A few signs of spring seen on my afternoon walk.

I have nearly completed my mini walking challenge for World Cancer Day. I had hoped to finish my challenge earlier but I needed to fit my walks around helping my mum with her hospital appointments  and outpatients care; timings of which were flexible.

I now need to think of a fitting short afternoon walk to complete my challenge tomorrow.

…Later in the day I enjoyed ‘Fine Dining’ with Mr C at Chez Nous. A fish and chip makeover, it was delicious.

I stepped out of my door into brilliant sunshine for an afternoon walk. As I closed the door a few drops of rain started to fall even though the sky was mostly blue, they soon dried up. I chose a familiar route that I have not walked for a while with the potential to explore other pathways along the way.

By the time I reached Leegomery pools the promising blue sky had turned several shades of grey without a hint of blue to be seen. I lingered a while enjoying the view over the pools and made my decision to take the shortest route back home.

It started to gently rain, a few minutes later the wind blew up and the rain got more intense. A few minutes later, rain was dripping of the peak brim of my weatherproof coat. By the time I got home my trousers were soaked but the rest of me was dry. I fumbled for my house key, water dripping from the brim of my hat into my bag. The key (as always) had mysteriously relocated to the bottom of my bag.

Key retrieved, I opened the door, at which point the rain stopped and the sun came out!

As I stepped inside Mr C poked his head out of the room where he was ‘working from home’ and we both burst out laughing at my watery predicament.

Today was dull overcast day but I couldn’t resist going back to Leegomery Pools to look for the goslings I mentioned in my previous post.

The dull overcast day meant that the pathways were quiet. I saw few people and was able to linger and enjoy the cute goslings who were leading their parents around the pool.

As I was photographing the goslings, Mr Heron flew overhead and settled at the opposite end of the pool before flying overhead again and choosing a different perch. By the time I resumed my walk he had hidden himself from view. Near to where I saw him in close proximity a few days ago a Greylag Goose was standing on one leg!

PS: My photos are not the best quality but I hope  you enjoy what I saw on my walk

From Little Acorns

I often take photographs of what I refer to as ‘My Oak Tree’.  Of course the old oak tree isn’t mine, it is part of nature.  The tree isn’t even in my garden; it is in the garden beyond the bridle path that runs behind my house.  I am very fond of the tree and it provides beauty and interest throughout each of the seasons of the year.  It is now so large that its branches completely span the bridle path and reach into the back corner of my garden.

A recent comment on my blog mentioned that it was a shame about the ivy growing on the trunk because it would kill the tree.  I used to think that too but, since I first thought that several years ago, the tree has grown around 10 feet (3.048 meters) and I noticed many trees in Shropshire sharing their space with ivy so I have dismissed the idea.

After the recent blog comment I decided to check the facts. I found that ivy is not a parasite and it does not kill the tree. The aerial roots are not penetrative and the ivy’s roots are firmly in the ground beneath the tree.  The relationship between tree and ivy is symbiotic.  The ivy attracts wildlife so the oak tree is always full of life. Visitors to my tree include blue tits, great tits, coal tits, wrens, sparrows, blackbirds, pigeons, insects and, on one memorable occasion, a poplar hawk-moth descended and settled on me just above my waist.  This was quite alarming because poplar hawk-moths are quite large (wingspan 65-90 mm).  Luckily it didn’t flap around like moths normally do; it just glided in and came to rest gently.  It was coaxed off me and went to settle inside the kitchen for a short time before going back to its natural habitat outside.

I have both memories and photos of beautiful sunsets through the branches of the tree and of sitting in the garden watching the sun go down.  Of hearing the leaves rustle in the wind watching the seasons go by.  Of the rebirth of the leaves and buds in spring, the green of summer, the autumnal hues followed by the winter view.  The weather in autumn determines how quickly the dead leaves fall from the tree; in some years the winter view is bare branches or, in others, there is a golden glow throughout winter due to the leaves not falling from the branches.

I have always had a fondness for trees because of many childhood walks where my dad encouraged me to identify different trees by their bark and leaves. I have got a bit rusty on tree identification since then but I still enjoy woodland walks and immersing myself in the beauty of magnificent trees and the wildlife they attract.

15th April 2012