Day total: 25
As is always on the second day of a project like this, things slow down quite considerably, due to the exhaustiveness of day 1. However, that doesn't mean the following days aren't as rewarding. Today, I took the dog for a walk on the local limestone crags, it was stunningly beautiful: hot sunshine tempered by a strong, cool wind, clear blue sky and a view which seemed to go on forever.
The geology of this area has always fascinated me, it was once underwater (by 'once' I mean millions of years ago!) and this has left a myriad of marine fossils. The rocks are studded with corals and crinoids. I used to spend hours up here, in all weathers, and many of the smaller stones have ended up in my garden - probably one day I should take them back!
But today it was the living world the filled my senses: we - me and the dog - stopped for a break at the top of a limestone crag and sat for a while looking up. The sky was dotted with swallows and, especially exciting for me, swifts and house martins. Even two years ago, I would never get swifts on my patch and to see them scything through the perfectly blue summer sky seemed so special. As for house martins, I have never seen them on the patch, so that was a nice treat of a patch 'life' tick!
As we leave the crags, I smell the unmistakable fragrance of elderflower - my favourite summer scent. It holds so much nostalgia for me. The memories of long, hot summer days spent with friends in the garden, running around, drenching each other with hosepipes and sprinklers, then stopping for ice creams and elderflower cordials. I rejoice each year when the elderflower buds start unfurling!
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| Elderflower |
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| Dog rose |
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| Perennial Cornflower |
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