We are now just over halfway through January, and with tomorrow unofficially designated as ‘Blue Monday’, I usually start casting my gaze a little closer than usual, in the hunt for the first signs of new life. This year, with the very mild weather, I didn’t have to look far, and even first thing this morning, as I opened my front door, I was greeted by two daffodils in bloom. After last week’s deluges, spells of sunshine this weekend have been welcome, and although I was photographing the floods over in Tonbridge during the best of it, I was pleased to be running with friends this morning, with the warmth on my face. This afternoon, when I managed to get out for a walk, the clouds had crept back, and all was still.

This is Platt on 18 January 2026.