Drought

We were down to three this morning, after C had to leave very early to allow for a three hour journey home to arrive before the scaffolders turned up.

I was leaving mid afternoon to head to my sister’s, so this morning three of us headed out for a few more Open Studios.

The photo is a record shot. Home in the north-west is dry at the moment, with the silver birches looking very autumnal in particular. Travelling south it got progressively drier. My friends in the New Forest tell me that it hasn’t rained appreciably since May, and that’s apparent here at Wood Green. The Common looks desert like, I have no idea what the ponies in the distance are feeding on. Although the trees look OK at a distance, and their roots will go deep, they must be under some considerable stress. The oaks are shedding lots of acorns, which are hopefully not being eaten by the ponies as they are toxic to them if they eat too many (one reason pigs are released into the Forest at pannage time).