Country diary: A wood mouse makes it a day to remember

Crook, County Durham: An unexpected encounter with a twilight-loving rodent is the bright spot in an otherwise dull dayThe worst kind of November dawn: leaden clouds, lashing rain, rivulets meandering down windows. Cabin fever, lethargy by lunchtime.Late afternoon: still raining, but a blue ribbon was widening along the south-western horizon. On with our coats, hats, gloves and boots, across the footpath, past sheep with soggy fleeces sheltering under hedges, through arable fields striped with green corduroy patterns of autumn-drilled barley. Continue reading...