Worried Walks and Wildlife

Today’s little adventure happened after I’d dropped Lizzie off at her work at 2pm.  I’d seen a piece of woodland that I knew you could walk around but didn’t seem to get many cars parked by the gate so thought it would be nice and quiet. I remember as a teenager walking there from Ashby-de-la-Zouch to meet my boyfriend who was busy ploughing the field. Funny to think of it having mature trees in now.

We parked up and walked through the gate.  I was relieved it was a cut through rather than a style or a kissing gate. Meaning I didn’t have to touch it.   And stopped.  Wow.   I was met with a carpet of green luscious grass and dandelion lions.

Blossom sprinkled from the trees and fairies danced in the wind.  Meaning the beastie was like taking  a Tasmanian devil for a walk.  I have the rope burn on my ankle to prove it.

I inhaled  in the countryside and exhaled the worries I had, my thoughts which had been consumed by someone’s jealous gossip, had upset me more than I realised were slowly melting away.


We found an area particularly amass with dandelions and stopped to see if I could get some nice pictures of the Ivy Beast. I NEVER realised how long her tongue 👅  is!

We walked a little further into my wooded wonderland and came across a little pond, mindful of any nesting birds 🦢 I let beastie have a drink, keeping her away from the multitude of tadpoles we saw.  I don’t think I have ever seen so many all at once. 

We pressed on further into the wood and away from the road, as we were walking along and the dog was running around me in circles I became aware of a bird song I probably haven’t heard for 25 years. It was beautiful and distinctive sound of the Cuckoo, it brought me back to childhood memories of sleeping in my mums old bedroom at my grandparents farm, where grandma would come and about under the window for us to get up in a morning. 

                                      

Continuing on I intended to leave the wood and walk up the track we once referred to as ‘Normanton Woods’ but as we got to the gap in the fence the dog jumped back and was cowering and trying to get away.  The wood was quit dense there and I’m certain there wasn’t any other walkers, I could hear a low deep growing coming from a heavy piece of thicket.  Surely a walker was near by and would call there dog?   We heard it again and sorry to say turned on our heels and headed back the way we came as fast as my dumpy legs would go, in long grass, trainers and bumpy ground!  Do we have wild-bore  in this area, or maybe Normanton still is home to one of the big cats from a released menagerie from times gone past.  Who knows.  I’m not easily spooked, but I have to say this experience got me a little today.  

Walking back to car I was again in awe of the areas I’d stumbled on today.  Back at the pond Ivy beast had another drink and decided to take a swim, she can’t yet! She swims like roadrunners legs wizzing round making a lot of splash and not really getting anywhere. 

After her swim I think the picture above tells the story, she stank.  With my head and my heart a little lighter, and not having seen or heard a soul apart from the Normanton monster the beastie and I headed home.  

Lots of love 

Jac.