Autumn morn

 A radiant autumnal morning. What difference a day makes.

Markway

 

Even though it was a muted morning the restored heath of the former Markway enclosure put on a wonderful show of colours. I remember when this was all trees. No really. Up until a few years ago this was a 114 hectares of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra). Created as recently as 1960 it's been all but cleared and returned to open heathland, with the remaining coniferous stands due to be cleared by 2026. Already though sapling Birch (Betula pendula) and Scots Pine are tentitivly colonising, unchecked there'll be stands here in no time.

Misty morning

 

The forest has many faces.

Speckled Jim

 

There's a certain region of the forest where I find a lot of 'Old Speckled Hen' cans. I'm going to suggests that they're being deposited by the same individual, the modus operandi appears consistent, similarly crushed, usually deposited at the base of or wedged in a tree; an individual I'm going to call 'Speckled Jim', after the beer and Melchettes' boyhood pigeon from Black Adder; pigeons are usually referred to as filthy aren’t they? Jim's a filthy man-pigeon.

Oysters

 

As if they've just been waiting to burst out with the first signs of significant rain, which of course they have, young Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) explode in to life. Fungus is crazy Shit, man, older than the hills, they've seen out epochs and the inhabitants there of, their mycelium networks stretching over miles as well as time, they're the grid into which our woodlands are intrinsically connected. I'm hoping for a grand mushroom season, the signs are looking good. Or are they? We've been tricked before, eh.

Close encounter

 

I don't advocate approaching the ponies normally, it's frowned upon anyway, too many people feeding them shit led them to develop negative and dangerous behaviours. Although if a pony approaches I feel it would be discourteous to recoil, it may be Epona herself, you don't know, so I welcome the opportunity. Two ponies stood looking down on us from the old platform of Holmsley Station as we passed, an adult male and a foal, both friendly and inquisitive. The foal was particularly interested in Geoff, coming down from the platform the pony got so close as to bump noses, which was all too much for Geoff.