Tuesday 18 June 2013

An Unexpected Outing

The farmer is working exceptionally long hours at the moment spreading slurry on the newly silaged fields to help the grass grow again for second-crop silage.  He is leaving the house at eight thirty in the morning, with a packed lunch, and not returning until about six in the evening.   This means that Tess and I are on our own for the day.

Not so today though.   Friend G rang and invited me to lunch and then a walk.   Shortly after ten o'clock she collected me (I still cannot drive) and we went to her house for coffee in the garden.  She has only a small garden but it is full of greenery and very pretty.   There are pots of hosta and ferns, lots of self-sown aquelegia, clematis in full flower - everywhere is lovely.   She has a lovely little grotto which catches the sun and we sat there for our coffee, then went inside for lunch.

Then G, J, M and I drove the short distance to Foxglove Covert Nature Reserve (do have a look at their website) for a walk.   It really is the most interesting place, not least because it is in the middle of the largest army garrison in Europe - Catterick Garrison.

We walked for a good hour on well-constructed and maintained paths, through lots of different habitats.  There were pools with tadpoles and tiny fish, there were areas of heathland, boggy areas, tiny rivers, a lake, plenty of hides, masses of wildflowers (ragged robin, tormentil, cotton grass, germander speedwell, yellow water iris, bluebells, marsh orchids), butterflies, birds and a beautifully peaceful atmosphere.

We are lucky to have such a facility so near.  Apart from a small full time staff, there are masses of volunteers who help to maintain the site and various groups visit - W I's, schools, lots of organisations - and every Sunday morning they net and ring birds and have a huge variety of species.  Wednesday (tomorrow) is a moth day and friends G and J are going to help with moth identification.   I shall not be going as I have a moth phobia - and the furrier the moth, the worse the phobia is!

I took a few photographs for you to enjoy.  The nest photograph is of a nest in the long grass.   Whatever used it (bird, small mammal?) has long gone - but it certainly chose a lovely place to rear its young.









 

15 comments:

Heather said...

What a lovely post Pat. My son was stationed at Catterick for a while but I don't think he had the chance to appreciate the Nature Reserve - it may not have been created then. Your photos are beautiful and make me feel as if I had been with you.
Glad your weather is allowing the farmer to get on with all those pressing tasks.

angryparsnip said...

What a lovely post today.

cheers, parsnip

Terry and Linda said...

Lovely post! I always enjoy touring with my blog friends.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
¸.•°❤❤⊱彡

Reader Wil said...

Thanks for the lovely walk. It is so peaceful and quiet in the country.
Have a great week.
Wil.ABCW Team

Reader Wil said...

I forgot to tell you that the wombat is not aggressive and the one on the photo is small because it's a young one. The one we saw on the road was bigger, the size of a small dog.

Woman Seeking Center said...

Such a beautiful stroll - I could almost share the scents and sounds of the stroll - thank you!

It sounds to have been a lovely day from beginning to end :-) A day good for the heart n soul...

Hugs
Issy

Hildred said...

These wonderful unexpected surprise days are a real treat, and your photos are lovely, Pat. It must have been a very pleasant day.

MorningAJ said...

That looks like a lovely place to visit.

Bovey Belle said...

What a lovely serendipitious day. My husband was stationed at Catterick too, 50 years ago . . . During the infamous 1962/63 winter!

The Nature Reserve looks beautiful and your photos certainly captured the atmosphere there. Lovely.

mrsnesbitt said...

Lovely Pat - can't beat a good walk out in the countryside. We are off to the beach today!

Em Parkinson said...

Wonderful post and walk - thanks Pat.

Elizabeth said...

Such a super post.
Wish I could have joined you for your lovely outing.
And, yes, I'm back in NY
but still have a billion Vienna photos!

crafty cat corner said...

Spreading slurry sound like a mucky job. lol
Briony

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for coming on the walk with me.

Rarelesserspotted said...

Thanks for the pictures. I get a sense of tranquility when I walk round the reserves, a lovely place to see nature and to rediscover oneself in peace and quiet