Fallen tree. Broken fence. At the edge of the spongy tussock meadow, behind a thicket of thorn, some willows have grown fat and fallen into a water channel. There used to be a complete fence alongside the brook. Now most posts and rails lie beneath the black water, except what's supported by a few remaining uprights. Only a few hundred yards away, the traffic moves along the bypass. Opposite the Anchor Inn there's a small car park and, in 1992, the Council designated this a nature reserve with a circular walk. No sign of anyone else on the last wet afternoon of February, except a guy smoking weed behind the hedge. No sign of the advertised lapwing, shrike or purple loosestrife. Just the rain starting. |