February eyes

I relish this time of the year,  when spring is making a showing in new shoots and flowers but the trees are still bare, because it allows you to see the lie of the land. It's the best season to follow old paths and find derelict buildings without the cloak of foliage and undergrowth. Even the briar patches are relatively negotiable before they spout new entanglements.

So, just walking home from town down towards the old harbour on the left  I looked down and could clearly  see the circular top (extra) of one of the two old limekilns below. That's where the limestone, brought in by boat to the little beach just yards away, would be burnt,  resulting lime being shovelled out below.

The house on the left was probably once the limeburner's cottage There's another little row of cottages nearby. I bet the children were attracted by the  excitement of the burn and the comings and goings around the kiln. Imagine the accidents that must have ensued, and the acrid smoke that would have been emitted  night and day. 

Better to enjoy today's the clear air  and buy commercially produced lime. Which leads to the (second extra) matter of domestic fuel burning. These houses line the hill that leads down to the harbour here.

 New laws about what you can burn in stoves and open fires in England have just come into force , see here. Wales will follow suit in a couple of years.