Gin o'clock :-)

In the last hour of sun, I went for a second walk on the footpaths to the east, with Mary this time, and taking slightly different turnings through slightly different fields. Between the track and a series of paddocks, there was a strip of sunflowers, heads now bowed and shrivelled, but still providing sustenance for wintering birds. A flock of partridges whirred out of the long grass as we approached, and further on a flock of smaller birds. They could well have been redwings, but it was difficult to tell as they flew into silhouette.

A couple of bottles of sloe gin are now sitting in my ensuite... only to remind me to shake them every day for the next week, honest! The recipe says it'll be a couple of months before they're ready, so maybe in time to celebrate England's victory in the Ashes, T20 and ODI series down under... or something more monastic, such as Candlemas!