Walking under the clouds

Not the best weather for walking, but those daily paces are essential. Below: the former village shop in Machcin, long closed. A reminder to use or lose your local services before they get steamrollered by corporate power and consumers' drive for low-cost convenience. This one might be gone, but there are similar local stores in Grobice, Widok and Rososz; I make a point of popping into these when out on my walks to make some small purchases, water or in summer beer, snacks, cat-food, and anything I've run out of at home. And just to say hello to the shopkeepers, to be recognised as a local. Community is important in rural parts.

Below: something most welcome – the prospect of roadworks and 860m of sorely needed asphalt from the Jakubowizna-Machcin road (from which the photo was taken) to Dąbrowa Duża in the distance. This would link the new asphalt from Gaj Żelechowski and Dąbrowa Duża (completed in April this year) with the network of roads running east from Jakubowizna. Will the new road be opened to traffic before the local by-election for wojt (mayor) of Chynów gmina (municipality) on 7 December?

Left: orchards now without apples or leaves; it will be five and half months before they fill with blossom.

Back home, though it's early afternoon, the sun, is low in the sky. It struggles bravely to peek through the low cloud.

Left: out at the far end of my garden. One circumnavigation of my land is a seven minutes/700-step stroll. Beyond the fence lies yet another orchard. My fence lies within Grobice rather than Jakubowizna, along with the furthest-most three metres or so of the działka. Whilst I have a ban on harming nature (including plantlife) on my land, I do keep the path clear of overhanging branches with the lopper and shears.

Home from my walk, I'm met by my cats, who associate my return with feeding time. I shall not disappoint them!

Three weeks into winter time, and I'm still sticking to summer time, going to bed as I did yesterday at quarter to ten and waking up just before six. Not a minute of daylight missed. The Hammer of Darkness dodged again.

This time two years ago:
Using it not so as not to lose it
(Wars restaurant cars in Polish trains!)

This time four years ago:
Pleasance, the feeling of feeling pleased

This time five years ago:
Another dream of Dziadio

This time ten years ago:
Teetering between rage and reason

This time 11 years ago:
Poland – it works!

This time 13 years ago:
Foggy evening on Aleja Szucha