Ramblings

Friday 4^th November – Sarnesfield – The morning started cold but it is warming in bright sunshine blazing down from a blue sky. There is however a stiff breeze. Church of S^t Mary at Sarnesfield stands a short distance away from Sarnesfield Court. The church and churchyard are close to the main Leominster to Brecon Road. It is approached on a driveway past the large stables of the court, now partly converted into the modern house. Beyond is an extensive walled garden. The original house was demolished in 1955. Post-Conquest, Sarnesfield was held by de Sarnesfield from Roger de Laci, and eventually passed by the co-heiress of Sir Nicholas de Sarnesfield to the Monington family where it remained for a great many years. William Worsley Worswick bought the estate in 1878, and he then sold it on in 1891 to George William Marshall. George’s great grandson inherited the estate, and currently lives in the house built on the site of the old court.

In the churchyard many headstones are on the verge of falling over and are largely too eroded to read. There are are a good number of modern graves here too. By the porch is the chest tomb which the churches famous, that are John Abel the King’s Carpenter, builder of a number of market halls in Herefordshire, including Leominster’s, now Grange House. The lid records (although this is now virtually illegible) the self-composed epitaph:

S^t Mary’s church is 12^th century, with the tower being added in the late 13^th century. There were major restorations in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Annoyingly the church is locked. It is difficult to understand how churches as historic as this can remain locked so often, despite promises by the diocese to ensure all churches are open. Redwings are in the surrounding trees. Ink Caps dissolve on the mown grass.

Norton Canon – Into Norton Canon and the church of S^t Nicholas. We visited here in 2017. To the east is Yazor Wood rising high and still green. To the west are fields and wood leading to the Welsh hills. Fieldfares fly over. In the churchyard three chest tombs with faded inscriptions and cast iron surrounds are surrounded by modern graves. Many older graves are on the western side of the church. Trees and hedgerows host numerous winter thrushes. Nearby is the old vicarage almost larger than the church self. It had a cross in darker stone on the gable end.

Down the lane to the small village past a Bulmers’ orchard. Most the properties are modern with an extended cottage, probably 18^th century, a timber-framed house, probably a little earlier and a 16^th century timber-framed farmhouse.

Mansel Lacy – Down the road to Hereford a few miles. A small lane leads to Mansel Lacy, (there seems often to be an extra “L” added to the end of Mansel, although it would appear the locals prefer the shorter name). The lane is lined with houses from the 17^th to 20th centuries. The name derives from the Saxon malveselle meaning “Gravel Hill” and Norman Robert de Laci. It lies two miles north east of Offa’s Dyke. The Yazor Brook flows through the village and it lies a little above the valley. The church of S^t Michael is opposite a small green. Old broken and eroded gravestones lean against the foot of the tower. Churchyard cross is early 20^th century on a 14^th century base. The church dates from the 12^th century with a number of alterations and additions through to the 15^th, with restorations in 1861 and 1878 when north vestry and organ chamber was added. A modern door leads into a porch. A stoup projects from the wall. Above the inner door are two carved stone corbels and above a grotesque cat mask. The building has been altered and modernised since the listing was written to enable an area of the nave to act as a community centre. The chancel arch is 13^th century. The font is of a similar date. Most the fittings and 19^th and 20^th century. A number of 17^th century monuments are on the walls.

To the south of the churchyard is the striking gatehouse to Court Farmhouse. It was constructed around 1870 in brick and timber-frame with plaster infill with a pyramidal tiled roof. On the far side of the little green are the 17^th century Church and Yew Cottages. The latter has a row of seven nesting holes on the first floor of the frontage. Up the road a short distance is the 17^th century Parsonage farmhouse. The Georgian Mansell Lacy House is hidden by trees.

Sunday 6^th November – Leominster – A damp misty morning. Feral pigeons fly about. Jackdaws chack from rooftops. Over the railway and on to Butts Bridge. The water level in the River Lugg has risen considerably since my last visit and the gravel banks are now submerged. A Dipper stands on a rock just beyond the water measurement posts. It flies to a rock closer to the bridge and is singing its warbler-like song. It starts to rain, just a brief shower.

The market has finished until the spring, so back over the railway to the White Lion and through Pinsley Mill. A dozen gulls head north whilst a flock of well over 100 Wood Pigeons heads west. Several more loose flocks pass over, at least 500 birds, all heading west. Now a flock of a dozen Redwings flies across the increasingly blue sky. Blackbirds mutter in the bushes across the railway track.

Into the Millennium Park. There are still a substantial number of cider apples on the ground and many more Lady’s Fingers and Dabinett apples yet to fall. There are still some eating apples and a lot of cookers available here. A Mistle Thrush rasps as it flies to the top of a conifer. It is chased off by another and then others join in chasing each other. Yet more flocks of Wood Pigeons head west. A Spindle tree has a heavy crop of pink and orange tricorn berries. Into the Peace Garden. Blue and Great Tits flip through the trees. The water level in the River Kenwater has also risen. A Kingfisher is sitting in the undergrowth on the opposite bank but departs rapidly upstream. It then reappears, flashing like a turquoise jewel as it heads downstream. The sun emerges, lighting everything up, making the wet leaves gleam.

Into the churchyard as the bells of the Minster toll the hour, then the summons to the faithful.

Monday 7^th November – Hereford – Another grey damp morning fine drizzle and a brisk wind. From a modern housing estate north of the Roman Road at Holmer I head south towards the city. The lane passes an overgrown pond with various shrubs bearing red berries. Into Old School Lane beside a large electricity substation. To the west of the line a large industrial works. To the east is Hereford Pegasus Football Club ground. This is followed by houses from various periods of the 20^th century. More industrial units lead to the bridge over the Birmingham railway line. Into Kingsway past a large recreation ground and former council housing estate.

Into College Road. Mid 20^th century houses face the Victorian Gothic former Herefordshire County College, built in 1881. by FR Kempson, now Hereford College of Arts. College Road continues with inter-war houses facing across an adventure of Limes. Across the junction with Barrs (formerly Barr’s) Court Road and past a modern development on the site of the court. The road rises over a railway bridge over the South Wales to Manchester and Birmingham railway lines. Down the line is the former Barr’s Court Station, now Hereford Station. The large goods yard and engine sheds are now a car park for Network Rail.

Another bridge crosses a short, overgrown section of the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire canal. A large Victorian house stands by the bridge. Into Widemarsh Street. A pebble-dashed row of houses called Atlesbrook Place was built in 1857. Over the junction is a large former pub built in 1939 now showrooms. The pub was The Racehorse, then The Entertainer, a rock venue. The majority of the houses here have been replaced by industrial units and roads. Oxford Terrace is a short row of three storey dwellings next to the Oxford Arms which is timber-framed, dating from the 17^th century. Coningsby Hospital, the Blackfriars Gardens and the Thomas Cantilupe Primary School face the old school, now part of the new MITE College. Oxford Place is largely Victorian but ends abruptly at the inevitable ugly multi-storey car park built on the site of the Victorian Garrick Theatre.

Widemarsh Street crosses the busy dual carriageway of Blue School Street beside the Herdsman pub of 1861 and continues to High Town. On the junction is Farmer’s Club, an early 17^th century house which adjoined Widemarsh Gate and was girls’ school where David Cox taught drawing. The shops leading to Hightown are a mixture of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian, a good number with 16^th century cores, such as the Mansion House of 1697, home of William Brewster D.Med.

Into High Town. As usual one’s view is marred by the awful Marks and Spencer building. In contrast, opposite are fine buildings, one in red stone with ornate stonework, built in 1910, next the 1927 Lloyds Bank in white stone and then the wonderful Market Hall entrance tower with through-passage built around 1860, by John Clayton. On through High Town past a plethora of empty shops. Into Commercial Street, formerly Bishopsgate Street. Wilson’s Chambers date from 1915. The Halifax Building Society is emblazoned in the stone pediment and the Halifax is still there.

Across the Blue School Street, Bath Street junction and on up Commercial Street. The shops have often changed. Sadly the Merton hotel has closed down. Opposite the old cinema is now a nightclub. On to Aylestone Hill. The new accommodation block for students is now finished. Monumental abstract artworks by Lothar Götz are displayed at each end of the block. Aylestone Hill is lined with the large houses of the Victorian middle class. Some of the larger houses have been demolished and replaced by smaller properties. Beyond an eroded sandstone wall is a very large at the top of Churchill Gardens. It appears to have been called Penn Grove, then became Churchill Garden Museum but that has now closed. Into Venns Lane. A few Victorian houses are among the modern properties. There are a couple of very large houses and the thatched Cox Cottage, the home of the painter David Cox. The house was purpose-built as a cottage-cum-studio for him in 1817. He lived there until 1823. Outside the College for the Blind is a statue by Walenty Pytel called “The Runner”.

Back into College Road. Victoria Park is a modern housing development. A large housing estate is being built next to the Birmingham railway line. It appears to consist of square white blocks with flat roofs looking like Lego. It is on the site of the Victoria Tile Works. Back up to the Roman Road, the road still College Road but was once Bridge Inn Road, past industrial units and car dealerships. Winter thrushes are flying to and fro seemingly undecided about where to go. Route

Thursday 10^th November – Penrith – We visit this town to the north east of the Lake District. The etymology of Penrith is uncertain. Several writers argue for the Cumbric or Welsh pen “head, chief or end” with the Cumbric rid, Welsh rhyd meaning “ford”, to mean “chief ford”, or “the head of the ford”. There is considerable evidence of occupation in the area from the Neolithic onwards. The Roman road from Manchester to Carlisle ran nearby. The area was settled by Vikings, Norse from Dublin and Danes from York. Following the Norman Conquest the area was subject to frequent attacks from the Scots and was in their hands for several periods.

Ralph Neville (about 1364-1425) was granted the manor of Penrith in 1396. He was warden of the West March and responsible for the defence of this area against the Scots. He built the castle here soon afterwards. It was not built at the highest point of the hill, but on a site which was probably that of an old Roman fort, whose banks and ditches could be conveniently re-used for their defensive function. It has long been thought that Penrith Castle was built by William Strickland, later Bishop of Carlisle, but there is no direct evidence for this. His son Richard, 5^th Earl of Salisbury (1400-60), made it his headquarters, probably building the “Red Tower” and improving the entrance defences. Following the death of Richard Neville. “the Kingmaker”, 16^th Earl of Warwick and 6^th Earl of Salisbury, in 1471, the castle was granted to Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1452-85), who later became King Richard III. He resided at the castle for periods between 1471 and 1485, when he held the position of sheriff of Cumberland. His role was to secure the county against the Scots and keep rival local families under control. Richard carried out alterations at the castle adding large windows, probably to light private apartments. A new gatehouse and a tower were also constructed at this time. After Richard became king, the castle was not used again as a permanent residence. Surveys from the mid 16^th century describe the castle as partly decayed. During the Civil War in 1648 the castle was the headquarters for the Parliamentarian general John Lamber. After the conflict, the castle was further dismantled. Various farm buildings and a house were cleared from the site before Castle Park was laid out in 1920.

We visit the castle. Its red stone walls and towers overlook the large station, built by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, and opened on 17^th December 1846. It was designed by Sir William Tite. We then descend into the town. There are a really decent number of independent shops, indeed we are told it was the national chains that were lost during the pandemic rather than the small shops. In particular, there is a wonderful drapers with ceramic signs along the walls and a grocers established in 1793. The main street is narrow requiring a complex one-way traffic system. It is surprising that this narrow, sometimes cobbled street is the A6, the main route from Bedfordshire (previously from a junction on the A1 in North London) to Carlisle. Behind the High Street is the church of S^t Andrew. The present body of the church, almost certainly by William Etty of York, dates from 1720 when the church of around 1605 was rebuilt. That earlier church was a rebuild and the tower dates from 1397. It is possible a church was established here by S^t Ninian in the 7^th century. The church is in the Georgian Classic style. The east window was inserted in 1870. Either side are murals by Jacob Thompson, a local artist, featuring local people. One window contains fragments of old glass including a depiction of Richard II. In the churchyard is the Giant’s Grave which according to legend was the burial place of Owen Caesarius, King of Cumbria from 920 to 937 and apparently a giant. The grave is fifteen foot long with two stone crosses, one at each end. Four hog-back stones are along the edge of the grave. They have different dates, so a clearly from elsewhere in the graveyard. The western cross dates from 950 and the east from around 1000. Also in the churchyard is the “Giant’s Thumb” a Norse wheel cross from around 920.

There are a good number of pubs in the town, but sadly few have decent ale! However, we settle into the Board and Elbow. The pub was once two separate buildings that have now been joined together. One side was once known as the Black Bull and an inscription on the building’s lintels bears the date 1624, implying that it dates back to around that time. The pub is located on the corner where Cornmarket meets Great Dockray. The other side of the building was known in the 17^th century as the Gambling Corner House since a tailor by the name of Gambling had a shop there. At the turn of the 20^th century the shop was purchased by Glassons Penrith Breweries, providing a town centre outlet for the company. The brewery ceased manufacturing in 1960 and the building was converted into a pub.

Friday 11^th November – Penrith – A dark morning damp with drizzle. Down Bridge Lane which is the A6. A funeral directors occupies Tynefield House, an austere Neo-Classical designed house of 1804. In a small adjoining Park is a Plague Stone. From 1345 the town suffered intermittent outbreaks of plague that decimated the local population. The worst epidemic began in September 1597 and continued until the end of the following year. It is thought the plague was brought in by Andrew Hodgson, a “stranger” who stayed in lodgings on King Street and was the first person to die of the epidemic in Penrith. All regular markets were suspended and people struggled to find enough food to eat. During this time “plague stones” were set up to the north and south of the town, where people could leave food in return for payment. The hollowed blocks of stone held vinegar or some other agent to disinfect the coins. Beyond a sheltered housing complex has built a modern block across the front of a fine Gothic Victorian house.

Back up the A6 and across a large car park. The Penrith leisure centre, hotel, multi-storey car park and vast superstore occupy this. Into New Square along Brewery Lane. As the name suggests the street is new with large late 20^th century buildings over shops however they have a reasonable neo-Georgian design. Into Two Lions Square and Bowling Green Lane. A large red stone built building to the rear of stables which run through to The Dockray, forming part of the Two Lions’ former public house. This dates from before 1585 and was formerly the home of Gerald Lowther, Sheriff of Cumberland in 1594. The early 19^th century White Horse Inn is sadly now closed. Great Dockray. Harker Yard is a small area behind Princes Street. Small shops run around the square mainly 17^th and 18^th century. A large flock of Wood Pigeons flies over. Jackdaws chack and a flock circles the town. Large Georgian houses in the rich red brick in Crown Square, one dated as 1792. The square opens on to the A6, here called Victoria Road. Early 18^th century building stands on the corner of the Old London Road. On the opposite is another stone building of some age. A short terrace of three-storey houses in Old London Road leads to modern developments. A short distance on is the former Salutation Inn now apartments. Alone a terraced Victorian houses many of which are now bed and breakfasts including ours.

Carlisle – We head north to the city of Carlisle and wander around the large shopping area. Schoolchildren are singing World War I songs at a Remembrance Day ceremony. One shop is a tobacconists, something of a rarity these days. We then head east to Northumberland.

Prudhoe - A brief visit to this small former mining town. We had hoped to visit the castle but it is closed. It was built by the de Umfraville family. The Norman Sir Robert de Umfraville was granted the freedom of Redesdale by William the Conqueror. For much of its history the castle was owned by the Percy family. The castle is unique in being the only medieval defensive fortification in the whole of Northumbria (the modern counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south) to avoid capture by the Scots. The majority of the surviving building work dates from the 12^th century. We then continue on to friends in Wardley, Gateshead.

Saturday 12^th November – Pelaw, Gateshead – Pelaw came into being due to the huge Victorian factory complexes of the Co-operative Wholesale Society which was the manufacturing division of the then burgeoning Co-op company, which grew up along the length of the Shields Road. All have now been demolished and replaced by housing and supermarkets. Across a green area from Wardley. The main footpath was the route of the Ouston and Pelaw Wagonway. Rooftops are occupied by Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons and Starlings. A path leads to Pelaw Metro station and over it along Green Lane. Into Shields Road. One side is modern, the other late Victorian and Edwardian arranged in differently named terraces. Terraces run down towards the Tyne.

The road comes to a large, busy junction at Heworth. The A184 is a dual carriageway. A short distance along it is the former Nether Heworth Hall which has an early 18^th century north front and late 18^th century south. Opposite across the dual carriageway is S^t Mary’s church. Large headstones often have a large number of names listed, sometimes continuing on the back. Sometimes occupations are included, such as Head Master of the Grammar School, some tragedies such as John Kelly drowned in the River Tyne and the many infants who died at just a few weeks. The Haddon tomb is in form of four-poster bed with three sleeping people dating from 1717. Close to the road is a small column commemorating the 91 who died in the Felling Pit Disaster of 1812.

On to Sunderland Road, past Coronation Cottages of 1911 and The Swan pub. The graveyard from the church extends a good distance behind a stone wall. Magpies chatter from within. Opposite are 20^th century semis. Vicarage Court is a modern construction on the site of the old Vicarage. An underpass takes a track to the other side of the A184. A path leads into Wardley, where many roads are named after heroes of the Labour movement.

Jarrow – A visit to S^t Paul’s church. S^t Paul’s Monastery, with its twin, S^t Peter’s at Wearmouth, Sunderland, was one of Europe’s most influential centres of learning and culture in the 7^th and 8^th centuries. Wearmouth–Jarrow was the creation of Northumbrian nobleman Benedict Biscop (about 628–90), who visited Rome and was inspired by the Christian life he saw there. In 674 he approached King Ecgfrith of Northumbria for land for a monastery. He was first given a large estate to found S^t Peter’s, Wearmouth, and then in 681 received land at Jarrow to found S^t Paul’s. The twin monastery probably once owned much of the land between the rivers Tyne and Wear. Biscop brought stonemasons and glaziers from France, who created some of the first stone buildings in Northumbria since the Roman period. Excavations have revealed that the earliest monastery had two churches, lying parallel to two large buildings, with a guesthouse close to the river. The Venerable Bede entered S^t Peter’s in about 680 at the age of seven, and spent his life in the twin monastery of Wearmouth–Jarrow, which he described as “one monastery in two places”.

During the 9^th century monastic life here declined, although the site may have remained a place of pilgrimage because of its association with Bede. In the 1020s some bones, thought to be Bede’s remains, were taken from here to Durham Cathedral. The monastery was re-established in the 1070s by Aldwin, prior of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, who was inspired by reading Bede’s Ecclesiastical History to visit the holy places of Northumbria. He began to rebuild the monastery in a Benedictine-style layout for the monastic buildings, based on a central cloister with an enclosed walkway where members of the community could spend time in prayer and contemplation. Aldwin’s monastery was never completed, although it was used until the Suppression of the Monasteries on a much smaller scale than before. After the priory was suppressed in 1537, the eastern, Saxon part of the church remained in use as the parish church. The larger church was demolished and replaced in the 18^th century, and was then rebuilt by George Gilbert Scott in the 1860s.

In the sanctuary is a chair which is between 800 and 1000 years old. A piece of glass in the window here is from the Saxon monastery workshop and is the oldest window glass recorded in western Europe. The chancel stalls date from the early 16^th century, although the south side ones are Victorian copies. In the nave is a large wood carving of The Risen Ascended Christ by Fenwick Lawson. The dedication stone has a Latin inscription that translates as “The dedication of the church of S^t Paul on 23^rd April in the fifteenth year of King Ecgfrith and in the fourth year of Ceolfrith Abbot and under God’s guidance founded of this same church”. This year was 685CE. Outside are the outlines of the monastic buildings.

We walk down to the River Don which runs down beside the site and then on to join the River Wear. A number of Redshanks are on the mud. A Grey Heron is downstream. There are a good number of Mute Swans and Mallard and a pair of Teal.

Sunderland – We spend the afternoon at the Sunderland Beer Festival before returning to Felling in Gateshead for an Indian meal.

Wednesday 16^th November – Bodenham Lake – There are patches of blue sky and a watery sun but threatening clouds lay in the west. Everywhere is saturated. A Robin darts across from one clump of bushes to another. Crimson hips climb high in the hedges but the Hawthorns have been stripped of their berries. The water level in the lake remains low. There is a worrying lack of wildfowl on the water, just a couple of Moorhens and a pair of Mute Swans on the islands.

Into the meadow. Westfield Woods are adorned in autumn colours of copper, gold and brass. A Common Buzzard sails out of the trees. The chatter of Fieldfares comes from the orchards. Into the Alder plantation. Candle Snuff Fungi, Xylaria hypoxylon, grow on saturated logs. The lake in front of the hide is extraordinarily quiet, just a few Mallard and a small group of four Little Grebe on the far side. There are not even any Cormorants in the trees. Even more surprising is the utter lack of Canada Geese. Avian flu has been reported from here including the dead swan I reported several weeks back and I am wondering if that has anything to do with it. Finally a cackling comes from the east as a skein of forty Canada Geese fly in. A small flock of Mandarin Duck are almost hidden under bushes in the west end of the water. A Ring-necked Pheasant flies from the island to the bank in front of the hide. Another skein of twenty Canada Geese arrive. A Carrion Crow, shining black in the sunshine, drops down onto the scrape and starts turning over stones to find food underneath.

Back to the meadow. In the paddock behind are a pair of large black pigs. There are still a huge number of cider apples going to waste in orchard. Sheep are in the dessert apple orchard. There are still a few apples left on the trees. Goldfinches are on thistles beside the failed pond.

Friday 18^th November – Y Fenni, Abergavenny – The train from Leominster to Abergavenny is rammed. Despite large numbers of students getting off at Hereford, the two carriages fill up again. Through the housing estate from the station. There is fine drizzle in the air. A brisk wind blows. Across the valley slopes are lit by the sun but the top of Y Fâl, Sugar Loaf is wreathed in cloud. To the west a faint rainbow rises. Past the holy well which looks like it could do with some TLC. House Sparrows chatter noisily in a privet hedge. Over the bubbling Afon Fenni, River Gavenny. The Aldi store is closed for enlargement. Into Mill Street. A water wheel is preserved on the site of the old corn mill.

On to Castle Meadows. In 1871 drovers overnighting here on route for Gloucester would spend four shillings on grass for their herd and two shillings on food and drink for themselves. Along the path beside the Afon Wysg, River Usk. Cattle lay on the meadow, mainly Welsh Blacks. Pairs of boots and trainers have been thrown over the branches of an Oak for some reason. Over the Usk Bridge where the traffic is as usual non-stop. Into Llan-ffwyst. Through the underpass beneath the Head of the Valleys Road.

A narrow lane passes S^t Ffwst, Faith’s church. Water pours down a channel beside the lane. The lane becomes a path which climbs to Glanfa Llan-ffwyst, Llanfoist Wharf on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. Tŷ’r Glanfäwr, Wharfingers House is now a holiday let. Off south along the towpath. Beech trees stand in Llanfoist Wood on the steep slope up towards Blorange. The ground beneath them is copper coloured with leaves. Down below the canal is a housing estate around which a pickup truck with a loudhailer is calling for scrap, a rag and bone man as was once. A Robin sings intermittently. A Raven croaks from up the hill. The Beeches have been replaced by the gloom of conifers. Large Buckler ferns grow in open spaces. A small cabin cruiser and a canal boat are tied up. Another canal boat is tied up beside Canal Cottage. A lane heads steeply down the hillside from the canal.

Onto the lane. The machine gun alarm calls of Wrens comes from the hedges where House Sparrows flit to and fro. A small pony in a paddock scratches its backside on a large stone. On the distance is the jagged outline of Ysygryd Fawr. Onto the B4269 and back into Llan-ffwyst. New houses are being built on the edge of the village. Back to the Usk Bridge. Grey Wagtails search the stones of the bridge.

Into Merthyr Road. The former Police Station and Magistrates Court building has been demolished since I was last here and replaced by modern apartments. Through the town centre. There appear to be few empty shops. Out on the Monmouth Road. A small flock of Long-tailed Tits squeak in a tree. There is a 20mph speed limit on most suburban roads in Wales now but few seem to keep to it. The former pub, The Belmont pub, long closed, is now a residence. The train back to home is, as usual, late and very crowded.

Saturday 19^th November – Home – The first sharp frost of the year. Overhead is a waning crescent moon. To the west is Mars. Sadly, light pollution means most stars cannot be seen. Poor Emerald, our older hen, looks a scraggy sight. She is moulting heavily. The younger girls are laying well, three eggs a day from four hens. Their run will need digging out soon, it is close to a quagmire which means mud coated eggs. Most of the Christmas Pippin apples are picked. The frost will not do them any good and bird damage is increasing. They are the last of our fruit.

Sunday 20^th November – Leominster – Overnight rain has cleared away leaving the morning damp and cold. A Long-tailed Tit flies into one of the kerb-side trees. Half a dozen Starlings chatter and whistle from a rooftop. Onto Butts Bridge. There is far more water in the River Lugg now, all the gravel banks have disappeared. A pair of Moorhens scurry down the foot of the bank. A Grey Squirrel is in one of the trees overhanging the water. A Dipper flies downstream to a rock beside the bank; it is immediately chased off by another which appears from under the bridge. Many of the trees have lost all their leaves. One of the Dippers returns and stands on a submerged rock making it look like it is walking on water. It leaps off and disappears underwater before bobbing up again and returning to its perch.

Back round to Pinsley Mill. The tall Black Poplars beside the river carry numerous large balls of Mistletoe. Blue Tits fly between track-side bushes. Into the Millennium Orchard where I collect a bagful of cooking apples. It seems sad that so many are going to waste. The path through the Millennium Green has been renewed. An apple tree at the foot of the churchyard has small but delicious fruit on it.

The water level in the River Kenwater has also, of course, risen. Into the churchyard where a Rabbit disappears into the undergrowth. A tree has died near the edge of the churchyard. Two Great Tits hop through its decaying branches. A Mole is working its way around the edge of a patch containing two large Yew trees. A tomb under one of the windows of the Priory church is in the form of a recumbent cross with the dedication to infant son of Thomas and Sarah Sale who died at the age of 5 months and their son Ernest who died at the age of 28 at Pietermaritzburg in Natal in 1891. Ernest is buried in Commercial Road Cemetery in Pietermaritzburg.

Into Church Street. The former café has been sold and it will be interesting to see what happens to the building. In the High Street a former nail bar appears to be by soon opening as an economy spectacles retailer. A queue is forming outside the bookies.

Wednesday 23^rd November – Bodenham Lakes – After a night of heavy rain sky is clearing. The River Arrow has broken its banks and the fields south of Leominster are underwater. Mute Swans and Canada Geese have already found the floods. There are deep pools of water on the back roads to Bodenham. House Sparrows chatter around the shed. Sharp calls of Fieldfares comes from high above; a small flock flies over then descend into the orchards. Carrion Crows call to one another as they fly over. The boating lake is even quieter than last week, just a few Mallard and a Moorhen.

Along the meadow. Wood Pigeons fly into Westfield Wood. Blue Tits move through the hedgerows. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flies up from the rare breed sheep paddock into the Alder plantation.

Into the hide. Three Mallard are on the scrape with a few more on the far side of the water, together with a pair of Mute Swans, pair of Canada Geese and a Cormorant. Another Cormorant is in the trees. A Little Grebe pops up. It seems to be getting windier. A few more Canada Geese arrive and start squabbling. A Blackbird and a Robin visit the large rose brier in front of the hide which still has a good crop of hips.

Back to the meadow. A Green Woodpecker flies up from the grass. Song Thrushes and Blackbirds search the path for food. A Great Spotted Woodpecker makes a rasping call as it flies to the top of a Silver Birch and surveys the surroundings. The gentle call of a Bullfinch comes from a pair in the hedgerow.

I call into the farm shop on the way back to pick up a sack of layers pellets for the hens; the price has risen again!

Friday 25^th November – Leominster – A wet night is followed by bright sunshine and cloudless blue sky. Down to Butts Bridge over the River Lugg. A Wren sings loudly in the trees. The water level in the river has risen considerably. Blue Tits squeak in in the trees. A South Wales bound train draws into the station. Across Easters Meadow to the Mosaic Bridge. It is sad to see that childish vandalism has almost completely destroyed the mosaic. Along the path through the Millennium Wood, now Easters Wood. A Robin stands on a fence post across the river, watching. The fencing and the bridge over the drainage ditch have been replaced. A flock of Redwings are on the edge of the wood. A mewing Common Buzzard flies up from the field to stand on a fence post, another flies past and up into a tree. A third calls from a row of bushes below Eaton Hill, a family group. Yet two more are being harassed by Carrion Crows on the top of the hill. More Redwings fly over. A Green Woodpecker calls.

Across Eaton Bridge and on to the old A44. Redwings appear like magic out of the bushes and fly off across the fields. Up onto the old bridge over the railway. Furry whorls of glaucous leaves of Great Mullein grow out of the gap between the road surface and the edging stones. Below the bridge is a Network Rail truck which has fittings of rail wheels which can be dropped so it can travel on rail as well as road. Another South Wales bound train passes under the bridge. The signal arm returns to stop with a loud clank.

Across Worcester Road and into Clinton Road. Past the aluminium towers of the plastic film factory. Large continental tankers are unloading raw material through pipes into the plant. A short distance along the road is a lorry, Prestons of Potto, often seen on the motorways, based in North Yorkshire loaded with RSJs. I had forgotten there is no way through here and need to return to Worcester Road.

Sunday 27^th November – Leominster – Yet again everywhere is wet. The sky is grey but it is very mild for the time of year. The pavement are slippery with rotting leaves. The ivy in the alleyway by the White Lion’s garden is loaded with berries; there are also a few snow berries in the hedgerow.

Over the railway and on to Butts Bridge. The White Shorthorn cattle are back on Lammas Meadow. The level of the River Lugg is about the same as last week but the water has lost some of its mud. Back round to Pinsley Mill. Redwings, Blue Tits, Dunnocks and Blackbirds are in the track-side bushes. Two dozen Jackdaws, mainly in pairs, are in the Mistletoe festooned Black Poplar by the river. More Redwings and Blackbirds are in the Millennium orchard where there are still plenty of apples.

The River Kenwater is flowing swiftly. Into the churchyard where there are plenty of Wood Pigeons. The Minster bells toll the hour then ring out for the faithful. Under the great Yew trees. One must have at least two dozen separate trunks. A spaniel makes a high-speed but unsuccessful dash after a Grey Squirrel.

Into Church Street. A Song Thrush is at the top of the tall tree beside the Forbury. Tree branches, laced with Christmas lights, have been tied to a pillar outside the antique shop on the corner of Church Street and Drapers Lane.