It’s not exactly hot, but it’s much warmer than it’s been so far this year. A walk (mostly) in the cool shade of the Benthall Edge woodlands will be ideal!
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Is there such a thing? Two short and relatively local outings – a couple of breezy miles on the northern end of the Long Mynd, near Jinlye (Thursday 4 July), and a summer’s afternoon at Attingham (Friday 5 July).
Jinlye:
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Attingham:
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We timed it nicely – just a few spots in the wind. It may be mid-June but it feels more like April (14C or thereabouts). Not complaining too loudly – it’s preferable to a heatwave.
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But will it stop raining? It was dry for a time this morning, and we almost got back to the house without getting wet… Despite the weather, the season is moving along. The wild rose is coming into flower, and there’s a yellowhammer in the oak tree.
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A different day… The warm sunny weather ended (as it so often does) with thundery rain yesterday evening, and now it’s cooler and grey, with more rain to come. It’s a dry morning though – let’s see how the orchids are doing on the Wenlock Edge. We had high hopes after yesterday’s outing, but there were only a few, in the woods with the last remnants of the bluebells. Are we too late for the early purple orchids?
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…or do I mean steep? It’s a bit of a pull up Round Hill, but after that, it’s downhill all the way. Plenty to see on this short leisurely wander, starting with the family of belties near the start, and at the other end of the scale, a green-veined white butterfly enjoying the wild garlic flowers, and posing very obligingly too.
Caption note (the daisies, photo 5): Very many years ago (in the days of black and white) as a small child I was sent to Sunday school. Hated it! (I wanted to be out and free!). We sang a strange song: “Daisies are are silver, buttercups are gold”. Why “are are silver”? Years later, on reflection, I realised that it was “are our silver” and “our gold”. Our teacher may have pronounced “our” as “are”, but we certainly didn’t. How easily is confusion sown, and meaning lost!
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The hedgerows are really colourful at this time of year (makes up for the lack of sunshine…). Windy too, and not very warm, but it’s quite sheltered in these quiet lanes
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A regular good leg-stretch – up and over from Bedlam furnaces to Coalbrookdale, down Coach Road to the riverside, and back to the start through Ironbridge. If I time it right, I’ll stay dry…
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Tuesday 16 January: I’m back from my trip to Skye. Before I begin posting the photos from those remarkable days up there, I need a local leg-stretch. It’s familiar ground, and none the worse for that. Going by the Met. Office’s definition (the calendar months of December, January and February) we’re half-way through winter now – I’m going to look for any early signs of the spring that will surely come in just over six weeks.
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Best wishes from Geoff
geoffspages.blog 