An Enchanted Place

Day 134 of 365 Days Wild was cold, wet, dull, and windy. I ventured out in the mid-afternoon for a quick walk in a loop around the lanes that edge of the village. I didn’t take many pictures (comparatively) and I didn’t stay out for long, but it was nice to get out of the house, even if it was only for a short time. The views were looking increasingly autumnal.

I don’t often walk this route, despite it being one of the most straightforward. At a steady pace (without frequent stops for photography) it only takes 20 minutes or so to walk, and it’s a loop so I don’t have to double back on myself in order to return home. More often than not I’I’m usually either head to the meadow or venture further out into the local countryside, but it’s a nice quick walk for a day when the weather isn’t quite so inviting.

It’s also nice occasionally to see the dyke that feeds into the pond from a slightly different angle. It passes under the main lane into the village before continuing out into the farmland beyond.

The number of golden leaves on the ground is steadily increasing as we move through October. Lots of them were blowing down from their branches as I walked below, showering me with leaves as well as raindrops. Hopefully we’ll get some nice dry weather soon and some crunchy leaves. Soggy leaves just aren’t as satisfying to scrunch through.

I stopped a few times to snap pictures over the fields.

Most of the views were just too murky and miserable to really bother with, however.

I tried to photograph the raindrops on the ivy. It was so windy that getting a clear picture was difficult, but I managed to snap a couple of relatively decent shots.

A little way further around the loop I also stopped to look at – and photograph, of course – the wet moss that was growing on the tiled roof of a building beside the lane. I loved the way the droplets were clinging to all of the tiny hairs.

The trees that are looking the most autumnal are the Horse Chestnuts, whose leaves have prematurely aged due to what is probably Horse Chestnut Leaf-mining moth, an infestation that affects the appearance but causes no permanent damage to the tree. This one in the hedgerow just outside the meadow is one of my favourites.

I walked past the hole in the hedge that leads into the meadow. I somehow managed to resist going inside.

That’s all for today. Have you been out on any nature walks recently?