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October Ramble

© Allyso

Hello! It's a while since we went for a ramble, so I called especially to invite you along today. We're having a pleasant spring, with the right proportions of rain and sunshine, so you shouldn't need more than a very light jacket. No need for gumboots, either.

Ready? Right, let's go. We'll go for a walk around what is known locally as the "back lane". That's the old, original road that passed through one of our old properties. A new one was put in about fifty years ago, so the old back lane in a shadow of its old self. You can just see the remains of the tyre tracks; not left over from fifty years ago, naturally, but from farm vehicles that sometimes use this lane. With just three gates to open, it makes a lovely ramble.

Yes, it is private property, but I already have permission. I know the family, and they trust me not to interfere with animals or fences.

The first two gates are close together, and if you look over to our left you'll see the big Dutch barn, almost empty now. There was plenty of hay stored there in winter, but the grass is coming now. The big pine trees to out right have been here for half a century. They were planted as a shelter belt for the cattle. The farmer calls that paddock the "calving paddock", and it used to be the place where he kept expectant mothers. It's nice and close to the dairy, and has a handy shed with lights for late night check-ups.

Just along the fenceline, you can see a very small creek. There are buttercups growing along there, as well as wild mint and bullrushes. The trees are a mixture of willows and hawthorns, which have been here for a century or so, and the native ti-tree and wattle. There's a fine old gum tree over in the corner, too.

Keep an eye out as we go. You might see ducks, either domestic or wild, and also plovers with their nearly-grown chicks. You can tell the young ones, because they're still a bit speckled instead of wholly grey like their parents.

You can see a picture of the plover at http://www.dc-adnet.com/Photo-Info/spurp...

The air is fresh, and you can probably smell flowers. That's willow catkins and hawthorn blossom. The hawthorn is lovely at this time of year. Most of the trees have the white blossom, of course, but if you look closely you might see some that are tinged with pink. There are a few of the double pink flowered trees around, but none of them have gone semi-wild.

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