Red Rise Brook

You wouldn't believe a stream ran directly through here, a deep banked, straight cut, quite sterile, remodelled waterway, a Victorian era drain dug to aid forestry. Red Rise Brook now runs free again in it's pre Victorian channel meandering along the nearby edge of the woodland, and brimming with diversity. The sections of stream, east and west of Markway Bridge (Ober to the east and Red Rise to the west) were restored about 15 years or so ago, and with their restoration now entering maturity, the only semblance of the Victorian drain are their occasional earthwork remains, which themselves are fading. Nature’s (apparent) ability to regenerate, to mutate and survive the changes thrown at it, and to heal, is a thing that keeps me buoyant in the face of our environmental rampage, she may not look the same, though I'm sure she'll endure and flourish. It would be nice if our species could flourish along with her, we could be giants, you know, though I think we're too stupid, or maybe merely wilfully ignorant. Never mind, maybe the moles or shrews can have a go next time around.