ADDINGFORD in 1971Sunday January 17th. Although it was overcast a warm wind was blowing from the south. Starlings and corvids join the gulls following the plough after insects, pupa and worms that have spent winter beneath the ground. Blue tits chatter as they hop around in the hedges. Dunnocks tend to be nearer the ground. Lapwings are flying up the valley twenty come over in a group. A kestrel flew towards the poultry farm. The trees are budding but none have leaves yet. The oak has retained some of last years leaves now brown and stiff sounding like a medieval library as they blow about in the wind. This picture shows Addingford looking north west from the mineral railway canal bridge. Regiments of bungalows are approaching this small remnant of a natural environment. The land remains as it is only because it is too boggy to build on or the wooded slopes too steep. |