Fear not as you fall
Embrace the void my brothers
We were born for this
Blackbirds were singing in the Car Park this morning as I crossed towards the Castle. I had been awakened by a particularly insistent singer at my window rather earlier than I had desired this morning but my temperament had improved since then. Bristly Ox Tongue and Knapweed were particularly prolific features of the verges, with a few Ox Eye Daisies escaping the blades of the mower as well.
Walking down the timeline tendrils of Bramble were feeling for patches of the dappled light filtering in from above. Blossom was starting to show on the more mature briars. Fruit will come next. Herb Robert and Ivyleaf Toadflax were still in flower, but our Mock Orange was withering on the vine. I felt sad to bid farewell to such a fleeting visitor.
Along the Coast Path Blue Tits chirped excitedly, with Buddleia, Charlock, Honeysuckle, Pyramidal Orchid and Black Medic all in bloom. Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites were abundant, especially the latter with single sightings of a Painted Lady and a 6 Spot Burnet moth as well. The Painted Lady’s colours were looking rather washed out, a side effect of old age most likely. Nothing wrong with that, she’s a silver fox now.
A Kestrel was sunning itself on the cliffs by the Observation Point, with a few large and lazy Greater Black Backed Gulls soaring on the updraft. The Guillemots were still present, though their numbers are reducing as they reach the tail end of their breeding season. Their chicks leave the safety of the ledge before they can fly. There’s only one way to do that.
Ascending the Mile Marker Slope I spotted a Lulworth Skipper fluttering about, and my ears caught the tinkling of Goldfinches and the scratchy tones of a Whitethroat or two. A Long Tailed Tit crept along a spur of Blackthorn before vanishing inside the thicket. Closer to the ground lay Ladies Bedstraw, Wild Thyme and Eyebright, all looking beautiful in the morning sun.