trout rising

leaving only a trace of a ripple spreading through the reflections on the river; an instant in the fabric of space and time.

lutea

the beautiful and heavily scented rhododendron lutea or yellow azalea which grows in many of the woods locally.

lurking in the compost

this sleepy slow worm was found sunning itself on the compost heap

mistle fledglings

finally, with a great deal of whirring and clicking and general pandemonium, the mistle fledglings have just appeared. They tend to try and pretend they do not exist by keeping very still until you approach just a bit too close.

rock rose

for example (see below) I have never seen a rock rose growing wild locally, but this one is growing in the bank of the little stream between Old Mill and Luckett.

Old Mill by the stream

I met Freddy Fisher, our local post man, in the woods today with his springer spaniels. He told me a lot about the land between Old Mill and Luckett; after the first world war the land was used to provide gardens and allotments for unemployed local men. This explains why there are so many unusual plants in this area. Freddy is a mine of information which should be taken down and recorded for posterity.