short stories
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all things connected
In the lazy summer sun the thrushes consume many fruits of the wild cherry and soon begin to become intoxicated; they then turn, flip, tumble and fall allowing me to make close contact with them whilst becoming rather tame.
a little bit of heaven on earth
The wind and rain was raw and mean and would change but for a moment. It would touch your face as soft as a feather, and then all of a sudden the cold would hit you once again, for when nature’s birthing spring, she gets right down to it.
the wonderful woodland floor
Losing the greenbelt and the mature woodland goes far deeper than just the fields and the trees, it’s what they support, the things we don’t see, the things we can’t see or even consider or indeed understand their importance.
a bower of joy
Pondering through the little episodes of my life helps me to realise that many things exist in life that we don’t really see, hear or even understand.
the dunnock
Our beautiful hedge sparrow commonly known as the Dunnock has to sing blissfully and loud to attract a female. Many of our native birds which are sombrely clad have to sing loud and clear to be noticed.
little boy blue
On many of our adventures whether on pathless woods or where the waves break on a low sandy shore, Blue and I would settle a while. Blue is my trusty Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel. He would sit on his haunches with a morose appearance watching his master. A watchful sleepy eye would appear and analyse the footsteps, creaks and sounds around him. Blue stood slack but ready, his smooth narrow head flickered as he shifted his gaze, his growls grew more menacing, his eyes becoming fixed in their stare.
the presence of wonder
Studying lichens in a local cemetery a purely natural habitat represents a mutual life giving partnership between an algae and a fungus, each depending on and co-existing with each other.
nature’s recyling agent — the snail
The April rain would whisper down soft and gentle and as the trembling rain droplets fall beneath the hedgerows it would then awaken the sleeping snails beneath who come to revel in the welcome moisture.
the steady drone of the bees
A new and vital season arises from the harsh winter, born of the death of the old year. New life is beginning to stir from beneath the earth. Animals, insects, plants and trees burst into life below ground long before they emerge into the light, the promise of things to come.
robin’s betrothal
Our beautiful robins become engaged in January and marry at the end of March. The male presents her with a courtship present, a tiny grub, a love gift to prove his feelings for her. If she accepts his gift the days of engagement are over and the serious work of married life begins.
space & liberty
To travel with my wonderful companion Rocky has enabled me to become very close to wildlife and has helped me to gather precious data over many years. Rocky is magnificent, rough coated in winter, smooth and silky in summer with kind and intelligent eyes, a truly gentle giant of a horse.
against all odds
When we enter a beautiful woodland setting, we are then caught in a moment of admiration; one that is capable of lifting our spirits, touching emotions that lie deeper and are more meaningful to us than almost anything else in life.