Not many berries

There is a paltry showing of berries on our Rowan (I had to use the long lens to find these), certainly compared to other years and to ones I have seen around. Perhaps they are still to fully ripen, perhaps they are still to come, perhaps the Blackbirds and Thrushes have been there without my noticing . . .

. . . or perhaps the tree is as fed up as we are with all the rain.

We have had the first day without rain for a long time, but there has been little sun and the forecast for the weekend is dire. Oh dear! Back to the reading!

Last night was our Village Book Group meeting. I am still amazed that a little village like ours can bring together at least eight people (and several who would have been there are away), who have all read Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton and have a lively discussion about the book itself, the writing and the social history context. It was great!