A rugged path leads to the summit of Caldy Hill.
This morning promised a glorious spring day, and so I went for a walk over Caldy Hill. My two dogs kept me company, of course, as the likelihood of any human member of this household being able to head out for a walk without taking Emily and Ygraine along too is pretty slim. Not unless you'd want to endure hours of grumpy yapping and sad-eyed sulking, that is.
The light wasn't too good for photography, really - Wales, on the opposite bank of the River Dee, was totally obscured by haze - but the golden-yellow gorse is looking too lovely for me not to attempt a few shots. It's a pity readers of this blog can't share the gorse's perfume... Think of warm honey, with a dash of sharp lemon and you'll have a reasonable idea of the fragrance hanging on every slight breeze.
The light wasn't too good for photography, really - Wales, on the opposite bank of the River Dee, was totally obscured by haze - but the golden-yellow gorse is looking too lovely for me not to attempt a few shots. It's a pity readers of this blog can't share the gorse's perfume... Think of warm honey, with a dash of sharp lemon and you'll have a reasonable idea of the fragrance hanging on every slight breeze.
Most of the trees here are deciduous and it's still too early in the season for leaves, but every branch is covered in buds. Daffodils grow in scattered patches, and thick clumps of bluebells - though not yet in flower - are everywhere. Rocks and tree bark are coated in velvety mosses and lichens in subtle shades of green and gold. Dry leaves from last year make the ground feel springy underfoot, yet everything's so dry. Usually, at this time of the year, the woods feel damp but even the pond is no more than a smudge of mud.
No sign of water in the fairy pond...!
This is the woodland pond which appears in several of my short stories. It's here that the ordinary-looking hiker speaks to the four greedy schoolboys in Food, and where, in Old World Magic, Tracy meets that same hiker who goes on to reveal his other identity as the last prince of the Caldy fae. This same character also features in the novel, Fabian.
This is also the same woodland pond that Ygraine, given half a chance, will have a swim in. That's one dog who loves a swim... Emily, on the other hand, will do no more than paddle.
The view from Caldy Hill, looking over West Kirby and the River Dee
The view from the top of Caldy Hill is always changing, according to the season and how the light changes. Like I mentioned earlier in this post, the light over the Dee wasn't too good today - and yet the colours and textures, and sense of space of always worth meditating on from the relative comfort of a wooden bench.
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