The green was almost overwhelming on our forest wander today. It was magical from the moment we stepped out of the car, as a cuckoo was calling from the trees above, and a kingfisher took flight over the pond.
As we negotiated the sodden ground through the woodland, we noticed a herd of fallow deer bounce through the trees while a roe buck stood and watched us pass alongside the track. The woodland was alive with bird song. You would think that so many birds singing so many different songs would be offensive to the ears, but nature is the master of harmony! How does she do it?
Harmony wasn't just found in the sounds. How can she put so many tones of green together and make it so awesome and soothing? However hard you try, it can not be replicated, not even on canvas or camera.
Climbing out of the vert woodland onto the vast, open heathland, our attention went up. Skylarks called, and a hovering kestrel kept our attention as it suddenly fell from the sky at great speed to hit its target.
Heading back into woodland, this time ancient oak and beech dominated, and bought another layer of green from the soft mossy jackets on the bark. More deer grazed the woodland and watched us pass with ears twitching and tails swishing they did not concern themselves with us passing by on the nearby path.
Eventually, we are back to the lane and heading back to the pond as we pottered down the hill with a bounce in our step on the promise of a well-deserved glass of wine. The boggy mire that edged our path was peppered with gently swaying cotton flower, and as we returned to the pond, dragonflies displayed and bounced off the waters surface.
Not a person to be seen all afternoon, until we arrived at the pub for that promised glass of wine!
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