Showing posts with label the ponds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the ponds. Show all posts

Wednesday, 11 July 2018

The ponds

I popped by the 'Ponds' today, and although the ponds are all desiccated, the surrounding landscape remains verdant and thriving. I think the site was originally chosen for a wildfowl reserve as it's a spring head.  It's like a strange oasis in the forest, so different in nature to all that surrounds it.

Monday, 7 August 2017

Parasol Mushroom

Back at 'the ponds' to check out the areas I've yet to explore. Up slope from the ponds themselves, up beyond the orchard area, is an open rough grassy area through which several parasol mushrooms were poking. Parasols are the largest of our 'standard' mushrooms, with by far the largest caps. Though when they're young their caps are still quite conical and resemble the thatched roofs of Iron Age roundhouses. I wonder if that's where people got the idea for their roofs from, watching the water run off these conical caps and seeing the ground beneath remaining dry.  Anyhow, they're a tasty treat. When the cap has opened if you collect a couple, clean them (they're usually quite clean anyway), cut them into wedges like a cake or pizza, dip them in a batter and fry them. Lovely with a dip or on their own.  Remember though, only ever collect and consume mushrooms that you are a 100% certain of, or you could die!

Sunday, 6 August 2017

The ponds

I've come back to that neglected orchard I discovered recently to have a better look around. My suspicion that there were ponds further on beyond the fruit trees was correct, there are numerous little ponds and two much larger ones. I don't know what was going on here, though something was. There are small fences around each pond, and what appears to be shelters, possibly for wildfowl or similar. A nature reserve of some kind? Several of the ponds also appear to be connected by piping, allowing water to flow between the ponds higher up the site to those lower down and eventually the two larger ponds, this may have been to prevent flooding and the surrounding ground becoming waterlogged, which is now becoming the case. Whatever was going on here it must have stopped some time back, as the fencing and other wooden features are decaying through neglect. A number of the ponds have become overgrown with flora and invasive trees, covered on the whole by that bitty type of really green weed can completely cover pools and ponds, some are now little more than swamp and bog. In one of the larger ponds there's a small island connected by a most rickety and decayed bridge, one you'd have to a braver man than I to chance.  This must have been some place at one time.  And, still more to explore, and more to find no doubt. I'm going to call this place 'the ponds'.