saxonaxe
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I was in the kitchen making a sandwich to take with me on a wander in the wood, when I heard something which made me reach for the camera.
A Lesser Spotted Wood Pecker had overcome his natural caution and was attacking a Bird Feeder hanging on the wall of a neighbouring cottage..
Amusingly, instead of the normal Tap Tap Tap it was Ding Ding Ding!! which is what made me look in the first place..
The Lake is at a proper level again now that the rain inland has drained down. The trees are in Summer leaf and today the water sparkled in the sunshine.
A nice surprise was to find some Cowslips growing in the pasture across the bridge. Primroses are very abundant locally but Cowslips as in many areas are nowhere near as common as they were years ago. Cowslips are much more delicate and prone to airbourne pollution or farm use of chemicals.
On the way to the wood I saw another flower of interest..to me anyway..Beautiful blue Periwinkles growing over the wall of the old Ice House.
In Folk Lore the Periwinkle is associated with Eternity. Medieval Brides had Periwinkles woven into their wedding bouquets but the flower had darker meanings too. In Italy it is known as Fiore di morte, the Flower of Death. Still in the belief of eternity, the kindly Italian Christians when burning people they considered Heretics, usually helpless old ladies as Witches or Pagans who refused to convert, a wreath of Periwinkles would be hung round the person's neck in the belief that they would suffer the effects of burning..eternally..
When Simon Frazer, a loyal supporter of William Wallace, was on his way to the Tower of London to be executed following Wallace's downfall, Frazer wore a garland of Periwinkles..Ha! Ha! you can chop my head off but I'll live for ever..ye Sassenachs..
Enough Sax !! Back to the 21st Century.. Wait !! One last discovery..I've found where the Wild Strawberries grow.
Across the bridge over the lake and up through the wood which is just full of Ramsons in bloom and smells like the Garlic capital of the world.
The Sun is hot and one of my favourite brew spots is close..There's somewhere to sit, the view is always interesting and if the weather goes wobbly I can throw my Poncho over the old fallen Ash Tree for instant shelter. A bonus is the King Alfred's Cakes growing on the old tree.
The Pack is an Eastern European (Romanian?) Military pack like an Alice Pack improved 100% by mounting it on an old ally pack frame. Now it's really successful as a day pack, lightweight with plenty of outside pockets and a big main compartment.
The trees in this area are quite stunted by the fierce winds which whistle inland from the nearby cliff tops which are nearby, about half a mile away at this point. The branches attain strange shapes, growing from the tree often in a downward direction then along the ground before rising up and sprouting leaves.
It's almost as if they grow from the tree and snake away to an open area where they can get sunlight before growing upwards and bearing leaves. It's not often when walking in a wood you have to be careful of not tripping over a growing tree branch.
I found a rather weathered section of Vertebrae which sent me on a quest to find Ewe it belonged to..Eventually jaw bones, leg bones and finally a skull was found. She obviously never made the rendezvous with Mint Sauce.
Back across the Meadow where Man left his mark at sometime after 800 years BC with this standing stone,
And rather more recently with this Survey Marker which I only found for the first time today.
Into the wood where the Bluebells compete with the Dogs Mercury for space and sunlight.
I am happy to report the Elf King's house is in good order, as are his outdoor dining facilities. All is well with the World.
A Lesser Spotted Wood Pecker had overcome his natural caution and was attacking a Bird Feeder hanging on the wall of a neighbouring cottage..
Amusingly, instead of the normal Tap Tap Tap it was Ding Ding Ding!! which is what made me look in the first place..
The Lake is at a proper level again now that the rain inland has drained down. The trees are in Summer leaf and today the water sparkled in the sunshine.
A nice surprise was to find some Cowslips growing in the pasture across the bridge. Primroses are very abundant locally but Cowslips as in many areas are nowhere near as common as they were years ago. Cowslips are much more delicate and prone to airbourne pollution or farm use of chemicals.
On the way to the wood I saw another flower of interest..to me anyway..Beautiful blue Periwinkles growing over the wall of the old Ice House.
In Folk Lore the Periwinkle is associated with Eternity. Medieval Brides had Periwinkles woven into their wedding bouquets but the flower had darker meanings too. In Italy it is known as Fiore di morte, the Flower of Death. Still in the belief of eternity, the kindly Italian Christians when burning people they considered Heretics, usually helpless old ladies as Witches or Pagans who refused to convert, a wreath of Periwinkles would be hung round the person's neck in the belief that they would suffer the effects of burning..eternally..
When Simon Frazer, a loyal supporter of William Wallace, was on his way to the Tower of London to be executed following Wallace's downfall, Frazer wore a garland of Periwinkles..Ha! Ha! you can chop my head off but I'll live for ever..ye Sassenachs..
Enough Sax !! Back to the 21st Century..
Wait !! One last discovery..I've found where the Wild Strawberries grow. Across the bridge over the lake and up through the wood which is just full of Ramsons in bloom and smells like the Garlic capital of the world.
The Sun is hot and one of my favourite brew spots is close..There's somewhere to sit, the view is always interesting and if the weather goes wobbly I can throw my Poncho over the old fallen Ash Tree for instant shelter. A bonus is the King Alfred's Cakes growing on the old tree.
The Pack is an Eastern European (Romanian?) Military pack like an Alice Pack improved 100% by mounting it on an old ally pack frame. Now it's really successful as a day pack, lightweight with plenty of outside pockets and a big main compartment.
The trees in this area are quite stunted by the fierce winds which whistle inland from the nearby cliff tops which are nearby, about half a mile away at this point. The branches attain strange shapes, growing from the tree often in a downward direction then along the ground before rising up and sprouting leaves.
It's almost as if they grow from the tree and snake away to an open area where they can get sunlight before growing upwards and bearing leaves. It's not often when walking in a wood you have to be careful of not tripping over a growing tree branch.
I found a rather weathered section of Vertebrae which sent me on a quest to find Ewe it belonged to..Eventually jaw bones, leg bones and finally a skull was found. She obviously never made the rendezvous with Mint Sauce.
Back across the Meadow where Man left his mark at sometime after 800 years BC with this standing stone,
And rather more recently with this Survey Marker which I only found for the first time today.
Into the wood where the Bluebells compete with the Dogs Mercury for space and sunlight.
I am happy to report the Elf King's house is in good order, as are his outdoor dining facilities. All is well with the World.
My kids would love the elf kings house 
