Before and after...

You may remember the overgrown orchard with its carpet of snowdrops in which I 'peered through the hedge' a few months ago.
Recently the old apple trees have been smothered in blossom which looked amazing against the blue sky (already becoming a distant memory with the change in the weather...)

Buttercups, hogweed and nettles have taken over from the snowdrops. The gap in the hedge is barely visible with the hawthorn hedge in leaf.

 

A family of rabbits live in the old orchard, and Littlest demands we stop on our way home from school to see the 'eyy, eyy's' as he calls them (it does resemble a rabbits call when he says it, bizarrely!) 

 

Walking to and fro from school and playgroup along familiar routes, you do notice little changes and I'm grateful for my camera to record it. Just down the road is a small patch of 'wasteland' which is currently for sale as a building plot. It was covered in birdsfoot-trefoil, speedwell, orange hawkweed and herb robert. Such a beautiful sight, with bees buzzing all around, and I would try and pause for a few moments to take it all in. Yesterday I paused for longer and took this photograph...

And today... it looks like this!

All gone, strimmed down. I nearly cried!
So today's life lesson for me was to always try and stop and appreciate the beauty in the everyday, as it may be completely wiped out the next day!

Peering through the hedge

Every week day, on our way to school, we walk (sometimes run!) down this footpath.

Behind the hedge on the left is a neglected overgrown orchard.

It's a real haven for wildlife and I always peep over the hedge to see what birds I can see. Since childhood I've always kept half an eye out for birds and flowers whenever I'm walking. I recently saw a flock of Waxwings here, feasting on the apples which were still on the trees. It was the first time I'd ever seen any so it was a real delight.

This week, I spotted this lovely sight through the hedge... a glimpse of spring!

I love this little forgotten area.
After the rush of getting to school on time, I let my little one out of the pushchair and we saunter back up the path and peer through the hedge.
I'll let you know what else we spot...

Natalie