A disappointing start to my walk as I felt migraine coming on and aura obscuring my vision. I head straight down to Sunnydale and sit on the Sir Walter Scott bench and wait for the drugs to kick in.
I’m relieved to find it dark and cool as I step under the canopy of the tall trees, mostly Sycamore, Ash and Beech. Though there’s a large Lime thick with basal shoots; the perfect cover for a warbling Wren. Squirrel’s always sounds so curious when you listen to them with your eyes closed.
It’s calming to listen to the leaves rustle with the soft coo-cooing Woodpigeons in the distance. I saw a Sparrowhawk here a couple of days ago, but no sign of her today. Soon the Wren’s song is replaced by that off Robin, versing through it’s high-pitched yet tuneful melodies. Occasionally a Blue Tit chimes in too, and many Gulls can be heard in the distance
I open my eyes. The aura has abated and now I just have to hope the migraine isn’t too bad. I’m surrounded by beautiful Hydrangea blooms, both white and pink, between the towering Wood Dock. Enchanters Nightshade jitters above a copious amount of Ground Elder.
It's sunny in the freshly mown glade, with light already warming it’s Western edge. There’s a brilliant patch of wildness that has sprung up in place of a tree felled last winter. It has grown tall with Nettle, Hogweed, and Bramble, and rings with the sound of Stripe-winged and Field Grasshoppers.
I step into the thicket, to investigate a collection of Ladybirds or a ‘Lovliness’ as I learnt earlier this week. Seeds shower down on me from the Hogweed, Yellow-lipped Snails ascending it’s stems. Hoverflies emerge to float out of my way, whilst a Common Carder Bee investigates the Hedge Woundwort. The purple flowers reflecting that of the already ripened blackberries at my feet.