Last night Brad and I decided to take an evening walk along Low Lane. We passed a couple of farms and several cottages, all of them stone structures. Along the way we admired the scenery: rolling hills, cows and sheep grazing in fields separated by low stone fences, colorful wildflowers, swallows dipping across the fields. We passed a friendly little cat perched atop one of the stone fences. He was ginger and white (so reminded me of our own Ginger) with long hair and a short but bushy tail. I reached over to pet him and made my first encounter with the stinging nettle plant. My right hand had only lightly brushed against the plant but I walked away with a stinging sensation that did not leave till this morning! Twenty-five minutes down the road we came across the local pub in Darley, the Wellington, so we stopped in for a pint. After quenching our thirst we strolled back home, arriving at our cottage about 10:15 p.m. and it was still light out! Yes, now that we are in the middle of summer we are enjoying the extended daylight hours. The sun rises around 4:30 a.m. and sets around 9:45 p.m. I will enjoy this while it lasts and do not look forward to the short days of winter when the sun will not rise until nearly 8 a.m. and will set before 4 p.m.