Like The Farm Upon the Hill, I cannot believe that it is a year since I challenged myself to write a blog every day for 30 days. I managed it then. Will I manage it again?

Last year I was Kent based. This year I’m living in the centre of Oxford. I am completely surrounded by nature, from the wrens, robins, pigeons, blackbirds, blue tits and blackcaps of the garden, to the geese, ducks and occasional kingfisher by the canal; from the gulls in the University Parks to the mallard nesting in our new College border. But time to appreciate all this life is pretty limited. Unlike last year when my time was my own, I instinctively feel guilty if I stop to watch the bees or try to photograph the light on the water, or capture the vivid yellow of the irises. This guilt must go!

Today started pretty well: a 30 minute canal walk with Rosie-dog, avoiding the geese – of which I am unreasonably afraid – and managing to miss the tail-twitching cat that dared her to give chase. Irises are almost going over, but the elderflower has not yet reached its full glory. The canal-dwellers have planted all kinds of mini-gardens alongside their boats and every now and then a blast of honeysuckle or rose catches my attention. No sign of the resident heron, with its blue-black cap, but ducks galore and the usual birdsong. A beautiful morning that remained fresh but with the unmistakable promise of heat later on in the day.

So, shall I take the same route tomorrow, or head in a different direction? That will depend, once more, on time – and as today is already tomorrow, I fear I may have to stick to the tried and tested loop….