Peace

I was really glad that the Fen Edge holiday trips had finished on Thursday. Although the weather was far from ideal, it would have been truly horrible taking a group round sites yesterday, when we had more-or-less continuous rain, some of it verging on the torrential.

Today was marginally better, though still chilly and with scattered heavy showers. I spent most of the day working on the trip report which will be sent to the travellers, and finally got out for a walk round Etton and Maxey in the late afternoon, tempted by a sunny spell. By the time I arrived at the site it was overcast, and there were some very worrying leaden clouds around, but fortunately it stayed dry for my walk.

The unpredictable weather seemed to have deterred other walkers so I had a very peaceful potter, listening to the birds singing, including several Reed Warblers (see extra) and an unbelievably loud Cetti's warbler, which must have been only a few metres away from me but was completely hidden in a dense Hawthorn bush.

The vegetation still looks fresh and I took several photographs trying to capture the contrast between the vivid greens and the cloud cover. I particularly liked the reflections in this view and spent some time just drinking in the peaceful scene. Research has shown that water has a 'psychologically restorative' effect. Spending time in blue spaces has consistently been linked to positive mood states and reduced stress levels. I know that, instinctively, I always seek out rivers or lakes when I need to wind down - fortunately there's no shortage of opportunities to do this round Peterborough.