Dawn arrived before five in Lincoln. Or at least the process of enlightenment began. By five thirty it is pretty light. The unattractive whooping of a pesky woodpigeon is drowning out most other avian vocals. A crow now chips in.
When I got up this morning I sat in the front room as opposed to the snug. In here the doors to the conservatory are open letting in noise from the back garden as well as from the front. My usual winter early morning perch in the snug only has a bay window onto the front drive. As the mornings warm up a little I move into the conservatory itself. Usually for an hour or so before making the tea.
Just heard a noise coming from the chimney. Am hoping it isn’t a trapped bird but it might be which will be a nuisance. We’ve had a pigeon up/down there in the past. Managed to get it out but this time I can’t actually see anything and we are going away for the weekend so it might well be a dead pigeon by the time we get back.
I’m the only person who uses the front room, unless we have a full house like over Christmas. It has a large walnut bookcase which we had made to fit a space, a smaller bookcase that holds my collection of poetry books and plays and three very comfortable sofas.
The walls are adorned with portraits of my grandparents and great grandparents. One of them is an original and dates back to the early twentieth century. Took some restoring as it was on board which had curved quite a bit. Didn’t do it myself.
Over the fireplace there is a painting of Maesdulais, the wool factory, complete with water wheel, where my dad was born. My mother was born in a two room cottage near Mohil in County Leitrim in Ireland. She was one of seven children. Older kids would be shipped off to live with relatives as new ones arrived. They had an acre of land at the back where they kept a cow. They met in London in the nineteen fifties. He was a teacher and she a nurse.
Many kids still migrate to London for their first employment. All ours did/have. It is a trap although nowadays in the post covid world it is a lot easier to live elsewhere and work from home.
It is looking like another cold day ahead. Yesterday was bloody freezing. Fortunately my daytime living space, the shed, is nice and warm. The view from where I am sat in the front room is of the shed at the bottom of the garden plus a bit of the greenhouse. The French doors to the conservatory represent quite a narrow aperture onto the garden from my seated perspective.
Definitely a bird in the chimney. Hmm. I’ve moved into the kitchen to avoid the distraction. The kitchen is surprisingly warm. We had the roof insulated when it was retiled last year and that has made a huge difference. Used to be quite cold in here.
Sort of busyish day ahead potentially culminating in a game of golf with the boys. We will see nearer the time. Cold and wet! When I was a kid I’d play golf with my dad in all weathers. The only thing that would stop us would be if the course was closed. Nowadays we are all far more fair weather golfers.
Anyway, time to make the tea. It is almost six thirty. Ciao amigos.