Today I was greeted by a tuneful Robin and some very noisy Herring Gulls circling around above the tree canopy. I was admiring the bark of the woodland trees, which I find wonderfully curious. The bark of Holm Oak rugged with deep fissures, the London Plane smooth and pale grey-green, like army camouflage and the Corsican Pine a rich brown with deep fissures and bark that breaks off easily. Silver Birch has white smooth bark and diamond shaped fissures, in early Celtic mythology the Birch symbolised renewal and purification. Bundles of Birch twigs were used to drive out the spirits of the old year, maybe this is what we should all hang outside our doors!
I spent a lot of time this morning staring hopefully at the ground, at Sunnydale Snowdrops are starting to peak out from the soil, Three Cornered Leek leaves are starting to spread, and the Yellow buds of the Daffodils are appearing near the Castle. On caravan terrace yellow Primrose flowers are already out and near the Globe Greater Periwinkle flowers provide beautiful Purple splashes of colour.
Out to sea a couple of Gannets glide across the top of the water soon overtaken by a few Guillemots. A lone Shag sat on the gentle waves and not a single Guillemot was on the ledge. The Peregrine was in its usual spot, Jackdaws filled the Tamarisk and the gentle coo of Pigeon came from down the cliff.
Towards the Lighthouse Rock Pipets darted around. As I walked around lighthouse green I was thinking how I hadn’t seen a Stonechat for a while to be greeted by two sat on slender branches of Bramble. Walking up a path which looked very slippery, it crunched as I realised it was still frosty.
As I walked up onto round down the bitterly cold northerly wind hit my face, making me blink and almost miss a Kestrel right in front of me. It flew up to perch on a branch of an Ash tree, as I watched I circled 180 degrees around with the most wonderful view. Its head watching me as I was only a short distance away from it, further round having circled 360 degrees it was silhouetted against the beautiful orange sky and sun beams shining on the glistening water.