Craggy

Following on from yesterday's oak, this is the purely natural bark of a lovely Black Poplar which we came upon today - all fissures and burrs, as the bark of a mature one should be. The tree itself - or as much as I could fit in with an unobstructed view from where I was standing - is shown alongside Hempyard Bridge and the River Blackbourne in the extra. The bridge is a former packhorse bridge associated originally with the Ixworth Priory (no longer in existence) and has been undergoing repairs for subsidence (water & root damage!) and was only reopened a couple of months ago. It was another miserable, damp, misty day but we decided to do a 5 mile walking route from the village of Ixworth - another localish village we don't actually know very well at all. The route passes the windmill and watermill - both still in working condition - at Pakenham, and I expected to use them for my Blip, but the Black Poplar claimed top spot today. We'll have to repeat the walk in the spring or summer, when the watermill is open to the public, so there'll be another chance to feature them.