I KNOW these are not elephants. Please grant me a smidgen of intelligence. the cow on the left was standing guard over three, or maybe four, sleeping calves.
I went out for a short run. More than three hours later, I got home.
Yep, I got caught up with exploration. And the Melin app. The number of birds! Blackbird, Robin, Wren, Skylark, Blackcap, Greater Whitethraot, Lesser Whitethroat, Pheasant, Pigeon, Crow, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Song Thrush... There may have been more.
I noticed that eve just ten paces could reveal a slightly different soundscape. By the hedges, where there were no trees, some species were absence. A meeting point of hedge against hedgerow with standing trees and a stream revealed the greatest number. Blackbirds and Robins were audible in most places but other species selected their preferred habitat. The Skylarks were above the field. In the middle of a field you'd hear only them and passing Crows.
I saw, but did not hear, a Treecreeper.
In these pictures, you cannot see the bird but he was there... somewhere. I love the crazy-paving design of the old oak's branches.
And I love the holes and homes the ancient tree provides.
Above me, the flutter that could be a leaf but is a bird moving from branch to branch. And I suddenly realise the tree is alive with birds. Too small and too high for me to see clearly.
As I ran, I was on the lookout - and saw an access to a river that I had never noticed before. I mean, I knew the water was there, but I had never realised that I could get to it.
I found another broken egg - the same as the last time! It could be a Pheasant's egg.
And spotted the blossoms on what I guess was a wild apple tree. And, among the oak and ash, the hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel, this...
Sycamore? I should check. the shoots were red against the blue (at times) sky.
As I went, all that was in my mind were the sights, sounds and smells. Tastes too - I smelled a hazel leaf and decided the scent was a subtle blend of nut, chocolate and vanilla. I ate it. No choccy flavour, but it was quite pleasant, unlike the poplar leaves I've tasted.
I was aware of being a part of the process of the moment's becoming... I mean that my presence and movement influenced all around me, all I perceived influenced me. We were bound in a meshwork of being thrown and drawn - part reactive and part proactive - into the future - together. Does that make any sense?
How grateful I am for the Blue Tits and Robins who eye me with curiosity rather than complete fear. The Whitethroats make themselves visible to lead me away from their nests. The rest hide, flee, call their alarm and I am humbled.
For some reason, I was fixated on running to a little copse I had not visited for a few years. The though in my mind was this, 'I want to see a tree.' I didn't know what tree. Can you guess what I found? That is for tomorrow.
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