Up and out at sunrise this morning for a walk at Stoney cross. The air was perfectly still as the sun awakened over the forest. The fallows quietly grazed in the open of the heath before they head into the trees in the heat of the day.
The grazing stock look fantastic foraging the wild herbs and grasses of the lush landscape after the recent rain. The grassland of the old aerodrome in peppered with wild flowers when you study it steadily and closely. As an overview it is a sea of yellow from the abundant flowering autumn hawkbit but on closer inspection there are plenty of herbs and flowers to keep the grazing stock and wildlife healthy with wild thyme, yarrow, common centuary, daisies and dandelions just to mention a few and the bramble shrubs are blooming with their pink and white flowers meaning the birds shouldn't go hungry this autumn as I suspect a bumper crop!
As dawn turned to morning the sun was already becoming intense on the open heath and all the young ponies, donkeys and cows lay out to cool off overseen by their herds and I was very grateful to be heading into the shade of the ancient woodland.
While admiring the array of native ancient trees and the tree graffiti from days gone by, I always wonder what these peoples lives were like and why they were driven to carve the trees. Was it a special place to them? Was it a special time? Or was it a gesture of love? I also wonder where these people are now? (Please resist the urge to damage trees 💜)
But while I was there I once again met up with the fallow herd who had decided it was time to shade for the day. Rejoining the woodland path pollen floated on the air like fairy dust! And the only noise that could be heard was the gentle flow of the woodland stream as it was even starting to get too hot for the birds to sing. Heading back out onto the open grassland the sun was strong and I was grateful I was only 10 minutes from the car. Bunnies dashed to their Warren's and a pair of bullfinches sat in the shade of a crab apple tree. As I headed to the carpark the resident red kite was scanning the landscape and people were starting to arrive so I enjoyed a steady drive across the abundant forest back home for a day in the shade of my garden 💜
Stay safe in the heat my friends 😎🌞