Fed up and happy

I am becoming decidedly fed up with all this precipitation (why use one syllable when five will do the job?).  The dog comes back from our walks wet and frequently muddy and she is equally fed up at having to stay in the lean-to we call a conservatory to dry off a bit before being allowed indoors.  Unfortunately she is frightened of the noise of a hair dryer so we can't use that to speed things up a bit.  The damp conditions are not helping my chest either and I'm coughing as if i were a 60-a-day smoker.  Still, the forecast is that things will improve over the weekend before deteriorating once again next week.  If that is an accurate forecast it means that there is a chance for the Lilac Lark, the annual mini-extravaganza organised jointly by Brighton Lions and the Friends of Withdean Park.

On a different note, I was very pleased to hear a cuckoo yesterday when I walked the dog along the Waterhall valley.  That is the first cuckoo I have heard in England for a few years.  I was also pleased on the Roman Camp the other afternoon to see not just one or two but a flock of wheatears on their north-bound journey.

Interesting that my rant yesterday about grammar (or the lack of it) should have been echoed by Trish at her Old Biddy blog. She picked up on one or two points I had intended to mention but didn't because I felt I had gone on quite long enough.

My picture today should really be another of the Roman Camp but I am going to break the sequence with one of the lilacs and a chestnut tree in Withdean Park.  They are just about at their best now and will provide a great show for Sunday.