Childhood Games

One of the privileges of moving 'back home' to southern England after 14 years in Scotland, is to experience once again these long, late summer days, when the sun burns in the sky for one day after another, the heat reverberates back from brick walls and hot pavements, hurry to do anything seems pointless and too much effort is likely to end in exhaustion.

(To hear from Facebook friends in Scotland that the youngsters there are now back at school, their summer break over - a commonplace up there - now seems simply weird: perhaps it is such different childhood, lifelong memories and experiences that underline the sense of their being two separate countries.)

This afternoon, after leaving Mrs Catspaw at her work, I took a drive into Lewes and just had a stroll round with my camera, the late summer heat lightened by a gentle cool breeze. Here on New Road, where I photographed "Owl's House" on my last visit some fifteen days ago, I was amazed to see hopscotch squares chalked on the pavement, just as I would have done some fifty years ago.

Today's 'Extras' feature an interesting bicycle higher up New Road; and a wooden door disappearing into the ivy along a path above New Road, higher up the Castle Mound.