When in Avebury...

2005

2021

A beautiful walk around the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary

We recently had a few days away in the beautiful New Forest, which has become a favourite place of ours in the last few years.  I love the pace of the forest, which I find to be a capsule of peace and tranquillity in amongst the hubbub of fast-paced modernity.  Here, it feels like things change slowly, if at all, and when I'm in the forest, I get the sense that I'm living the same experience that people have enjoyed for hundreds of years.  There are many walks throughout the forest, of which we've done a few in previous visits.  On this occasion, following a brief stop in Ringwood, we took the slow lanes to the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary where, on a drizzly day, the forest is exhibiting its first displays of Autumn.

Our walk begins with the Canadian Memorial, a wooden roadside cross set up to remember the Canadian forces who were present in the New Forest on the lead-up to D-Day. The site was chosen because it marks the spot where Canadians frequently gathered for church services.  It's a lonely place, and the juxtaposition of the peaceful forest and the recollection of the Normandy beaches is stark and reflective.  It feels a world away from the horror of war, and yet many Canadians who enjoyed the simple quietude of the forest in 1944, would very shortly lose their lives in the defence of liberty.  It's worth a moment to pause and consider this.

A gravel trackway takes us away from the memorial, across heathland and down into the depths of the treescape.  Sensing the downturn in the weather, the local ponies begin taking shelter in the bracken, and we pass a number of them nestled in the ferns.  Further down the track, signs indicate that we're entering the deer sanctuary, and it isn't long before we spot a couple in the nearby field.  As far as I can work out, the deer here are wild, but the herd is fed daily by the local New Forest keeper between April and September, meaning that they tend to remain fairly local at this time of year. The type of deer here are wild fallow deer, evidenced by their typical spotted coat, and were of course a joy to see.

Beyond the deer sanctuary, we have a good walk in the trees, eventually making our way to an enormous yew tree, which I just have to take a look at.  I'm fascinated by yew trees, mostly because their ancientness makes me marvel at what they have witnessed in the passage of time.  It's amazing to think that the tree I'm looking at could well have been standing when William the Conqueror evicted the peasants to create this forest, nearly 1,000 years ago.  In fact, it could be even older than that - I once read of a yew tree in the grounds of the churchyard at the Hampshire village of Lockerley, which was growing at the time of Christ.  I just love that thought.

Not too far from this tree lies the Radnor Stone, an ornately carved stone dedicated to the late Earl of Radnor, Forestry Commissioner from 1942-63, and Verderer of the New Forest from 1964-66.  One may instantly draw comparisons to the Rufus Stone, and I wonder whether that was the inspiration for this modern memorial.  I suppose if I was a Verderer and a life-long forest man, the location would be perfect for my memorial - untouched by the modern world, sitting quietly amongst the trees, no doubt visited more frequently by deer and ponies than by any human, a lovely place in which to be remembered.

Our walk from here takes us past the north side of the deer sanctuary, and back to the car.  The weather has further deteriorated, but it's been a lovely walk, punctuated by Schnitzel meeting a similar-sized sausage dog in the car park.  William is full of fresh air and fast asleep, so for us it's a slow and scenic drive back through the reaches of the forest to our hotel, where a comfy and cosy bar awaits.

Seen around the New Forest

Dog in a million

Our beautiful little dachshund celebrated her first birthday today, and we made sure to pull out all the stops for the occasion.  Bunting, presents, cupcakes, a visit from her labrador bestie, and a birthday tea of hotdogs (mostly for us) heralded the transition of Schnitzel from puppy to full dog.  Make no mistake, she was one excited pooch!

I'm going to be soppy for a moment.  When we finally decided to get Schnitzel, I I knew I'd love her - but I didn't realise quite how much I'd love her.  I thought she'd be more for Lizzie, but since she arrived in our life last November, Schnitz has wormed her way firmly into my heart, and is now lodged there for good.  I adore this little sausage dog, I can't actually imagine not having her around in my world.  She's the ultimate pick-me-up, the happy welcome home when you've had a bad day, the constant reminder that somebody loves you, especially during times of great difficulty.  Schnitzel's affection is infectious and unconditional - I know people often say these things about their dogs, but until I experienced it first-hand, I never truly understood this.  She's a little wonder, and one of the shining stars in my life.

Schnitzel, you're my dog in a million, and we both love having you in our lives.  Never change, keep being ridiculous, hilarious, uber-loving and generally pooch perfect, and even though you cannot read this blog, please always know how much we love you.  Happy first birthday, sausage wonder.

Blogging Sunday

 I've become a convert to the joys of Sunday.  OK, I know that any day off work should be considered joyous, but I've always questioned the point of Sunday a little bit, especially compared to the exuberance of Saturday, the king of days.  But recently, I've changed my mindset, and have established a new way of doing Sunday, discovering along the way just what a wonderful day of the week it is.

The morning begins with a leisurely linger at the breakfast bar, reading the newspaper, and enjoying freshly baked breakfast pastries, along with a glass of chilled cranberry juice.  I'm making sure that I start every Sunday in this manner; it's a lovely way to wake up.

After the long wake-up, we head out into the woods for a dog walk.  Schnitzel doesn't exactly require extensive walks, but she does need some exercise, and our local woods is the perfect place to do it.  I love the woods, and I love watching the woods change through the seasons. Today it's very leafy, but in a few short weeks the Autumn will take hold, the leaves will fall, and the character of the woods will become darker and more mysterious.

Back home, and after a light lunch, we do a bit of play with William.  He's already growing up fast, it's difficult to understand where the weeks are flying by.  Sundays are the perfect day to spend some quality time together.  You can see him trying to comprehend his surroundings more, his attempts to raise his hand if you wave at him, and the way he tries to focus on the things before his eyes - be them a picture book, the TV, or the fish tank.

As the day moves ever onwards, it's time to think about dinner.  One of the things I love most about the weekends is the increased time you can devote to cooking.  Just yesterday I made a lovely loaf of granary bread, but today's specialty is a tasty roasting dish - diced potatoes, onions, chorizo, sweetcorn and feta drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with paprika, and left to roast away for an hour.  When it comes out the oven, I throw on some soured cream, then serve up with tortilla wraps and a colourful side salad.  Delicious!

The day ends, and climbing into bed, I can look back and say that I've had a good one.  The rain rattles down outside (we can hear it too, because in the summer months we tend to leave our balcony doors open all night) but indoors all is well - William is asleep in his crib, Schnitzel is dozing on our duvet, and as peace descends, there's a golden chance to delve into a book - which for me, right now, is this beautiful edition of Death on the Nile.

Sundays may have just become my favourite day of the week - a perfect antidote against the stress of the modern world, and a day to enjoy being a family together.  I could certainly get used to this being one seventh of my life!