The Delights of Hook

Picture taken by Ciara, earlier in the morning. Very atmospheric.

I was a bit late this afternoon - more of that later - but when I met up with the ponies, having done a full circuit of the reserve with M, they were very close to where we had been at the beginning. They all looked very well.

M asked me why I don't just call them; she always asks good questions. There are three real reasons. One is where would be the fun in that? As it is I get to see the reserve in all its glory, pick up the odd bit of litter, and come across the ponies unexpectedly from all points of view, getting to understand where they like going and how they behave when they are there. What is really noticeable is that they aren't eating all the time and it strikes me that they already understand that the food is limitless and got into a natural rhythm. 

The second reason is that I don't really want them to come to call - rushing across the rough terrain often to be disappointed when I haven't brought them any food. Also, I don't want them to get used to the idea that they can be called by anyone as they are probably on the edge of being too friendly already. That's the way we managed seventeen years in the Forest, and that's the way I'd like to manage their last few years too. 

The third reason is that it doesn't do me any harm to have to walk a long way, sometimes across precarious ground, it is strengthening up my legs and improving my proprioception. 

It's also a long way for me to travel to see them and I might as well make the most of a day away from home - sometimes alone and sometimes going for a very nice walk with M or another friend. 

We both enjoyed seeing this toadstool today:

And just to top it all, either the Council or the Highways Authority have been out to remove two massive fly tips just outside the reserve which have been bugging me since I got there. Thanks to a bit of nagging from me they had taken the worst of it away and I spent an hour or so cleaning up the last remaining cans and bottles. There was also a five litre, metal can of decking oil which had been left to rust out in the watercourse that runs at the bottom of the bank. I was able to rescue that before it began to leak.