Quiet but never silent.

I missed the Sun this morning, not because I was late but because the early wander was done and dusted by the time the clouds cleared. When all is calm and grey the usual sounds of the morning seem to be as muted as the colours, as if a duvet has been placed over your world.
Listen though, because this is the time when you really hear things, things that perhaps would not get picked up otherwise.
This morning, when I slowed down and let the dogs do the same, smaller lives could be heard in the trees and hedges: Blackbirds were turning over leaves deep within the woods, a Wren barked commands at some poor creature with a voice far bigger than his size and a Squirrel made her way slowly through the high branches. In the distance, too far away to see, a woodpecker drummed its calling card on a tree, a noise that for me always signals the coming of Spring, even if we do have to wait a little while longer yet.