Is Spring starting to spring?

The south of UK was bathed in delightful sunshine with a slight breeze during Saturday.  You could not sit indoors for long after all the cold we have had recently.  It was gorgeous!

My husband and I decided to visit our favourite park to see if any real green shoots had emerged after the snow and ice we saw there on our last visit.  Sure enough!  The birds were singing, flitting here and there gathering food and just generally being full of the joys of a sunny day.  Whilst we took a rest on one of the many benches provided,  which can just be seen here, it was wonderful to be able to admire the view.  So peaceful with the afternoon sun casting its warm glow across the tops of the trees.

As I said the bird song was amazing and so cheerful!  Suddenly, I glanced down to my feet as I spotted some movement.  Looking down I found I had a new friend!  Mr Robin!!

I could not believe how tame he was.  He was actually picking up crumbs at my feet.  We  both sat very still and only just moved enough for me to take these pictures!

Here he looked up to see what I was up to with my camera upon which, once he was satisfied that I would not stop him foraging, he then turned his back to me!

I was so excited to be able to have this wild bird moving so freely and closely to me.  Obviously, the birds in this park are well used to people drifting in and out without minding too much.

Whilst we walked around we saw loads of clumps of snowdrops which is a sure sign that Spring is on its way!!!

Before we left we really wanted to stroll along the edges of some of the lakes which had been frozen over a few weeks ago.

What a difference a little sunshine makes!

Spring has sprung.

A walk down a country lane

With the weather allowing us the chance to explore the countryside we decided to take a walk in the near vicinity to our house along what is known as the Worth Way.

The Worth Way is a 7 mile route between Three Bridges and East Grinstead and is accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. For our purposes today we only walked from Worth, just up the road, to Old Rowfant and back although we have walked the full length to East Grinstead and back.

The railway line from Three Bridges to East Grinstead was opened on the 9th July 1855 and extended to Tunbridge Wells in 1866. The line was closed in the 1960s and transformed in the 1970s into Worth Way. It is along here that it is a joy to look at the trees and wild life which lie side by side with open farm land.

Further along I couldn't resist take this photograph of how the path wended its way ahead of us. In fact I have this photo as my screen save to remind me of soft warm autumn days.

Walking further on you come to the site of the old railway crossing, the old station building and an old crossing keeper's house remain as a reminder of the architecture once common along railways.

Rowfant station was originally built for a local landowner. This ornate building provided an alcove for his coachman to shelter from the elements. Now totally disused it still has character and you can easily imagine times long gone. The sun was starting to wain a little and the temperature was dropping so we decided to turn around and go back the way we had come.

It really is very nice to pass like minded people who are out walking with their dogs, the rest of the family, mothers and fathers taking their youngsters out for a breath of fresh air. At one point we had to stand to one side of the path to allow a horse and its rider to pass us.

Before we arrived home I leave you with one more image of the path along which we walked.