated for such simple pleasures (mem. must ask them).
 The next photo is of a small Suffolk farmhouse of late medieval date (probably late 1400s but could be earlier) and partly moated. It always surprises me how many farmhouses/ manor houses in rural Suffolk are (or obviously have been) moated or partially  moated. Often the moat is not well fitted to the house, and I think the answer might be that they are the second dwelling on the site, and if the first one was of a similar age to the present one, that would take us back to a period when our marauding Scandinavian neighbours had to be kept an eye on, or out for -- if you see what I mean.

Ye blasted oak (if my lady readers will excuse such language).

Good night, dear readers.