A striking flash of blue
Screeching harshly as he flew
Sweet Jay out of view
In Saxon field the Hereford Cattle are stirring. The young calves grumpily trudge out the way as I make my way along the footpath. Unfortunately one misses it’s chance to step aside with the others and ends up having to walk along a narrow channel of scrub in front of me. It was only 30 metres or so but I feel bad nonetheless!
The silky white bloom of Old Man’s Beard appears like a scattering of frost spread across the gully. I overhear a couple of Chaffinches having a morning catchup, and manage to spot one sitting high up in a Sycamore tree. His warmly lit feathers are ruffled as he clings on delicately to the swaying branches. Suddenly he’s spooked by a clattering of Jackdaws, and dives into the undergrowth.
As I’m watching, a charm of 20-30 Goldfinches fly overhead, their golden feathers just visible as they pass me and line up with the rising sunlight. The sky is blue but it is spitting with rain. As I round the path towards the lighthouse, a fantastic full rainbow stretches across the downs.
The coastline is busy and Seaweed scatters the cliff tops. A nearby Rock Pipit jumps playfully amongst the grass. High in the sky a Greater Black-backed Gull flies high following the path of a couple Shags, with their long black wings outstretched low above the water. Tilly Whim is alive, one by the one the powerful waves smash into the cliffs, seawater is thrown high above the horizon. I could sit here and watch it all day.
On my way back I follow a line of bright yellow Gorse flowers which border the Diagonal path. Apparently ‘When Gorse is in bloom, kissing is in season’ – sounds to me a bit like the crafty tradition to kiss under mistletoe… I’d love to know how many people fell for that for it to become a thing! Especially since there’s always atleast one gorse bush in flower, no matter what time of year!