The sun ain't gonna shine anymore...

With the wind back into the south-west, we've got thick cloud and drizzle. Most weekends. It could be worse - we could live in Australia. The least grim photograph was of Knot, Dunlin and Lapwings at Pegwell Bay where time passed watching the rising tide was complemented by good company, including Craig who provided information on the large numbers of slightly differently-toned gulls.

A female Merlin dashed across the mudflats every quarter of an hour, scattering gulls and waders but taking none of them - she landed after each foray beside a sign that read "No Landing". These raptors, eh? Think they own the place.

A new map website was found today- http://archivemaps.com/mapco/, with the Kent part in 1801 here.

On this map, the name Ringwould is part-way through its morph from Kingeswoulde. It must have been very confusing before standardisation, and looking up the village in an index must have been time-consuming.

Old Bottom and East Bottom are shown, but not Otty Bottom or Oxney Bottom. Residents might like to note that a grid has been shown between East Bottom farm and the village, where Kingsdown Hill and Victoria, Hillcrest and Queensdown Roads are now. I assume that these represent fields of cultivated land carved out of the downland.

Only one of the Northern Long-tailed Tits seems to be around the village now (of the two seen previously) but I'm pleased to report that it has been seen, with a small party of the usual type, in the churchyard - more salubrious surroundings than "by the public toilets" which is where they were initially reported.

The scattered plants of Spurge-Laurel in the village is coming into flower - along footpaths, in the woods and in my garden, I'm proud to report.