This month I’ve enjoyed celebrating the season, particularly getting out and about locally. During the first lockdown we broke out the Ordnance Survey maps to get off the beaten track and we’ve been exploring Cheshire’s trails since. My husband gifted me one of the custom OS maps and I’ve been highlighting what we’ve completed, attempting to make shorter circular walks that cover sections of the longer trails. It looks like… Read More »Walking in Cheshire
September’s mix of rain and sun have seen me seeking shelter in the forest even more than usual. Over the last couple of weeks, the bracken has turned rusty, crispy edges spreading red towards the stem. The floor is littered with burnt out pairs of pine needles and the cores of cones, expertly stripped by squirrel paws. The squirrels themselves are slow to move off the paths, preoccupied with nuts… Read More »Rust and rustling
I took a different approach on this morning’s dog walk and followed my nose. Starting at Gresty’s Waste, we headed towards Old Pale, encountering a couple of stinkhorn fungi just before we crossed the A56. We smelled them before we saw them, a peppery stench of rotting flesh. The latin name Phallus impudicus means ‘shameless penis’ and a common name is deadman’s cock. This is presumably because it is bone… Read More »The scent of summer
As a Chester resident I was delighted when the Zoo reopened its doors. Not only does it protect endangered species worldwide and support important scientific studies, it’s of huge economic importance to the city and arguably responsible for keeping this part of Chester so green. On our lockdown dog walks we’ve discovered umpteen signs declaring the fields beyond as Chester Zoo land; in fact, the actual zoo only accounts for… Read More »A walk through the zoo