Following on from the beginning of my walk up to the Common I came to one of the entrances on to it. This area is just as well looked after as the Common itself either by village volunteers or by the nature reserve Rangers.
The dead bracken has been cleared. You can see the rooftops of the houses at that end of the village. Being high up there are views across the valley.
There are many paths across the Common and I chose to go through a wooded area. In years gone by there were old quarries where ganister stones were lifted and broken up to line the inside walls of the many kilns of Sheffield. How many workers have walked these well worn paths across the commonland to get to work or gathered other hard stones to make grindstones which would have occupied the home workers in the village cottages as they sharpened pocket knives and other items to take to market? Before that the open areas of the Common were used by the gentry to exercise their horses.
primroses and forget-me-knots
honesty flowers
Through the woods I could still see the houses on the edge of the village. A path that leads back to a field and the village had been cleared and I could see that primroses and forget-me-knots had been planted there. They looked at home under the shade of the trees.
I walked onwards and soon came to open ground where I could choose one of the many pathways there. The heather is just beginning to produce new shoots as are the young ferns. There were other walkers on the Common and we had ample paths to walk without being near one another. That was rather strange as villagers taking exercise walked away onto a different path as we saw one another in the distance so that we would avoid coming into contact. It's very sad, but a necessary action at this moment in time.
I walked back the way I had come and will go back again soon. We had a few days of cold weather with cloudy skies. Apart from some showers of rain it has stayed dry and today the sun is out again so it's a good idea to make the most of it by being in the fresh air and enjoying the many quiet places a walking distance from home.
a pink and white variety of periwinkle
More magnolias in a neighbourhood garden. The wisteria is just beginning to show signs of the beautiful flowers to come.
The pink clematis Montana again that I showed you before. I'm near home now.
Our young neighbour across the road, (the girl who did the rainbow drawing I shared recently) posted
this picture through our letter box that she had coloured in for us. I stuck it up in our front room window. It's a reminder of the reality of the awful situation we are still facing and the sadness we all feel about the thousands of lives lost. Our resolve is to remember them and all those who continue to work tirelessly for the good of our individual communities and national life.
Thank you for your visit. I hope that you're all keeping well and safe.
