Wednesday

 Good morning, everyone!  I've just been to the shed and it feels a lot milder than yesterday morning.  The sky is pretty clear but there's no frost; my fingers and toes feel warm, always a good thing!

Yesterday never really brightened up - it was misty pretty much all day so I didn't bother with putting any washing out.  Despite that, I got four loads done and dried, one way or t'other, and three loads got ironed and out away - yay!  The last load dried overnight and now just needs an iron which I can do this morning.
It's so nice to have empty washing baskets!

It was so dull and dreary yesterday that I felt quite unmotivated so, after breakfast (I eat late), very much on the spur of the moment, I jumped up, got a few things together and set off for Hyde Hall.  There wouldn't be any views and it was cold but, on the other hand, it was very still so it would be OK on top of the hill and I just needed to get out into the fresh air for a while.

I am so glad I did.  There were enough people there to make it pleasant without being in any way crowded.  Also, it was a bit clearer out in the country and the sun almost - but not quite - nearly broke through.
There wasn't much to see in the way of flowers but their snowdrops are more advanced than mine and there were loads of little green bulb spikes sticking up.  I'll go again in about a month - there should be plenty to see by then.
There was a lot of work going on all over the place and I noticed that they have planted a small orchard of Japanese cherry treelets which will look a picture once established.  So pretty.

I spent quite a while watching a cheeky robin who was far to bouncy for a good photo, a blackbird who was more accommodating and some ducks on the bigger pond who were idly dabbling in and out, while I chanted to myself as much as I could remember of the delightful 'Ducks' Ditty' from Graham's 'The Wind In The Willows'. 

All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,

Ducks are a-dabbling,

Up tails all!

Ducks’ tails, drakes’ tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim—
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes!
We like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call—
We are down a-dabbling
Up tails all!

(I can hear Mum reading it to me as she did when I was a little girl)

I don't think Mr Blackbird agreed though!

I was frustrated with my camera.  I think I must have changed some setting somehow and things were going wonky so I did a factory reset and now I can only take a small number of photos before the battery is empty which is so annoying.  Today I must got back to the manual and find out what I have to do to sort it out.  

Also, discouragingly, I'm not doing very well at all with the camera course - and by that I mean I can't get my brain around it and I hate to go on when things aren't sticking.  Maybe I haven't got a good enough camera for things to be able to work in the way the book says they should.  
I am obviously lower in the pecking order  than an absolute beginner and I really must sit down, first with manual and then with book and try to sort something out.  

So today is ironing, personal training and seeing if I can make head or tail of the camera course.  I won't throw the book in the bin in frustration, I promise, but I may come close!!  But I have to sort out the battery thing first!

I hope your day goes better than mine promises to go - lol!