A restorative bout of nature

Thank you for the good wishes regarding Joe. It's been a while since I posted, as July and August (so far) have been punctuated with worrying hospital visits and tests. Unfortunately, he has been diagnosed with an ongoing health issue, which will never go away, so we are readjusting our lives and hoping that his employers will accommodate this. It's yet another uncertain episode in our lives and future here, just when we thought we had reached calm waters. 

To take our minds off things for a while, Jean and Brian-next-door drove us over to a nature reserve a few miles away.

We settled ourselves into one of the public viewing shacks and spent a pleasant time distracting ourselves from our day to day problems, watching the many varieties of waterfowl that occupy the lake. We were thrilled to see a kingfisher fly past the shack, not once, but twice - far too fast for me to even pick up my camera. Swans are more obliging when it comes to scenic photographs. 

Joe and I went off to investigate the smaller hut, where you can watch the little woodland birds. However, as it was a late summer afternoon, there was only one bird feeding, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.

 

Bumble bee bottoms were everywhere, as they enjoyed the giant teazels and wild growth that is growing in abundance now. 

On the viewing shack, a dragonfly and peacock butterflies soaked up the warmth from the dry wood. 

Just before we headed home, I wandered up to the top field, to capture some more views.  As usual, the Wrekin was poking its head up - it is the major landmark of Shropshire and easy to spot if you're in a central location.

 

So we go into August with some apprehension, but hoping that now Joe has a diagnosis, we can settle down into another 'new normal'.

From grey clouds to blue skies

I have been steadily working for some time, working on my first online needle felting project, which means a lot of time spent with my camera and computer. So last week I decided to get out and about, even if it was only for an hour or so. My poor bike, Marjorie, had flat tyres from languishing in the porch for months, but once they were pumped up, she was ready to go. 

 

The lane outside the cottage looks peaceful and idyllic here, but after taking this photo, a busy red car came up behind me, and a high sided lorry came up the road soon after, which is normal. So I was anxious to get onto a quieter side pathway, a mile further on.

The skies were a flood of brisk grey clouds, blowing over from the West. On the far horizon, the Shropshire hills were just visible, blue and brooding.

It was a gentle, pottering cycle ride, with many stops to take snapshots and take in the views. And rest my legs.

Autumn is the time of hedgerow treasure and I found shaggy parasols mushrooms. I have eaten these in the past, but they were so pretty I left them alone.

Brambles and hops draped themselves artistically along the road, still green as autumn has not yet changed the pallet of the countryside.

This is my favourite lane. It gently winds into the distance and slopes away uphill; I know exactly where it goes, and still it maintains a delicious mystery.

It is past harvest time and hay stacks are everywhere - some are so large that I wonder how they stand upright.

The odd thing about this lane is that I always anticipate a left hand turn to take me back to the nearby village. Yet it actually curves round so gently that before I realise I'm there, I am already in front of the imposing gates of what used to be 'the big house' of the village. It's still technically 'the big house' but is now a commercial venture. And this is where my return journey begins.

A few months ago, a large old oak tree blew down in a gale and already nature is taking over. I have a feeling this imposing fungus may be 'Chicken of the Woods', but I know it to be typically a yellowish colour, whereas this was mostly white. It was the size of a large cat. 

As I neared home, the fickle wind blew the cloud cover away to reveal a piercing blue sky.

 

Ahead and in the far distance was the blue hump of the Wrekin, which is the main view from my studio window. As the road twists and turns, it seems to be situated first to the left, then to the right, then to the left again; I like to think it is quietly shuffling around like a great, shy prehistoric creature, trying to hide unsuccessfully.

I am one of those  for whom home is never so beautiful as when I am leaving or returning to it and there, in the distance, to the right of the farm, is the dear cream wall of the cottage. A short journey, but with so much to see.

Birds and blackberries

 

Summer, such as it has been, seems to have flown by. Now the tractors are up and down the lane from dawn till dark, carrying loads of straw and potatoes. Already the fields are being prepared for next year's harvest. 

We cycled out spontaneously one morning, when the sun made a joyful appearance, and headed over to Venus Pool to see what was going on in the bird community.

Quite a lot, as it happened. We settled in one of the waterside hides. 

 

The geese were gathering in numbers - flocks of them have been flying over the cottage regularly, heralding the end of summer with their haunting cries. There were the usual Canadian Geese and a crowd of Grey Geese. Keeping their distance, faraway, were three pairs of Cormorants. A dignified Grey Heron mingled in a rather aloof fashion.

I told Joe how Andy always referred to these birds  as 'grey greasy fishermen', from the way they seem to slink and slide as they are hunting or flying.

There was one unexpected visitor, a Little White Egret.

 

Such a pretty thing, delicately picking its way past the waddling, guzzling geese.

 It's on the amber list of birds, so this was a good 'spot'.

We headed over to the little woodland hide, where numerous bird feeders attract the smaller birds. Nothing unusual here (though I did once watch a rat squabbling with a pair of ducks). The birds do very well here, with plenty of peanuts provided for the Great Tits and suchlike.

One last glance at Venus Pool, with the Wrekin looming in the background, before heading home to beat the incoming rain.  

 Autumn is definitely on its way.

 Joe spotted an old wasp nest in a muddy bank - I have to admit I walked right past it, thinking it was a disintegrating plastic bag.

Exquisite constructions; delicate paper palaces which will gradually dissipate over the season, leaving nothing but a few tiny, desiccated corpses. 

We picked blackberries on the way home; our summer has been somewhat mixed and fruit in general is not great this year.

 But we foraged enough for a crumble.

True to form, the British summer closed in and as we arrived home, the rain was tumbling in from Wales. This was the view from the garden...before taking cover.

 

After a good morning of wandering, and with calories to replace, there was home made trifle for lunch. This baby had my own lemon drizzle cake lining the bottom - which gives it a nice zingy cut though the sweetness of cream, jelly and custard. And, of course, hundreds and thousands.

At Venus Pool

Since getting out and about, I have found a new, nearby refuge. Venus Pool is a 20 minute cycle away, a bird watching reserve with hides dotted about and rich in all kinds of wildlife. It is here that I go when I need that 'thing' which I can only get from tramping about in the green.

There is a new area of woodland opened up - it has been well over a year since I was in woods and I had almost forgotten how deeply they touch me. These woods are cultivated; a far cry from my old woods in the Cotswolds, which nursed remnants of the ancient Wychwoods in their heart. These are more Rivendell that Mirkwood, but to a thirsty soul they were bliss.  

Returning, down a long, straight track leading towards an oak tree.

 Buttercup fields glisten in the sun.

  

There are blowsy, overladen hawthorn trees lifted straight from a Samuel Palmer painting.

 There are strategically placed seats, just where you want them. With views.

 Naturally, the Wrekin overlooks it all. It is never far from the background.

 On the way home, I see the potato crops are starting to show through.