Past experience tells me the Devon countryside is stunning. Narrow, single lane roads with tight passing places. Towering hedgerows that block out all but a narrow strip of sky above. The occasional gaps in the hedge or where the road dips up and down, reveals undulating green fields with thick lines of hedges and round … More Devon’s Bunting
Snaking through the valley, between steep sided mountains with rounded tops, the river runs like a silvery ribbon, parallel to the grey road and straight black lines of a railway. All three sandwiched together on the valley floor. Trees, grasses and bushes in a myriad of shades of green cover the valley floor, screening road … More Welsh boxes
It has been a very dry April in our corner of the world. Cold too. Unseasonably cold and dry. There has been little sign of any April Showers and I don’t remember the last time I felt, saw or heard a deluge of rain drops. The lack of rain may not only be causing consternation … More To Catch Crossbills
It felt good to be back in such a familiar landscape. A long strip of bright blue sky stretched above the forest ride, flanked by green and browns of the forest on either side. Sunbeams danced through the branches and evergreen needles of the trees; new leaves were beginning to burst on the bushes that … More An Epic Day
It had been a while. Home schooling a five year old with a 1 year old running around and into everything, resuming work and settling into doing that from home, all meant lockdown 3 has been a completely different kettle of fish to last year. Except from some limited ringing in the garden we had … More We’re back
It’s just over 14 years and I can still remember the sensation of climbing into the treetops. A narrow rope bridge ascending upwards, up and over the forest below, a gentle incline at first, getting gradually steeper until it is almost vertical and like climbing a ladder. Emerging onto a platform 42 m up is … More Wild Barley Rewind: Jungle Observations
It was one of those winter days where soft light suffuses the air. The golden light from a sun still low in the sky despite the late hour of the morning, softened even further by hazy white clouds. Standing at the top of of a dune, spiky green grass poking up through the sand, I … More Christmas Seals
The dark night shrouded the countryside like a cloak. A faint glow from the distant town the only chink in the nights armour. Rain pattered against the car windows, which was slowly starting to steam up from the warm bodies within. It is a waiting game. Watching the inky black beyond the windscreen. Waiting. It … More Nocturnal delights
It was a pretty wet October. Grey rainclouds refused to budge, dropping their deluge day after day. Even when it was not raining, the clouds persisted, hiding the sun behind a curtain of grey. When it did break through it was for brief glimpses with swirling cloud quickly closing ranks again, like someone tugging curtains … More In search of shrooms
September has passed in a blur of school runs, playtime, pureeing food and walks in the forest with the dog. The weather has swung from a short final blast of warmth and sunshine to persistent wind and deluging rain. The leaves in the forest were turning as autumn began, changing to yellow, orange and brown. … More An Autumn of Upset Williams
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