Damp and dreary in the Downs

Just before midday I walked through the village, then up the side of the valley to the top of the Downs. It was a damp, dull day, wet underfoot after yesterday's rain, with sticky mud clogging many of the paths. It was windy too, with layers of relatively light cloud moving surprisingly fast in a constantly changing sky. The sheep all had their heads down, backs to the wind. Just occasionally, a little brightness broke through and the rich, juicy grass shone dazzlingly green, but looking down the valley towards the south the contours and hedgerows are soft and misty. It's not cold: the wind meant I was glad of my hat and scarf, but we've barely had the heating on today. I live a little way to the right of the right hand edge of the photo and often photograph this hillside and these sheep from the back garden or outside the gate.

The choice of photo and the description are for Wide Wednesday, "the weather with you" - thank you Rock Area for choosing such an appealing theme.