homeward bound

In a few weeks I will be taking a break and saying goodbye to the daily commute. As commutes go its quite a good one. Decent and reliable trains, good company to share the journey, and nearly always a seat.

The trainline runs through a damp valley so there's plenty of birdlife to see and hear. the approach to Sawbridgeworth station has Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler often quite close. A recent addition is a strident Cetti's Warbler from the end of the platform, and there's usually something toi breighten the morning - woodpecker, bullfinch, or sparrowhawk.

Cetti's Warbler at the end of the platform ...

My normal walk home from the station takes me up into the village and down the main road to my house, but in summer the ground is sufficiently dry for me to be able to walk home along the river/canal without undue risk to my suit.

First up is Lawrence Moorings on the far Essex bank, home of the mosquito. Not the one that bites your ankles and exposed parts in mid summer, but the De Havilland sort that conducted lightning raids in WWII. The is the site of the former Lawrence Furnishings factory that made the fuselage and wings. Along hear there is regular Grey Wagtail, a colony of House Martins, Swifts, and occasional Common Tern flying along the river.

Home of the Mosquito

Across Sheering Mill Lane the river continues beneath overhanging willows. The path is lined with houseboats. There are fewer birds down here but regular warblers and finches. I turn off just before we get to SLRS and the occasional ducks and gulls.

so overall a decent walk home, and one I will do for leisure in the coming months no doubt.

Finally an appropriate tune from a few decades back.