A few months ago, the colour was in the many spring flowers, backed by the bright blossom of blackthorn, then hawthorn. On this grey and gloomy afternoon, we’ll focus on the sloes, hips, haws and other berries. the offspring of that springtime display.
… from Shirlett – a route we’ve trodden before. We walked this way a couple of times in July, on two very different days. Today, although it’s a warm and still afternoon, there’s change in the air and on the ground. The barley’s been cut, the oats are looking ripe, blackberries and sloes abound and the toadstools are proliferating. A fine fly agaric stands half-way up Ned’s lane, first of the season. There will be more, I suspect.
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Once again, we’re seeking the shade – it’s warm, there’s not a cloud in the sky and there’s no breeze worthy of the name. We’ll walk down through Chestnut Coppice, then follow the well-shaded old railway track northwards to Linley. A wander along the riverbank leads us to Dean Brook, where we can rejoin the railway and head back. Very pleasant, perfect for a day like this.
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Quiet ways on a warm afternoon – not a cloud in the sky!
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The toadstools are really coming into season now – there’s a wide variety of shapes and sizes down Ned’s Lane. Further on, as we approach Round Hill, I remember the dragonfly that posed for us here a week or so ago. Today there are two of them, both posing obligingly (a brown hawker and a southern hawker – I think…). Elsewhere a red admiral basks in the sunshine. It may be autumn meteorologically, but astronomically it’s still summer…
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A very short outing today, to the end of the lane and back. As usual, there’s a camera to hand…
There are toadstools galore in the woods! Later, stopping to gaze upon the river, there’s a flash of blue as a kingfisher flies to a bush on the opposite bank. Perhaps if we wait he’ll re-emerge? Yes – to fly away downstream and out of sight. Sometimes it’s the briefest of moments that make the day special.
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It’s a beautiful afternoon for exploring some quiet ways in Corvedale – revisiting the old road (see https://geoffspages.blog/2020/07/05/the-old-road/) and finding a well-hidden bridleway, perhaps two-thirds of a mile between high hedges, with occasional glimpses of the world outside.
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They’re not all edible, and I certainly wouldn’t want to experiment, but there are fruits of all kinds in the hedgerows today. As well as those illustrated, there are plenty of blackberries, and here and there some sweet damsons. No-one would want to eat the wild hops, but rub a flower between the fingers and the aroma is wonderful!
Sunset is coming earlier – the nights are drawing in, and there’s a distinct lack of light this evening .Soon such walks will be out of the question. Deep in the woods below Hawthorn Bank it’s really gloomy, but the camera can just-about cope.
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