Flooded chalk pit

Although I have my (non-commercial) drone pilot's license, I don't get the drone out very often, but it's so clear and still today.  The leaves have not quite started to open on the bigger trees so I can still see the skeleton of the land.  This is the view from my hilltop vantage point over the village of Chinnor in the Vale of Aylesbury.  The ancient village centre clusters round the parish church which you can see in the centre of the photo towards the top.

For my course I am doing an assignment on the development of the brownfield site at the base of the hill.  The nearest houses on the left handside of the photo just above centre, around the rear of the small green lake, are about 10 years old and are on the site of a cement works that was demolished in the 1990s.  The "scalped" areas to the right and left were the shallower chalk excavations, and the large blue lake in the foreground was the deeper excavation.

Today the large blue lake is impenetrably fenced off and is a nature reserve for birds.  The water is very deep and very cold.  The smaller green lake is a fishing lake originally for the old cement works employees.  The "scalped" areas have some small patches with newly planted trees, and the rest is being left for regeneration, as a "nature walking area".

Not surprisingly it was popular for families and dog walkers during lockdown.  The amazing colour of the lakes also drew some unwelcome social media attention and hundreds of people turned up to swim in the azure waters.  The "azure" is due to dissolved minerals and the water is said to be able to dissolve flesh if you stay in it long enough.  We had the Police rescue helicopter here frequently in hot weather.  Lots of scope for an assignment :-)