It is a family tradition to search for signs of spring. We found lots.
A dog walk through the woodland is actually a serious scramble, as the winter has taken its toll on a lot of trees, felled by the strength of the winds, lying blocking the old paths. It is a long time since livestock have been able to graze in the woodland, and so the brambles have begun to take over adding an element of misery to our scramble at times.
It was beautiful to be outside, in the silence of the stillness of this misty damp day. Stillness broken by the deep flap of the heron as it took off from a tree above me and flew across to the pines.
It is never good to spot the first bracken frond. But we are looking forward to seeing the areas that we treated last summer, hopefully showing a successful lack of bracken this year.
In the hazels near the Ensay burn mouth, a winter cache of nuts.
