It’ll soon be here! The hedgerows are certainly anticipating the coming change of season – the hops are really plentiful, and there will be a great crop of damsons… This was an evening walk – it’s quite dark under the trees – only a few photos today.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=367085&Y=297470&A=Y&Z=120

It’ll soon be autumn – the nights are already drawing in. We need to get out promptly if we want a walk in the evening. Shirlett Lane perhaps – it’s only a mile or two up the road.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=365840&Y=298200&A=Y&Z=120

Tuesday 20 August: It’s harvest time – some of the fields have already been cut, with lines of straw or towers of bales in evidence. Not all – in other fields, the wheat and especially the barley look beautifully ripe and golden. We’re walking from Tigger’s Ickle Shop in Rowe Lane – we’ve stocked up with some plum tomatoes, an aubergine that resembles a black boxing glove and some pieces of cake… (There’s a second Tigger’s Ickle Shop at the other end of the lane, but we’re spent up!) Soon we’re approaching Holdgate, where there’s a chocolate seat with great views to Brown Clee; beyond, the lane is well-edged with ripe blackberries. It’s been a great walk, despite our sticky fingers…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=356005&Y=289605&A=Y&Z=120

I don’t think I’ve ever knowingly seen it before today! An unusual plant with attractive blue flowers – will Google know what it is? Yes, it did! We’re walking from the end of Hurst Farm lane, round the edge of the fields to Shore Pool, and back up the drive past Aldenham Park. The season is galloping along – the grain harvest is in full swing, and the blackberries are ripening well (inevitably delaying our progress, though there’s rarely any hurry)

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=366905&Y=295650&A=Y&Z=120

It’s going to be warm this afternoon… We’ll have a quick walk around the Willey lanes – home again by lunchtime. There are signs of the season moving on – damsons, ripe blackberries, crab apples and hop flowers… Soon be autumn!

View OS map in Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367470&Y=298250&A=Y&Z=120

Friday 9 August: We’ve been stuck at home since Thursday morning with an electrician. He’s finished and gone – now we need to blow away our cobwebs. Brown Clee should be ideal – and so it turns out. The strong westerly wind at the summit is making it hard to hold the camera still, but it’s very pleasant up here, with warm sunshine, and the views extensive as they can be on a clear day. We can make out Pen y Fan, 55 miles to the south-west. Away from the summit, it’s calmer, and though the chocolate seat faces into the wind, we can have an enjoyable five minutes there. Not many minutes later, we’re through the trees and back on the east side of the hill. Wind? What wind?

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=360080&Y=286165&A=Y&Z=120

Tuesday 6 August: A blue sky – and blue fields! It’s a perfect evening for a walk in the very quiet area around Boldings Pools, Astley Abbots and Colemore Green. The colour in the fields is unusual – immediately eye-catching as we drive past to park. Whatever can it be? Close inspection (and Google Images…) tells us it’s phacelia, and almost certainly it will be ploughed in as green manure. Meanwhile, we’ll make the most of this unusual landscape

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=370965&Y=296815&A=Y&Z=120

I’ll have to use the phone instead. Not ideal, but… It’s a very pleasant evening on the Edge above Much Wenlock – bright, sunny, not particularly warm – perfect for this short wander.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=361510&Y=299900&A=Y&Z=120

We’ve had some warm days – too warm to be out in the sun – but today’s different. There’s more cloud, and a stiff breeze makes it feel much more pleasant. The Hope Bowdler hills could be ideal… Looking down on the Cardingmill valley, we realised why we’d seen no-one else up here (we did see a runner, disappearing as we began our walk, and passed a lone walker setting out just before we arrived back at the start. I’m not complaining!) The kites, the buzzards and the sheep are sufficient company.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=347500&Y=293335&A=Y&Z=120