Fallen Ghost

It was frosty and something below zero this morning, but the sun was shining and starting to melt the frost on the solar panels by 9am. I have done so much 'pre-hab' for my knee that I am questioning  why I am  going through  this upcoming surgery. Fed up and somewhat uneasy with the steady stream of instructions,  we decided to take Spike up to the meadow this morning. The effects of the recent storm were still everywhere, although it was clear that a fair amount of cleanup has been done. 

There is still water running out of the hills and the pond has filled with water...and frogs. There was a group of children peering into the water trying to see the frogs. Like the ones that inhabit our pond, they make a lot of noise but are almost impossible to spot. A ranger was showing them an aquatic snail he had fished out of the water and was holding in the palm of his hand. It seemed a teachable moment for sharing the meaning of the word 'aquatic' with a group of five year olds but he didn't go there.

The grass in the meadow is bright green and the trails are running streams. Stepping onto the trail through the meadow risks a running stream of water, but stepping off it into the bright green grass ,which is finally tall enough to rise above the mat of dead grass, risks sinking into a boggy morass. Spike didn't care, so while we picked our way along the route, he hurtled around the mostly flat ground, falling occasionally into deep water filled depressions. 

The route back down was more sedate, our forward progress impeded by fallen trees. I always liked the one pictured today which has snapped off rootless at its base. It had a distinct lean whilst still standing (see extra) so it probably didn't require hurricane force winds to blow it out of the ground.  Others had fallen across the trail causing me to question the wisdom of choosing this route. But there wasn't a breath of wind stirring
and even the cloudless blue sky was not reflected today in the muddy brown lake below.

Pleased with our outing we rewarded ourselves by going by the French bakery and picking up some ham and arugula sandwiches. John also sprang for a chocolate tart for me and a lemon meringue one for him.  

The days are getting longer now as it is almost 5:45pm and still light.I am not, however, waiting for it to get dark to pour myself a glass of wine....