A scramble

What was intended to be an early evening stroll around Brading, if having been a very hot day, but which turned, at one point at least, into a bit of a scramble. Not the sort of thing I am used to these days.

The intention had been to take a look in the recreation ground behind what used to be the doctor's surgery, which in the past had been conveniently happy to do an interim warfarin test for me - most recently three years ago, as noticed at reference 1. I think I would have to go to Sandown now, or perhaps into Ryde.

The small trees at the back of the ground, intended to attract red squirrels had got a lot bigger. And I was able to find three pyramid orchids - far fewer than on the last occasion. Perhaps the current grass mowing protocol and the current lack of rain were not helping.

Out the back to face what looked like a rather forbidding climb up to the path through the woods, bottom left in the map snap above. Reduced to all fours and using various roots as handholds - but I did get myself up. Would not have cared to try had the ground been at all wet.

Through the woods and then dropped down into the field of oats, previously mentioned. The field where there is something wrong in the top corner as the crop never seems to take there properly. I remember a chap who used to have the field telling us it was ever thus. And shade from the trees did not seem to be sufficient reason.

Quite hazy in the distance, but in the middle distance Brading church showing through loud and clear, with its unusual but rather handsome spire. There had been a sprinkle of rain earlier in the afternoon, which had cooled things down a bit and probably accounted for the strong smell of oats. I also put up a buzzard from one of the neighbouring trees.

While over at Brading, beyond the church, a flock of crows was circling about one of its favoured trees. Probably the same sort of thing as noticed on a larger scale, from rather closer quarters back in 2014, at reference 2. As it turned out, BH had probably been watching the same crows from a different angle, from an upstairs window in our cottage.

Off to the newly reopened Bugle for dinner (bugle as in cow rather than Salvation Army). Salad and garlic bread for her, pie and chips for me. Mayo and gravy on the side. We remembered to ask on this occasion! All very satisfactory.

As was the wine, from Les Ambassadeurs. They could do Bells, they could do tea, but not Earl Grey. And we failed to qualify for the 10% discount offered to locals. Left with the copy of Oliver Twist, already noticed at reference 3.

More crows on the way home, perhaps a different tribe. And a buzzard like bird with pointed wings. A sparrow hawk?

PS: I failed to run the wine down to its manufacturer, but I can say that it is offered by the well known (and expensive) spa hotel chain run by Champneys at their Eastwell Manor outlet. See reference 4.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/07/provincial-warfarin.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.com/2014/07/twit-log.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/07/oliver-twist.html.

Reference 4: https://www.champneys.com/.