Today's weather: Wind and Rain
What a beautiful blustery morning. From beneath the canopy of the woodlands, I watch the rain coming down over Long Meadow; the droplets forming sheets that blow about in the wind like flags. All around me I hear the patter as it drops onto the leaf litter at the feet. High above, the Holm Oaks sway, their leaves leaf jewels against the matt grey sky.
I spy a woodland den built into a tree, lovingly made. Log benches inside prepared for visitors. In a nearby Bramble bush, blackberries are ripening to a juicy plumpness, looking tempting enough to taste.
I pass a house from our Fairy and Elf trail just as the rain begins to pick up. I see something in the distance, a movement that I believe to be Pebble skipping atop her dry stone walls before zipping up and out of sight. Next I stumble upon a giant snail shell, appropriate in this morning’s magical wood. For the first time in my life, I find myself wishing I were smaller. I picture myself, in my smaller size, curling up inside this shell with a blanket, a book, and a nice hot cuppa to listen to the stillness of the woods from within this cosy shelter.
Further on, I spy a Horse Chestnut and a Sycamore which have begun the metamorphosis to their autumnal tones. The sea beyond is calm today, a flat pewter to match the skies. Rolling towards me, the fog obscures the horizon, making everything appear softer.
I recent traveller has crushed the leaves of a Stinking Iris and the tantalising scents of roast beef and marmite permeate the air. Just as I begin to notice a lack of birdsong, I hear a faint pip-pip from above. I strain to hear it again and just as I give up, there it is again, this time attached to the female Blackbird sweeping along the path ahead.
Emerging once more onto Long Meadow, I pass a Blackthorn tree overflowing with grape-sized Sloes, the largest I have yet seen. I stand impressed, admiring the impressive fruit until driving rain presses and a promise of a hot milky coffee draw me back to the Rangers’ office. I arrive feeling refreshed and revitalised, despite my damp demeanour, and prepare to share my morning’s adventures with you.
Today's diary written by Rosaline McGraffin