Cruddy, innit.

This "lockdown" I mean.

Oh sure, I understand that there are many (thousands? Millions?) who are fine with it. For these people, the "lockdown" has given them time to start baking their own bread, or learn a language, or get some jobs done around the house, or to take up a new hobby such as painting.

But those are the INCREDIBLY fortunate ones. Often with garden. Probably without small children to watch over 24/7. And with a little money behind them (mortgage paid off?), and indeed a little money in front of them perhaps, too.

For many millions of others though, life is FAR harder than that right now, FAR less comfortable and far, FAR less certain.

It struck me the other day as I was watching another 3 hours of awful 24hr news from around the UK and around the globe that unless I was very careful, I'd not, this year, take the time to notice the stuff around me. I'd be too busy looking after my 1yo all day long, suddenly. Or home schooling my 7yo. Or watching the news all the time. I'd not take the time to notice the bluebells. I'd not take the time to notice the tawny mining bees excavate their wee volcanoes at the back of the garden. I'd not take the time to notice the swallows arriving. And the bee-flies probing the forget-me-nots in the garden. Nor the appearance of the oak leaves.

I'd hate to get to the end of the summer, having drowned in 24hr news coverage and not even tried to take the time to notice all the wonderful stuff around me, in the garden if nowhere else, which I so enjoy each spring and summer.

With that in mind, I altered my daily walk (and cycle ride today) to take in three of my local bluebell woods, this week.

I normally take the entire family to a bluebell wood at the end of April, each year, as you'll perhaps remember. I call it the annual pilgrimage.

But this year, as these woods are each about three miles away from the house, in varying directions - and our seven year old would struggle to walk (or cycle) that far let alone our one year old (who can't cycle yet and can only just about toddle), then this year the annual pilgrimage is a solo odyssey, unfortunately.

They're not too bad this year either, the bluebells. The photos I took below (in three different local woods) were taken for my family's benefit as well as mine.

And of course, if you don't have my good fortune of living near several bluebell woods during this lockdown, then these are for you too.

Stay safe, grapple fans.

TBR.