Dismal

It's been a really grey, cold and dismal day here today, raining on and off, and with the Long Mountain across the valley from us obscured by mist and low cloud, start to finish. As we've not managed to scrape above one degree Celsius, there's been a cold that works its way straight through to the bones. Admittedly the days are drawing out - it's still sort of light, and we nearly half past five - but it's been gloomy all afternoon, so one hardly notices.

But it's always worth looking for the positives, and homing in on them! I've had lunch with a good friend who is adept at saying sensible things to me when I need to hear them, and we met in a pub I'd not been in before (the Lowfield at Marton), where we found a warm welcome (once Mine Host had managed to get the log burner working), a pint of an ale new to me from the excellent Three Tuns brewery, and some good food. Certainly a place to which to return, I'd reckon.

And as we left, there were two red kites circling high overhead, grey against a grey sky but unmistakeable, with the forked tails very obvious. It was great to see them, and I wonder if they might, when the spring eventually arrives, be a breeding couple?

It's very easy to tune into the gloom, when things are a bit tough and life isn't playing the way you'd like it to. It's very tempting to keep your head down and to let your eyes drop. I'm just glad that at that point this afternoon I had the grace to look up!