A positive thread

[al_yrpal]

Right now cycling through the local bluebell woods is magic. This was taken in the woods behind Grey's Court (NT), but there are plenty more all around...

Al

IMG_20170425_114916 by A_Cockney, on Flickr

[Graham]

. . . . just to the south of Cheesefoot Head it seemed that the whole world had stopped just so I could listen to a Skylark giving of his best.

South of Cheesfoot Head . . . called Longwood Warren. There are a lot of skylarks there.

We regularly patrol there on the lookout for Lapwings, which are becoming a rarity in the area.

I'm also hoping to see or hear some Corn Buntings, around there. They have been reported previously, but so far no luck yet for me.

It is worth diverting off the road to walk through the butterfly conservation reserve on Magdalen Hill Down. Especially as the wildflower meadows will be flowering soon/now.
http://butterfly-conservation.org/2401- ... shire.html

[peetee]

That's the spot. Fawley down to be more precise. I was on the bridleway from Cheesfoot to Morestead.
I have seen lapwings more than once in the field opposite the Caravan Club site at Thorney Hill in the Forest.
Just down the road from me is Peartree Green. A few years back a nightingale was reported there and several people turned up to try to see it with no luck. We regularly walk dogs there and had often heard it sing so we directed them to it's favourite spots. We didn't have the heart to tell the spotters we had actually seen it one day too. It didn't seem phased by two people and several hounds. In fact, so strong was it's song we wonder if, as we only heard it when we were close, that it was singing for our entertainment as much as anything else?

[Vorpal]

Right now cycling through the local bluebell woods is magic. This was taken in the woods behind Grey's Court (NT), but there are plenty more all around...

Al

Oh, you make me home sick. I so miss the bluebells.

[Graham]

Bluebells - a bit of a spectacular delight yesterday.

On the Hinton Ampner estate . . . .
I have cycled past one entry point to Joan's Acre wood hundreds of times over the years, thinking "I must have a look in there, soon."

Having recently seen a lot of people wandering in and out of this normally deserted wood, I took a look yesterday.

I wandered along a meandering avenue of mature beech trees with bluebells visible in every direction as far as the eye could see.
The path continued around the woodland for a mile or more.

Outstanding !

Photos ? I did not bother. They cannot do justice to the live experience.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hinton ... ton-ampner

[al_yrpal]

So true Graham, I was there with my paints when I took that picture. The Bluebells, English ones, were a darker more intense colour than the photograph conveys. A professional photographer came by and we had a chat and he said the same thing. He said he would be using Photoshop to correct it in his pictures. The Chiltern beechwoods add to the magic, a high canopy of intense light green foliage far above gives the feeling of being in a cathedral of colour.

Al

[mjr]

On a test ride after some bike modifications last week, I had the pleasure of riding within two arms lengths of a barn owl gliding, watching down and waiting to pounce (probably on one of the rats sometimes spotted running across that road), perfectly illuminated near the edge of the street lighting. The bike was running silently. I bet I couldn't get that close in a car.

[pwa]

On a test ride after some bike modifications last week, I had the pleasure of riding within two arms lengths of a barn owl gliding, watching down and waiting to pounce (probably on one of the rats sometimes spotted running across that road), perfectly illuminated near the edge of the street lighting. The bike was running silently. I bet I couldn't get that close in a car.

A couple of years ago I went with a friend who is a park ranger to look at a stock of timber for stiles, picnic benches and so forth that she had in an outbuilding. As we entered a barn owl flew out, inches above our heads. We decided that getting the timber would stress the owl so we left it. There is probably a thousand quids worth of oak there that cannot now be used, but that's the way it is.

[pwa]

Just back from a great three hour ride, including half an hour for a very pleasant packed lunch sat on a bench in the sun. Mostly country lanes here in the Vale of Glamorgan, which often reminds me of the Cotswolds. Except that the local stone is grey limestone and the villages include a few with good Welsh sounding names like Llysworney and Llanblethian. Others have more English names like St. Hilary and Colwinston. I took my time on the numerous small steep climbs, savouring them. 26x32 got a bit of use and I didn't feel at all guilty.

Between the hilltop village of Welsh St. Donats and the valley bottom village of Aberthin I left the normal lane and took what, on the map, is the more direct lane / track which last time I tried it became gravel in the centre section. Today, disappointingly, I found it had a nice new tarmac surface.

I got back home without getting too sweaty.

[Vorpal]

I had a lovely day today. We had 18 degrees, sunshine, and a light breeze. I rode my bike up Oslo to see the finish on the last stage of the Tour of Norway. I took a packed luch and had a picnic in the sun, watched the stage finish (which was quite exciting), then rode part way back. It was getting a bit late & I wanted to have tea with my family, so I caught a train for part of the journey home.

[Cyril Haearn]

Good weather this morning, grey and rainy. Went for a walk in the woods, hardly saw any people. Had a second breakfast back home. Cycled into town to the cinema, an interesting film about opera, a whole new world for me

Then I joined a demonstration organised by *Pulse of Europe*

We still believe *this madness* can be stopped!

[Vorpal]

Good weather this morning, grey and rainy. Went for a walk in the woods, hardly saw any people.

That doesn't work in Norway. People go out, whatever the weather. I took Littlest out to a nature centre, figuring there wouldn't be so many people around in 13 degrees and rain. We saw lots of other people. We had a nice time, anyway.

[Cyril Haearn]

Good weather this morning, grey and rainy. Went for a walk in the woods, hardly saw any people.

That doesn't work in Norway. People go out, whatever the weather. I took Littlest out to a nature centre, figuring there wouldn't be so many people around in 13 degrees and rain. We saw lots of other people. We had a nice time, anyway.

Oh dear another illusion shattered, I thought everything was better in Norway

[ragudave]

Planned a 35 mile there and back cycle with my workmate yesterday. We set on off time only to bump into hundreds of charity walkers on our path. We escaped the railway line path and then went on the road for a mile or two. I then got a puncture and remembered no pump or tube etc with me. I then had a lovely 3 hour walk home through a local forest and trails. Even the pedal bruises on my shins are not too bad!

[Cyril Haearn]

Planned a 35 mile there and back cycle with my workmate yesterday. We set on off time only to bump into hundreds of charity walkers on our path. We escaped the railway line path and then went on the road for a mile or two. I then got a puncture and remembered no pump or tube etc with me. I then had a lovely 3 hour walk home through a local forest and trails. Even the pedal bruises on my shins are not too bad!

+1

I do recommend walking routes that one usually cycles, one sees much more. Fruit trees for example, the first cherries will be ripe soon