Whatever gets you through the lockdown, or A year up the meadow

It's been a year since I finally walked along the footpath over the top of the local golf course with Son the Elder - having been driven off at the age of ten by an angry but factually incorrect golfer - and discovered the meadow with its hollowing oak, sunsets and views to the Severn estuary, the little wood at the bottom, and Charlton Common beyond. This encounter was to transform my experience of lockdown, and possibly also the Northerner's (though he is less prone to magical thinking than I am) and also our dear Ted's, who missed going to new places and smelling new smells, but who nevertheless had somewhere beautiful and interesting to spend his final months. As for our new dog, Cwtch, she has little idea what constitutes jaunting, but she whimpers with excitement when I turn up the lane and loves running between us and keeping tabs on us as we irritatingly refuse to stay in a neat herd. 

First encounter, 5th April 2020

Apart from autumn when we didn't go up there that often, owing to having had our hearts broken by a certain dog, I have a huge collection of photos through the seasons. I'm going to post ones of the oak tree, which I think might be my most important tree apart from my grandmother's apple tree, especially since we also lost the ash tree from our bedroom window just before lockdown.

Moon rising, 6th April 2020

7th April 2020

Daybreak, 16th April 2020

Sunset, 2nd May 2020

To be frank, there are a lot of sunsets, this on 6th May 2020

12th May 2020

7th June 2020

12th June 2020

Summer solstice, with the sun is setting at its furthest point over the Welsh hills.

Ted wasn't that interested in sunsets himself, 11th July 2021

28th July 2020

30th July 2020

8th August 2020

11th August 2020

The empty meadow, 5th September 2020

Autumn equinox 2020

26th September 2020

4th October 2020

10th October 2020

3rd November 2020

22nd November 2020

A new puppy wants to GET DOWN, 22nd November 2020

Moon rising, 26th November 2020

Cwtch finding her feet, Winter solstice 2020

New Year's Eve, 2020

New Year's Eve, 2020

21st January 2021

6th February 2021

10th February 2021

26th February 2021

The sun is setting in the meadow again, 26th February 2021

3rd March 2021

7th March 2021

17th March 2021

Spring equinox 2021

24th March 2021

Forever Ted

19th July 2020

Equinox on Kings Weston Down

Son the Younger and I had been for a walk on the day of the last equinox, when the light was funnelling into darkness. Six months later, I needed to mark the return of summer and to cling to that prospect, even as the country goes to hell in a handcart.

We started our walk at Blaise Castle car park and walked up to the hill fort on Kings Weston Down. 

Ted was one happy dog.

The ravens overhead were happy too, cheerfully driving off interloping crows who were presumably encroaching on their nesting site.

The 220 year old, Grade 2 listed, iron pedestrian bridge over busy Kings Weston Road is still fenced off, having been hit by a lorry three years ago.

We negotiated our way over the road and walked along the side of Home Park on the estate of Kings Weston House, with views of the River Avon in the distance. 

There were lots of Signs of Spring.

Then on to Penpole Point, where the ancient (at least 400 years old) compass dial still stands, although no longer used by shipping to find safe passage into the mouth of the River Avon.

It's now a nifty seat for tired walkers. 

View down to Avonmouth, with the new Severn bridge just visible

And then it was time to return. 

Back at the hill fort

And here endeth our brief respite from idiocy.

River Severn