Snow fell overnight and into the morning in County Durham. Buses were delayed and so school was cancelled for the afternoon which gave me the chance to enjoy a snowy stroll with Ollie. We traipsed along the disused railway track, known locally as 'The Walkway', splashing through slushy puddles or crunching boot prints into pristine snow by turns. The crispness of the snowy track quickened Ollie's step and he rolled vigorously in the snow-laden grass, powdering the path and shaking off as he sniffed out the latest 'local gossip'.
As we turned to retrace our steps, there was a flash of blue and orange flying fast and low along the flooded railway line. A kingfisher with somewhere to go sped past. I watched as it disappeared from view, but I waited a few minutes and saw it return, just as focused and fleet of flight. My heart missed a beat. Despite the murkiness of the waters and the occasional fly-tipping, there is life and hope. The startlingly zippy fly past of an errant kingfisher never fails to lift the spirits, especially on an otherwise wintry afternoon.