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Milder than expected

Dense storm-grey-blue cloud.

Maple picked out 

By a sudden beam of sunshine.

Sun breaks through, I am lifted:

Two buzzards appear, maybe feeling the same.

Underneath,

Red-gold-cherry-maple-hip-haw-crabapple glow.

About how this Nylon Nationalism

Spreads such pollution: 

Shedding dual toxins - microplastics and division.

If I must rally behind a flag

Let it be formed of natural materials, 

Uniting with words that remind us all that 

Diversity is Resilience. 

Birdsong dampened.

From the tall trees in the park: unfamiliar screech.

Pool at the base of a wall

Expanded moments without traffic

Slence peppered with birdsong

Body less willing

Dog-walking woman has already bundled the pooches into the car before I get close

The burst pipe’s contents still bubble through the tarmac

A magpie alarm call scratches my ears

I’m striding. Standing up tall, swinging my arms, body relishing life and then

I startle a fox.

It dashes out of the bushes that border the supermarket car park and right into the road.

The railings of the central reservation fence it in, zig zagging back and forth looking for a way out

I’m thankful the road is quiet - the lights change, the single car comes to a stop.

I crane my neck and see the fox dart back into the car park.

I breathe.

Robins chucking or singing almost all the way round

A couple of blackbirds too

And a magpie at the close

Robins calling, the wind has dropped

It feels Monday-ish:

A man up a ladder changing a billboard

Bins being emptied 

Threatening clouds

Soft inky sky, so many stars, 

Tissue sheets of water droplets blow, rippled, through light pools

Nowhere is dry.

Brake lights paint the railings

Cyclist silhouetted  clown-like, rides an invisible tightrope,  umbrella held overhead.

Cobweb across the path

Pigeons restless as the train over-roosts,

Robin piping from a lollipop tree.

In distant haze, Motte and Bailey castle rising over the city. 

Hesitant raindrops 

Moments of quiet

Handmade welcome flag

Yellow sycamore leaf layer

Dazzled by a cyclist

Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored/donated so far - I can't quite believe I've got to (over!) £150 already. Thank you so much for your generosity - I won't let you (or nature) down! 

I've just watched an absolutely beautiful little documentary about Saltmarsh Sparrows in the US - a tiny bird that nests on the saltmarshes but, because of higher and  less predictable tides as the climate changes, these nests are often flooded and eggs/chicks perish. This gentle documentary follows a small group of people and their fantastic dedication as they search out nests and try to keep the species alive with an ingenious DIY nest adaptation designed to float the nest and keep it out of the flood. It's a very charming view of people doing their best for nature and refusing to give up - you can find it here https://www.theguardian.com/global/ng-interactive/2025/sep/09/between-moon-tides-citizen-scientists-saving-the-saltmarsh-sparrow-documentary