Warm Wet January

The temperature is mild as usual in the winter, but it's wetter than usual.  We have lived here for over 10 years, used to the wet winter.  And yet, this winter has been so stormy and a lot of rainfalls that many spots were flooded in this area.  The cray soil doesn't soak all the rain water, which caused the floods.

As I walked by the hedgerows, which contain quite a few ancient trees and shrubs, my eyes were drawn to the other side of the footpath.  It is neither pond nor stream in the picture above, but a long ditch along with the hedgerows.  Some ducks were swimming on the temporal (hopefully!) pond.

At the beginning of the walk I saw a man with a black dog.  He walked much faster than I did; rather, his dog wanted to run, I presumed.  When we ran into each other at a gate led to a meadow, he greeted me warmly and passed through.  But he turned around and said to me, 'Watch out for the puddle in front of the gate!  It was deeper than I expected.  I was kept in the mud up to my knees.  See my trousers'  'Thank you, I'll be careful.'  Indeed there was a big cloudy puddle.  Of course I didn't venture to go into it.  (Though I could've done with my wellies.)

I walked through the marshland.  There is always muddy except for the dry days in the summer.  Some meadow plants were half in the water.  The water was clear, though.  Maybe dragonfly's eggs are waiting silently for the spring under the water.

In the woodland various mushrooms were thriving on the dead trunks or between fallen leaves which nurture them.  Look at the black mushrooms on the dead oak trunk!

Everywhere in woodlands is covered with moss.  Looking at closely, we can recognise moss has also wide variety.

Outside at the edge of woodland there were piles of rose hips still left.  Mild warm autumn produced perhaps sufficient fruits.  The birds were obviously still enjoying the ripe sweet fruits.  I saw a few rose hips pecked by a (or more) bird.

At the edge of a meadow, an apple tree stood.  In the summer it had loads of tiny apples and now all gone.  I heard a bird chirping.  I know that!  Yes, indeed a robin was busily flattering between the branches of the apple trees.  Luckily I could take a picture of it.  But then the tiny bird flew quickly away onto the other higher tree.