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common_nature
I have been playing hide-and-seek with the rooks in the sea fog up on St Alhelm's Head.
Following the chalk track along the headland to St Aldhelm's Head, with all landmarks vanished, and the wind artistically blowing curtains of fog across the path.
Along the chalk track, the tall wiry stems of Black Mustard adorned not with flowers, but with snails: brown snails, striped snails, yellow snails. Their shells shining, varnished by fog.
Things flowering along the track: purple Knapweed and Milk Thistles, pink Mallow, yellow spikes of Agrimony, silver-leaved Artemisia. Too windy a day for butterflies and birdsong. But glimpses of whitethroats, sparrows, skylarks and goldfinches busy in the rough field margins.
A great flock of rooks had all gathered on the white chalk track. I don't know why - you would have to ask the rooks. But we played a game of hide-and-seek in the fog for a while.
It is a magical thing, to be walking through a monochrome world of white track and white fog, with the black rooks swirling above. My photos did not come out well, but I don't care.
The barley not quite managing the Fields of Gold thing. Cheer up, Barley. Fields of Bronze isn't a bad effort on such a dark day.
It's not possible to get lost on the track along St Aldhelm's head. There are no turnings, and no crossroads. Still I wasn't entirely sure where I was, until the old Coastguard cottages suddenly loomed out of the fog in a very Gothic manner.
St Aldhelm's Chapel materialising, possibly from the 12th century.
The Coastwatch lookout station, though I don't think they would be doing much looking out this morning.
The Coast Path, with cliffs on the left, and the sound of the sea. But neither the drop nor the water visible.
Sat for a while on a very damp bench with no views of anything, except the fog blowing in curtains. If there were gulls soaring over the cliffs, they were invisible gulls. Poured coffee from a flask, and the wind kindly blew on it so that it wasn't too hot. A skylark began to sing. Just one, battling against the wind. There's always one.
The path down to Chapman's Pool. I did not take it, because a) it is steep, and b) I couldn't see whether Chapman's Pool was even there today.
Time to turn back and retrace my steps.
Just past the working quarry, I saw two hares. One ran along the track, saw me, and changed direction with so much force that it skidded on the chalk, launching itself into the long grass. The other was only visible as a pair of black-tipped ears in the tall grass.
I wasn't quick enough to photograph the hares, so have a picture of the tall grass instead. They are in there somewhere.
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Date: 2025-06-28 12:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 08:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-28 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 08:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-28 01:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 08:59 am (UTC)It was such a wonderful day to be out with the camera... My favourite weather!
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Date: 2025-06-28 02:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:02 am (UTC)I was so lucky with the weather. The Met Office forecast was 10 per cent chance of rain, but instead we had a beautiful sea fog all day. Much more interesting!
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Date: 2025-06-28 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:05 am (UTC)I have been in thicker fog, once or twice - the sort of fog where you cannot even see the path ahead of you - but it was still magical!
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Date: 2025-06-28 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-28 07:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:07 am (UTC)It was such a fabulous day to be out walking.
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Date: 2025-06-28 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:10 am (UTC)I was so lucky yesterday. I love being out with the camera in the fog. And then the rooks decided to keep me company as well!
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Date: 2025-06-28 08:20 pm (UTC)(This would be exactly the sort of day for the 70’s horror comics heroine Misty to be wandering the terrain, if you remember her.)
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Date: 2025-06-29 09:54 am (UTC)I hadn't come across Misty before. Not surprising, I suppose, considering how hard it was to get hold of 2000AD here.
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Date: 2025-06-29 07:08 pm (UTC)(Something I regret. There’ve always been raucous, bawdy, and wisecracking vamps targeted to the Adolescent Male Gaze, but Misty was a horror hostess specifically addressing tweenage girls rather than their big brothers: she was the cool aunt who’d let you play with Ouija boards and stay up late watching contraband Video Nasties, and hers was the demure and ethereal glamour of the Gothic romance heroine.
She also regarded horror as Serious Business; no creaking doors or groanworthy puns for Misty. The Misty Midnight World was a dangerous place, but Misty was the guide and guardian who’d navigate it with you.)
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Date: 2025-06-30 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-28 08:36 pm (UTC)And rooks! To me they are fairytale birds. I'm pretty sure I've never seen one. Their shapes in the fog are definitely fantastical.
P.
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Date: 2025-06-28 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:55 am (UTC)No mystery set in an English village is ever complete without the sinister cawing of rooks in the churchyard!
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Date: 2025-06-28 08:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:57 am (UTC)I was so lucky yesterday. Not just the lovely eerie sea fret, but rooks as well!
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Date: 2025-06-28 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 12:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:58 am (UTC)Yeah, there were a lot of rooks...
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Date: 2025-06-29 12:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 09:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 12:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 10:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-29 03:05 am (UTC)=^..^=~
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Date: 2025-06-29 10:01 am (UTC)I was so lucky yesterday. Not just the eerie sea fog, but bonus sinister rooks as well!
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Date: 2025-06-29 11:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-30 03:51 pm (UTC)I was so lucky with the weather that day. And the bonus rooks!
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Date: 2025-06-29 01:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-30 03:54 pm (UTC)I love those days when the sea fog comes rolling in and makes everything strange.
Though, yes, not much fun for driving in...
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Date: 2025-06-29 04:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-30 03:55 pm (UTC)I was so lucky with the weather that day. The Met Office had forecast light rain, but this was much more interesting!
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Date: 2025-06-30 06:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-07-01 02:59 pm (UTC)