Field of Ox-Eyes

There's a recurrent theme in recent shots as we repeat for the Nth time the previous N routines. A walk this morning and an afternoon at the allotment for me and in the garden for Susan.

So much colder today with plenty of cloud and only brief glimpses of sunshine. Walking and specifically walking in the countryside is well known to lift spirits and improve mental health. We find it does do that, much of the time, just sometimes the hopelessness of things get to us when they shouldn't.

The Ox-Eyes in this field are magnificent and the open gate leads you to wanting to explore. It is a marvellous sight with the wooded North Downs in the background and tall waving grasses in front. It's when we see so much litter, dog poo bags hanging in trees, motorists who zoom past in a cloud of dust, people who make no effort to give way that it dampens the spirit. And we talk about events in the national and local news: campers at Hawsewater for instance and the impact of their actions, vandalism on the Mote Park model railway, police called to the Village Green because of gatherings.

The frustration is, what can we do about it? Collect litter, make a fuss? Not watch or read the news? We do all these things and more. Nothing changes. It seems that the forlorn hope that many people that the new normal would somehow be better than before recedes as the number of cars on the road returns to pre pandemic levels. How can we make sure that we come out of this shattering experience stronger and better than we went in?

Answers on a post card please.