Yes, a squelch. Plenty of mud around now, and I certainly fetch plenty back with me on my trousers and boots from every walk. It's all part of being in the great outdoors, so I don't mind too much. Bit embarrassing if you have a bus or train to catch after your walk though, as we often do.
Not today though; I saw blue skies out of the window so decided on a nice, longish local walk. I try to take advantage of pleasant days during the dark half of the year as there will no doubt be many days ahead when I will want to just rush round the wood for an hour with Sybil in the cold wind and snow. I don't mind rain too much (luckily, as we live in the UK) but Sybil's not too keen.
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| Silverwood |
All of which is rather unfortunate, as not long after we reached the final bend on the path to the former colliery the heavens opened. We quickly took shelter in the small wood next to Dalton Brook until the worst of the rain had passed. I might not mind the rain too much but I was concerned for my camera, which I'd quickly buried in my non-waterproof bumbag (I'm so trendy). Sybil, meanwhile, had decided that a family of squirrels was hiding up a nearby tree and was barking shrilly, even though not a critter was in sight.
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| Blue skies! |
The rain wasn't showing any signs of stopping so, mainly to give my eardrums a rest, we continued on our squelch up the hill to the top path. A quick glance to my right showed an exciting patch of blue sky slowly heading our way, or more rather taunting us as the rain continued. Eventually though the deluge stopped and we headed round to the lake.
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| Silverwood lake |
It didn't take us long to dry off as we completed a circuit of the lake, then headed up another hill to a grassy stretch where Sybil loves to tear around like a mad thing. The rain must have released a load of scents from the grass as she spent most of the time with her nose down, pretending to be a scent hound rather than the sighthound I think is in her blood. If she picked up an exciting scent, perhaps of a small rodent not long departed, her tail would wag madly from side to side and she would bury her nose frantically in several places.
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| Having a sniff |
We came back down to the lake again. I noticed that the swan family seemed to have split up; earlier in the summer there were two adults and four cygnets. Today there were only two cygnets on the lake. No photos, as unfortunately they swam to the opposite side, where there were dense reeds.
As is to be expected in autumn, there were a few fungi about.
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| Shaggy ink cap |
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| Unidentified mushy object |
As we turned left onto the last path before heading home, a man appeared with two spaniels and a bird of prey on his fist. It looked a little like a Goshawk, although I'm certainly no expert. We gave him some space, as Sybil's speed is enough to frighten any bird. She's never shown much interest in birds and especially not today, as she was still walking about with her nose scraping the ground.
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| A pretty girl |
I noticed some flowers had been tied to one of the fences and a new memorial erected. The plaque said it was in honour of the men who had worked here, particularly those who had lost their lives.
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| Memorial |
I think it's fantastic that a piece of land that was previously used in a way that was probably quite harmful to the environment can be given back to nature like this, with a lake that is well-used by birds and trees that are currently heaving with berries.
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