Inevitably… It’s been a week or two since we were last along here – what a change. It may look idyllic (it does!) but looks are deceptive. This mornings peace is shattered by the unbelievable racket of a clay pigeon shoot. Are the “sportsmen” unspeakable? They’re certainly in pursuit of the uneatable…

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Spring is well under way – everywhere looks green now. It’s hardly monotonous though. The bluebells are coming to the fore in the woods and the verges, while in Britons Lane there’s a spike of unwholesome pink – toothwort, almost hidden by the rapidly rising green tide.

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Sunny though, and the sunshine’s warm. There’s sunshine in the fields too – oilseed rape, not quite fully in bloom, but eye-catching in the landscape. We’re out fairly early (after a surprise overnight frost) – the clouds will build and there will be showers later.

We’ve been playing with AI recently, mainly to try (with some success) to revive some seriously faded old slides (dare I mention Agfa CT18 and Perutz?). It can also paint! “Please create a watercolour painting from this photo” – here’s the result, another way of looking at this morning’s outing

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More a wonky egg-shape perhaps…
…which begins up Round Hill, then along Shirlett Lane, cuts across the fields and join the lane past Hannigan’s Farm and the Hurst Farm pools. The Shirlett – Hannigan’s stretch always feels remote – a public footpath without a visible trodden way, well-hidden and possibly little-known. Perfect for a quiet walk on an equally perfect afternoon.

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It’s bright and sunny, but there’s a biting wind. We won’t get the full benefit of the sunshine in Comer Woods, but it’s sheltered there, and it’s warm on our backs at times. It’s the first week of the school Easter holidays – lots of children out with mum and dad, or perhaps their grandparents – but we hadn’t realised so many dogs went to school. There are dozens of them today…

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Once again: dry sunny weather, pleasant temperatures, no wind… It can’t last, so we’ll make the most of the afternoon with a walk, from the NT car park at Benthall Hall to the hamlet of Wyke. It’s a good circular amble. The first mile or so via Posenhall is along surfaced roads, but then we take to the field paths to Wyke (really quiet!), and continue past the Vineyards back to Benthall.

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Nothing to do with punctuation (apart from the obvious little mark on the back of its wings). Simply, the weather has warmed up and the butterflies are beginning to appear. This year’s first comma was in Bould Lane – and in Britons Lane, we found the first toothwort we seen in 2026. It was much earlier last year – has it been a cold spring? Perhaps, but not during the past few days…

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St Patrick’s Day – and a beautiful day it is too! No shamrocks, but plenty of signs of the developing season in the quiet fields and lanes. The fields are drying out too – no awful unavoidable mud anywhere – and it’s pleasantly warm – no gloves, hat or heavy jacket today. It would be a crime to stay indoors!

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Once again, we’re making the best of some fine weather – there could be some heavy showers later (there were!). Once again, it’s that symmetrical walk (see the map). More to the point, it’s a fine airy stroll, ideal on a morning like this – cold air, warm sunshine

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=366750&Y=296360&A=Y&Z=120